Common Coffers
Common Coffers is a group budgeting app that helps friends and families save for shared goals. It combines reminders, progress tracking, and interactive features like polls, games, and vision boards to keep saving fair, transparent, and engaging.
Duration:
Ongoing
(> 8 weeks)
Role:
UX Design
UX Research
UI Design
Interaction Design
Tools:
Figma
Google Slides
Google Sheets
Problem Statement
People working toward shared financial goals often lack timely reminders, engaging tools, and educational support, making it hard to stay motivated, avoid overspending, and foster collaboration—especially in group settings like families or friends saving together.
Research Goals
Understand how users currently spend time with their friends and family
Explore how group financial goals are formed, managed, and contributed to
Uncover what motivates or hinders achievement of group goals
Learn about users' current financial habits (spending vs. saving)
Gauge the comfort level around budgeting and financial decision-making
Identify emotional and practical challenges in collaborative saving
Target Audience
Smartphone users with a regular income or stipend
People who plan group goals with friends or family (vacations, road trips, gifts)
Users seeking motivation, reminders, and transparency in shared savings
Personas
Shalini
The Overwhelmed Optimist
Age: 23
Education: Bachelor of Legislative Law
Location: Pune, India
Family: Mom, Dad and a younger sibling
Occupation: Advocate
Pronouns: She/ her
“It is chaotic and demanding but I’m enjoying it.”
Recently graduated, Shalini and her college friends moved to different cities for work. Amidst the demands of her job, she misses the camaraderie with her friends. Every summer, during a brief 15-day hometown visit, Shalini, despite having a sufficient salary for a solo spa vacation, wishes to spend quality time with her friends. Acknowledging their similar work schedules, she plans a relaxing spa vacation together, cherishing the chance to unwind and rejuvenate as a group.
Goals
Find ways to save up more for a better vacation.
Spend quality time with friends and family.
Select the best value spa package.
Surprise younger sister with a staycation.
Not spend on redundant materialistic things.
Frustrations
Has a tendency to overspend on cosmetics, clothes and online shopping.
No time for friends and family.
No time and energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a young hard working advocate, I want to efficiently save up some money so that I can have a relaxing spa vacation with my college friends.”
Kiera
The Mission-Driven Mom
Age: 45
Education: Masters in Fine Arts
Location: Indianapolis, USA
Family: Single parent with 9 foster kids
Occupation: Full time foster mom and artist
Pronouns: They/ them
"I am proud of my children."
Kira, a foster parent to nine children aged 10-17, plans a summer road trip. To teach financial responsibility, they encourage the kids to contribute equally by saving money from chores, part-time jobs, and allowances. This initiative not only promotes teamwork but also imparts valuable lessons in budgeting, creating a meaningful and educational experience for the foster family.
Goals
Teach their kids the value of money and hard work.
Include extra activities if the kids saved more than they needed to.
Teach their eldest how to drive.
Create games for their children.
Save up more for a surprise party after the roadtrip.
best value spa package.Surprise younger sister with a staycation.
Not spend on redundant materialistic things.
Frustrations
Difficulty managing the children alone.
Challenges in educating children and capturing their attention.
No energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a foster mom, I want to teach my kids how to budget so that they can learn many important skills that are needed for their future.”
Hamim
The Peace Planner
Age: 39
Education: BS in Computer Science
Location: Karachi, Pakistan
Family: Wife and 2 daughters
Occupation: Software Developer
Pronouns: He/ him
"I just want us all to be there for each other."
Hamim, a software developer, resides in Chicago with his wife and two children. His wife, Sydney, manages their home and operates a small business selling customized children's craft supplies. While Hamim's six siblings live in the USA, they rarely gather as a complete group. Recognizing the potential for drama, Hamim plans a winter family trip to unite everyone, aiming to resolve any misunderstandings that may exist. The passing of their father four years ago marked the last time the families came together, and Hamim sees this upcoming vacation as an opportunity to strengthen relationships and share in the process of healing and bonding.
Goals
Escape Chicago winters.
Build a strong bond between families before the vacation.
Save up for a surprise gift for his wife.
Buy a lake house with his siblings and meet up every summer.
Frustrations
Unnecessary quarrels between his siblings and their families.
Responsibility of being the eldest sibling.
No time and energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a busy employee, father, husband, and the eldest sibling; I want to bring our families together so that we can we and our kids can live as a happy family.”
