Driving Financial Investment With Gamified Reward System
UXUI Design, B2B, Mobile, Fintech
Ark7 is a new real estate investment platform facing low conversion rates and difficulty attracting high-value users. Many users are not yet familiar with this new investment approach so they hesitate to invest.
To address this, we designed a Learn and Reward System that educates users, simplifies onboarding, and motivates early engagement.
Year
2023
Timeline
3 months
My Role
Mobile UX/UI Design · User Research · Stakeholder & domain expert interview · Information Architecture · Wireframe & high fidelity prototype
Contributors
Engineers x2, Lead Product Designer x1, Project Manager x1
Impact
What We Achieve in 3 months
Overview
My Role
As the Product Designer responsible for the design of Ark7's rewards and learning features from 0-1, I observed a significant rise in user engagement and investment.
Following the launch of these features, the percentage of new users opting to invest in properties via Ark7 experienced a dramatic increase, jumping from 14% to 56% in just 2 months, while user engagement rates climbed by 23%.
Final Solutions
How Did I Get To The Design Solutions
Challenge
Problem Statement
Research
How Did I Get To The Design Solutions
To better understand the problem space, we chose 4 competitors for a competitive analysis and conducted 6 user interviews.
User Type
In terms of investment experience, there are two main user types:
Research Insights
User Insights: Lack of Handy Learning Resources and Motivation to invest
Demand for Diverse Investment Learning
Users Seek Quick Investment Insights
Current Flow Lacks Retention and Encouragement
#1 Direction
Establish a Learning Circle and Supportive Environment at Key Stages for Better Investment Decisions.
Business Perspectives: Low involvement on app and Fear to invest more
Referral Bonuses Ineffective; Lower Investment Threshold Needed
Boost App Engagement with Events and Social Media
Extend 'Learn' Content to Mobile App
#2 Direction
Keep Users Engaged to Encourage Ongoing Investment and Learning.
User Journey Findings
To better understand user challenges, we mapped the full journey of first-time investors and uncovered key concerns. By analyzing their emotions and needs, we identified the root causes of hesitation.
Target User Group
Among them, we found that 69% of users give up at the stage of making their first investment, and 75% of those who give up are young individuals (aged 18-39). From this, we derived the profile of our target user group:
Through brainstorming the features we hope to see on the existing pages to encourage users to place orders and interact, we have identified several possible directions to solve the problem :
Successful Stories
✅ Encourage investments by showing others’ success.
❌ Hard to share exact returns due to privacy & credibility.
Property Recommendation
✅ Help users filter investment options.
❌ Users lack familiarity & trust in Ark7.
Learn + Points
✅ Build trust by explaining business model & rewarding learning.
Challenge
To Further Define
User Flow
I enhanced the user experience by encouraging new users to learn the concept first, then rewarding them with a bonus for redeeming free properties, boosting confidence and motivation for initial investments.
Ideation
Concept Development
Using user research insights, I designed user flows and mid-fidelity screens to motivate initial investments by building trust and explaining the innovative business model.
Evaluation
User Testing and Iterations
Through user testing on high-fidelity screens build upon the mid-fidelity screens, 90% users expressed that the rewards and learning features have enhance their engagement using the app.
Final Design
Take courses and complete quiz to earn points:
Learn how reward system works:
Check and redeem points:
Post-Launch Adjustments
01
Assistance in Making Decisions
Users engaged well with learning and rewards, but sharing remained low due to privacy concerns. To build trust, we shifted focus from social sharing to offering professional investment advice directly in the app.
Integrated Educational Support
We added website content into the app, including new Market Insights and Expert Insights, giving users easier access to real estate and investment knowledge.
02
Long-Term User Perspective
We ensured the Learn & Reward feature stayed simple and intuitive, even for experienced investors, while keeping investments easy and trustworthy.
Minimized Impact on Main Interface
The Ark Circle section was redesigned into Ark7 Moments, blending naturally into the layout without overwhelming the screen.
Takeaways
I shipped a dual-audience metrics dashboard from 0→1
Future Steps
Comprehensive Rewards System Integration
To ensure MVP viability, begin with pilot features for individual incentives (e.g., profile completion, referrals). Only if these prove effective, proceed to combine all incentives into a unified system.
WCAG-Compliant Color Scheme
Since the current color scheme is based on brand colors and there is a reluctance to change them, avoid large green backgrounds with white text to meet accessibility standards without altering the brand’s identity.
