Savings Quest - Interactive Financial Education

Client - Bank of America
Role - Sr Visual Designer
Project Timeline - 2018/2019
Project Status - Launched

Project Overview

My Role: Sr Visual Designer/Design Lead

Key Stakeholder:
Bank of America Community Banking Team

Core Project Team:
Project Manager
Creative Director
UX Architect
Copywriter
Front-End Developer

Business Case

Bank of America has identified a base of customers who may lack in financial education and/or maintaining strong financial habits. This demographic has community banking centers available to them that can offer tools and helpful resources to get on track and learn how to manage their spending better. There is, however, opportunity to improve this education and engage customers in a way that is thoughtful and considerate of their life situations.

Hypothesis

If we can gamify the financial education experience in a fun and engaging way while also leveraging the importance of better money habits, it can promote more positive financial routines for customers over time.

What I did

I lead the creative direction end-to-end for the entirety of this project. Everything from initial concepts to final execution and in game animations. I spent time researching and gathering reference and ideas to help craft both the story, characters, and environment in which they interact. As the design lead, I worked closely with our copywriter, UX architect, and front end developer to carefully address every detail down to the final payoff moment and call to action for the customer upon completing the experience.

Customer problem

There are customers in the LMI (Low to Moderate Income) demographic who lack the proper education and resources to create better money habits. These customers fall into a range of earning an average income of $23,000 a year or less. A range of factors can contribute to poor money management including a excessive overspending, no savings plan or disposable income, unexpected bills and emergencies, and other inconveniences that customers aren’t better prepared for.

Target Audience

  • Millennials

  • Gen Z

  • Baby Boomers

Success Goals

  • Opening new savings accounts

  • Increased customer traffic
in community banking centers

  • More education around 
better money habits

Business Benefit

Increased awareness of better money habits and financial education with a secondary goal of seeing a higher volume of customers feeling empowered to open savings accounts to help with money management.

how did we get here?

Bank of America thought it would be fun to create some sort of gaming experience that would be on display at community banking centers. The original concept pitched was for a game called ‘Financial Fighter.’ Customers would select from one of three characters: Overdraft Jim, Emergency Emily or Bad Credit Bob. The three of these characters reflect real-life circumstances that people in low-income situations may face.

Gameplay for this version would revolve around using kicks and punches to aim at targets considered ‘good habits’ while avoiding bad ones. The player would have 60 seconds to fill up the blue goal meter. At the end of the experience, they would be presented with a congratulatory screen and tips on what products and services Bank of America offers that would work best for them.

rough draft

This was the initial version of Financial Fighter I mocked up and helped pitch to BOA so that they could get a visual for how the game would look and function.

refined vision

After early buy in from the BOA team, I continued to make additional refinements. I worked alongside our copywriter and UX architect to build out the characters, their backgrounds, and improved usability and gameplay mechanics. I lead the visual direction of this game, drawing inspiration from retro video games from the 80s/09s era to help it feel more engaging.

a new challenger

This version of the game differed a bit in the sense that now there was an opponent that players could face. This opponent would represent bad money habits that corresponded with the character chosen by the player. Below would be a set of ‘good financial moves’ that the player could use to defend against their opponent all while encouraging better habits to combat these situations.

challenges and pushback

After pitching this idea back to the BOA team, they took it to executive leadership for the next step in the approval process. However, this concept received pushback for potentially showcasing a form of game violence that some customers might find offensive. Although we as a team reiterated that the nature of the game was never to be violent in intent and more educational, it was only one of the challenges that inevitably forced us to pivot.

The other challenge was not making the customer feel a sense of shame or embarrassment based on a financial burden tied to one of the characters i.e. Overdraft Jim or Bad Credit Bob.

a necessary pivot

With those considerations in mind, we as a team had to abandon Financial Defender despite the positive impact we felt the game would have on customers. Following this, I worked with our creative director, UX architect, and copywriter to craft a new narrative. One that still got the point across without overstepping any boundaries.

savings quest

For this next iteration, I lead the charge on creative vision and visual direction with assistance from the UX architect and copywriter to ensure this experience delivered on message and usability.

The result was a side scrolling adventure style game with the premise of players making their way to a community banking center while dodging obstacles, and acquiring better money habits along the way. We including two playable characters in this game - Kip and Raven

Avoidable bad habits included:

  • Buying a new big screen tv

  • New designer shoes

  • Shopping sprees

    Good habits:

  • Setting up autopay

  • Bringing lunch to work

  • Trimming budget

    Emergencies to plan for:

  • Family issues

  • Car breaks down

  • Medical bills

    Unavoidable obstacle:

  • Unexpected situation

results

This version received overwhelming feedback from the BOA team as well as buy in from executive leadership which lead to Savings Quest being launched in several community banking centers around Charlotte, NC.

Why it works:

  • Emotional Connection - The fun and interactive gameplay for Savings Quest results in excitement about better financial habits and motivates the player to create a plan of action.


  • Informational Connection - Players become more aware of the sudden financial situations that can be thrown their way, and consider how to incorporate better money habits into their everyday lifestyles.


  • Relational Connection - Many customers can relate to the characters in the gameplay and would be more willing to start a conversation with a Bank of America associate about how to become more fiscally stable.


  • Value Add - Savings Quest represents a feeling of nostalgia for most, and with its educational component it also provides a unique way for Bank of America to reach its customers.