Shalini
The Overwhelmed Optimist
Age:
Education:
Location:
Family:
Occupation:
Pronouns:
23
Bachelor of Legislative Law
Pune, India
Mom, Dad and a younger sibling
Advocate
She/ her
“It is chaotic and demanding but I’m enjoying it.”
Recently graduated, Shalini and her college friends moved to different cities for work. Amidst the demands of her job, she misses the camaraderie with her friends. Every summer, during a brief 15-day hometown visit, Shalini, despite having a sufficient salary for a solo spa vacation, wishes to spend quality time with her friends. Acknowledging their similar work schedules, she plans a relaxing spa vacation together, cherishing the chance to unwind and rejuvenate as a group.
Goals
Find ways to save up more for a better vacation.
Spend quality time with friends and family.
Select the best value spa package.
Surprise younger sister with a staycation.
Not spend on redundant materialistic things.
Frustrations
Has a tendency to overspend on cosmetics, clothes and online shopping.
No time for friends and family.
No time and energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a young hard working advocate, I want to efficiently save up some money so that I can have a relaxing spa vacation with my college friends.”
Kiera
The Mission -Driven Mom
Age:
Education:
Location:
Family:
Occupation:
Pronouns:
45
Masters in Fine Arts
Indianapolis, USA
Single parent with 9 foster kids
Full time foster mom and artist
They/ them
"I am Proud of my children"
Kira, a foster parent to nine children aged 10-17, plans a summer road trip. To teach financial responsibility, they encourage the kids to contribute equally by saving money from chores, part-time jobs, and allowances. This initiative not only promotes teamwork but also imparts valuable lessons in budgeting, creating a meaningful and educational experience for the foster family.
Goals
Teach their kids the value of money and hard work.
Include extra activities if the kids saved more than they needed to.
Teach their eldest how to drive.
Create games for their children.
Save up more for a surprise party after the roadtrip.
best value spa package.Surprise younger sister with a staycation.
Not spend on redundant materialistic things.
Frustrations
Difficulty managing the children alone.
Challenges in educating children and capturing their attention.
No energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a foster mom, I want to teach my kids how to budget so that they can learn many important skills that are needed for their future.”
Hamim
The Peace Planner
Age:
Education:
Location:
Family:
Occupation:
Pronouns:
39
BS in Computer Science
Karachi, Pakistan
Wife and two daughters
Software Developer
He/ him
"I just want us all to be there for each other."
Hamim, a software developer, resides in Chicago with his wife and two children. His wife, Sydney, manages their home and operates a small business selling customized children's craft supplies. While Hamim's six siblings live in the USA, they rarely gather as a complete group. Recognizing the potential for drama, Hamim plans a winter family trip to unite everyone, aiming to resolve any misunderstandings that may exist. The passing of their father four years ago marked the last time the families came together, and Hamim sees this upcoming vacation as an opportunity to strengthen relationships and share in the process of healing and bonding.
Goals
Escape Chicago winters.
Build a strong bond between families before the vacation.
Save up for a surprise gift for his wife.
Buy a lake house with his siblings and meet up every summer.
Frustrations
Unnecessary quarrels between his siblings and their families.
Responsibility of being the eldest sibling.
No time and energy for pampering herself.
Unable to stay organised and getting overwhelmed with work.
User story
“As a busy employee, father, husband, and the eldest sibling; I want to bring our families together so that we can we and our kids can live as a happy family.”
Personas
Journey Maps
Value Propositions
Seamless Expense Tracking
Linked with payment/bank apps, eliminating the need for manual entry of expenditures with each transaction.
Seamless Expense Tracking
Linked with payment/bank apps, eliminating the need for manual entry of expenditures with each transaction.
Location-Driven Mindful Spending
Allows location access, triggering notifications for mindful spending when visiting places like malls.
Location-Driven Mindful Spending
Allows location access, triggering notifications for mindful spending when visiting places like malls.
Goal Progress Tracking
Tracks progress and remaining goals, offering users a clear visual representation of their financial journey.
Goal Progress Tracking
Tracks progress and remaining goals, offering users a clear visual representation of their financial journey.
Engaging In-App Interactions
Features in-app interactions, including games and quizzes, to keep users engaged and entertained.
Engaging In-App Interactions
Features in-app interactions, including games and quizzes, to keep users engaged and entertained.
