GAMIFIED SAVINGS APP
UX CASE STUDY
Pelana is a gamified savings app where your real-life money habits fuel an idle RPG adventure. With the help of your AI companion Pela, you log spending, build better habits, and level up your avatar as you save. It’s finance made fun, rewarding, and easy to stick with.
A GAMIFIED AI-POWERED SAVINGS COMPANION
FINANCE MEETS IDLE RPG
With finance apps often feeling cold and overwhelming, Pelana reimagines personal finance as a gamified idle adventure. Blending AI assistance and idle game mechanics, Pelana transforms everyday saving and spending into a rewarding journey where users level up avatars, defeat monsters, and grow financially. This project explored habit-building, user motivation, and interaction design to create an app that’s not just functional, but fun and emotionally engaging.
MY ROLE
In my role as the Lead UX/UI Designer, I led the entire design process for Pelana — conducting user interviews, competitive analysis, journey mapping, and feature prioritization. Through iterative prototyping and usability testing, I transformed research insights into a gamified, AI-powered financial app that merges idle game mechanics with habit-forming design to engage younger audiences.
work scope
Qualitative and Quantitative user research
Competitor & Market Analysis
User Journey Mapping
Ideation & Content Development
Wireframing & Prototyping (Lofi & Hifi)
Unmoderated Usability Testing
Final Visual Designs
Within a 1 month timeline
tools used
the goal
business goals
Build a finance app that engages Gen Z through gamification
Improve financial literacy and healthy savings habits
Increase user retention through habit loops and idle progression
Create long-term monetization potential via premium features
user goals
Make savings and budgeting feel fun, not stressful
Provide instant feedback through avatar growth & idle rewards
Build positive financial habits through daily micro-actions
Offer a non-judgemental, AI-powered companion for guidance
project goals
Apply gamification and habit-forming design principles to finance
Blend idle RPG mechanics with real-world savings behavior
Conduct research-led design with usability testing and iteration
Deliver an MVP-ready prototype showcasing Pelana's unique UX approach
design thinking
Pelana aims to reimagine financial apps by introducing an engaging, gamified experience that helps users build better savings habits. Combining AI-powered chat, idle game mechanics, and habit-forming design, Pelana transforms financial tracking into a fun, rewarding journey. This end-to-end process involved extensive research, ideation, and usability testing, executed across 4 phases to ensure user-centered outcomes.
DISCOVERY
User Research
User Interview
Competitor & market analysis
User Personas
User Journey Mapping
ideate
User Flows
Information Architecture
Card Sorting
How might we statements
MoSCoW Prioritization
design
Wireframes
Lo-fi Design
Mid-fi Mockups
Hi-fi Prototype
Design System and Branding
test
Usability Testing
ICE Prioritization Analysis
User feedback & Insights
Iterative refinement
Next steps planning