Child-Friendly Task List
Provides a child-friendly list of chores/tasks with corresponding payments from parents.
Child-Friendly Task List
Provides a child-friendly list of chores/tasks with corresponding payments from parents.
Part-Time Earnings Platform
Offers a dedicated platform for users to make extra money through part-time work.
Part-Time Earnings Platform
Offers a dedicated platform for users to make extra money through part-time work.
Goal-Based Activities
Customized suggestions for activities related to specific goals, such as road trips or vacations, to enhance planning and anticipation.
Goal-Based Activities
Customized suggestions for activities related to specific goals, such as road trips or vacations, to enhance planning and anticipation.
Vacation Packages Access
Direct access to curated vacation packages based on user preferences and goals.
Vacation Packages Access
Direct access to curated vacation packages based on user preferences and goals.
Personalized Goal Recommendations
Proactive suggestions for goals aligned with the user's preferences, group dynamics (friends or family), and upcoming dates.
Personalized Goal Recommendations
Proactive suggestions for goals aligned with the user's preferences, group dynamics (friends or family), and upcoming dates.
Automated Bill Payments
Streamlined bill management with automatic payments for monthly/yearly bills, ensuring timely financial commitments.
Automated Bill Payments
Streamlined bill management with automatic payments for monthly/yearly bills, ensuring timely financial commitments.
Solo Vision Board
A personalized vision board offering suggestions on saving strategies, spending habits, and goal achievement timelines for individual users.
Solo Vision Board
A personalized vision board offering suggestions on saving strategies, spending habits, and goal achievement timelines for individual users.
Gift Saving Strategies
Guidance on how to budget and save for desired gifts, ensuring users can plan for special occasions without financial strain.
Gift Saving Strategies
Guidance on how to budget and save for desired gifts, ensuring users can plan for special occasions without financial strain.
Group Expense Splitting
Facilitates easy bill splitting within your group when going out, ensuring seamless financial coordination and fair distribution of expenses.
Group Expense Splitting
Facilitates easy bill splitting within your group when going out, ensuring seamless financial coordination and fair distribution of expenses.
Group Vision Board
Collaborative vision board features for groups, facilitating shared goals and aspirations among friends or family members.
Group Vision Board
Collaborative vision board features for groups, facilitating shared goals and aspirations among friends or family members.
Payment Due Date Notifications
Timely reminders and notifications for upcoming payment due dates, preventing oversights and ensuring financial commitments are met on time.
Payment Due Date Notifications
Timely reminders and notifications for upcoming payment due dates, preventing oversights and ensuring financial commitments are met on time.
Competitive Audit
Other Competitive Audit
Zeta
Zeta is a budgeting app that caters specifically to couples and families hoping to track their expenses together.
Annual cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.4
Good for couples and families who want to merge their finances. Zeta offers a number of features that make it an ideal app for budgeting with others in your household. The app offers both personal and joint accounts that allow you to pay bills, save for goals, and track shared expenses, and even offers in-app messaging to communicate with your partner or other members of your family about your budget. Zeta has an average mobile app rating of 4.4 and also offers two-factor authentication and data encryption to keep your data extra safe.
Zeta
Zeta is a budgeting app that caters specifically to couples and families hoping to track their expenses together.
Annual cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.4
Good for couples and families who want to merge their finances. Zeta offers a number of features that make it an ideal app for budgeting with others in your household. The app offers both personal and joint accounts that allow you to pay bills, save for goals, and track shared expenses, and even offers in-app messaging to communicate with your partner or other members of your family about your budget. Zeta has an average mobile app rating of 4.4 and also offers two-factor authentication and data encryption to keep your data extra safe.
EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a budgeting app founded by Ramsey Solutions that helps users create a fully customizable budget and set financial goals, with additional perks for premium users.
Cost: $12.99 monthly or $79.99 annually
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for those who are creating a budget for the first time. EveryDollar is a straightforward, easy-to-use budgeting app that allows users to create a customizable budget and set savings goals. Users can opt to upgrade to a premium account (for an added cost) which comes with additional benefits like bank connectivity, paycheck planning, group financial coaching, custom budget reports, smart tracking recommendations, and more. One downside: This app offers mobile and desktop platforms; however, EveryDollar notes that users should budget from their computer for the best-quality experience.
EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a budgeting app founded by Ramsey Solutions that helps users create a fully customizable budget and set financial goals, with additional perks for premium users.
Cost: $12.99 monthly or $79.99 annually
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for those who are creating a budget for the first time. EveryDollar is a straightforward, easy-to-use budgeting app that allows users to create a customizable budget and set savings goals. Users can opt to upgrade to a premium account (for an added cost) which comes with additional benefits like bank connectivity, paycheck planning, group financial coaching, custom budget reports, smart tracking recommendations, and more. One downside: This app offers mobile and desktop platforms; however, EveryDollar notes that users should budget from their computer for the best-quality experience.
Honeydue
Honeydue is a completely free budgeting app that allows couples to manage their personal and shared budgets all in one app.
Cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for couples who want to manage their personal finances and joint finances in one place. Honeydue made our list for its zero-dollar annual cost, account syncing capabilities, and for making it easy for couples to budget together and manage their individual finances as well. Honeydue supports over 20,000 financial institutions across five countries and even offers a Honeydue joint bank account that is FDIC-insured through Sutton Bank. Couples can chat within the app about their financial goals, transactions, and more, making it easy to flag any potential errors and get on the same page about their financial habits.
Honeydue
Honeydue is a completely free budgeting app that allows couples to manage their personal and shared budgets all in one app.
Cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for couples who want to manage their personal finances and joint finances in one place. Honeydue made our list for its zero-dollar annual cost, account syncing capabilities, and for making it easy for couples to budget together and manage their individual finances as well. Honeydue supports over 20,000 financial institutions across five countries and even offers a Honeydue joint bank account that is FDIC-insured through Sutton Bank. Couples can chat within the app about their financial goals, transactions, and more, making it easy to flag any potential errors and get on the same page about their financial habits.
Wally
Wally is a budgeting app available to IOS users only that offers customizable budgets, progress trackers, spending insights, financial calendars, and more.
Cost: $0 or $8.99 monthly, $39.99 annually for Wally Gold membership
Average app rating: 3.9
Good for those who like to keep an eye on their progress. Wally took a spot on our list for giving users the opportunity to create a free budget and have access to progress trackers as they work toward hitting their financial goals. Users can also sync their account with other members in their households to give everyone an overview of their spending habits and goals. Wally may also be an ideal app for those who spend time abroad. The app allows you to sync and manage foreign bank accounts across 70 countries.
Zeta
Zeta is a budgeting app that caters specifically to couples and families hoping to track their expenses together.
Annual cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.4
Good for couples and families who want to merge their finances. Zeta offers a number of features that make it an ideal app for budgeting with others in your household. The app offers both personal and joint accounts that allow you to pay bills, save for goals, and track shared expenses, and even offers in-app messaging to communicate with your partner or other members of your family about your budget. Zeta has an average mobile app rating of 4.4 and also offers two-factor authentication and data encryption to keep your data extra safe.
Simplifi
Simplifi is a budgeting app offered by money management platform Quicken. The app is ad-free and offers budgeting services to over 20 million members.
Cost: $35.88 annually or $71.88 per year if you sign up for a monthly membership
Average app rating: 3.3
Good for those who want a comprehensive overview of their finances, not just their monthly spending. Simplifi offers a combined approach to managing your finances with a monthly budgeting system, as well as a look into your debt repayment, investments, tax planning, and organizing personal and business expenses. While it did have a lower app rating than some of the other budgeting apps on our list, it does offer a desktop version with a more optimized experience. Simplifi also prioritizes keeping your personal information safe with 256-bit encryption.
EveryDollar
EveryDollar is a budgeting app founded by Ramsey Solutions that helps users create a fully customizable budget and set financial goals, with additional perks for premium users.
Cost: $12.99 monthly or $79.99 annually
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for those who are creating a budget for the first time. EveryDollar is a straightforward, easy-to-use budgeting app that allows users to create a customizable budget and set savings goals. Users can opt to upgrade to a premium account (for an added cost) which comes with additional benefits like bank connectivity, paycheck planning, group financial coaching, custom budget reports, smart tracking recommendations, and more. One downside: This app offers mobile and desktop platforms; however, EveryDollar notes that users should budget from their computer for the best-quality experience.
Goodbudget
Goodbudget originally started as a virtual envelope budgeting method, but has expanded to become a comprehensive budgeting app, offering shared budgets, debt trackers and even educational courses and podcasts.
Cost: $0–$70 for annual membership, or $8 monthly
Average app rating: 4.5
Good for those who want to learn more about budgeting and how to better manage their money. For users who have never created a budget or want to learn more about how to be smarter with their money, they can pair Goodbudget’s software with the educational materials provided to go the extra mile. The free version of the app includes only one account, but if you want to add multiple users to your budget, you can add unlimited users to your budget for $8 per month, or $70 annually.
Honeydue
Honeydue is a completely free budgeting app that allows couples to manage their personal and shared budgets all in one app.
Cost: $0
Average app rating: 4.0
Good for couples who want to manage their personal finances and joint finances in one place. Honeydue made our list for its zero-dollar annual cost, account syncing capabilities, and for making it easy for couples to budget together and manage their individual finances as well. Honeydue supports over 20,000 financial institutions across five countries and even offers a Honeydue joint bank account that is FDIC-insured through Sutton Bank. Couples can chat within the app about their financial goals, transactions, and more, making it easy to flag any potential errors and get on the same page about their financial habits.
Competitive Audit Goals
Key Competitors
Most budgeting apps target individuals or couples; few support group budgeting. Features overlap heavily, so no single app is truly unique.
Key Competitors
Most budgeting apps target individuals or couples; few support group budgeting. Features overlap heavily, so no single app is truly unique.
Market Positioning
Apps earn mostly positive reviews, though users note issues with navigation and interaction.
Market Positioning
Apps earn mostly positive reviews, though users note issues with navigation and interaction.
Product Quality
Competitors are generally good but lack comprehensive features for group-focused saving.
Product Quality
Competitors are generally good but lack comprehensive features for group-focused saving.
Competitors’ strengths
User-friendly.
Intuitive.
Visual representation through graphs, charts, and bars for easy comprehension.
Organized categories and subcategories for streamlined navigation.
Calendar visuals for effortless understanding and planning.
Competitors’ strengths
User-friendly.
Intuitive.
Visual representation through graphs, charts, and bars for easy comprehension.
Organized categories and subcategories for streamlined navigation.
Calendar visuals for effortless understanding and planning.
Competitors’ weaknesses
Challenging for users unfamiliar with technology.
Limited availability of group-oriented budgeting apps.
Steep pricing structures.
Absence of goal-oriented budgeting apps.
Conveys a serious and direct tone.
Lack of congratulatory or motivating reminders.
Emphasis on expenses rather than progress tracking.
Lacks in-app games.
Competitors’ weaknesses
Challenging for users unfamiliar with technology.
Limited availability of group-oriented budgeting apps.
Steep pricing structures.
Absence of goal-oriented budgeting apps.
Conveys a serious and direct tone.
Lack of congratulatory or motivating reminders.
Emphasis on expenses rather than progress tracking.
Lacks in-app games.
Opportunities
Can be super user-friendly for anyone, even if you're not a tech whiz.
Should have a basic and straightforward interface.
Better if it's free or with a minimal one-time payment.
Let friends and family join the progress tracking fun when working towards a group goal.
Throw in some cool in-app games for a bit of fun.
A desktop version would be great too.
Include a safety feature, but make it strictly for emergencies.
Opportunities
Can be super user-friendly for anyone, even if you're not a tech whiz.
Should have a basic and straightforward interface.
Better if it's free or with a minimal one-time payment.
Let friends and family join the progress tracking fun when working towards a group goal.
Throw in some cool in-app games for a bit of fun.
A desktop version would be great too.
Include a safety feature, but make it strictly for emergencies.
How Might We?
How might we create a fun money-saving app for group goals?
How might we design an app for goal-oriented groups not focused on saving money?
How might we improve jobs to lessen the need for group savings?
How might we form and empower goal-driven groups effectively?
How might we curb spending on unnecessary items?
How might we eliminate the need for parental financial education?
How might we promote family harmony and reduce tension?
How might we enable saving without phone reliance?
How might we devise a solution for individuals with shared objectives to pursue them independently?
How might we create a way to grant groups their desired achievements as gifts?
Shalini's Big Picture Storyboard
Scenario Statement: A collaborative budgeting and savings app for users to efficiently manage finances with friends and family.
Hamim's Close-Up Storyboard
Scenario Statement: A lively savings app designed to keep group members motivated, excited, and joyful.
Information Architecture
Sketches
Zoning
Goals
Goals
Bills
Bills
Overview
Overview
Low-Fidelity Prototype Screens
