Chamify | UI/UX Design

A group savings app which aims to give Chamas (Kenyan savings pools) a central place to oversee and manage their finances.

The research processed involved a series of user interviews with Chama members to gather their insights on what works well within their Chamas and what areas needed improvement. The main pain points experienced were as follows:

Lack of Transparency: Poor record-keeping and unclear financial transactions can lead to mistrust among members.

Unclear Objectives: Groups without a clear plan or strategy are more likely to face difficulties in achieving their goals.

Delayed Contributions: Without clear guidelines, members may fail to contribute on time, disrupting the group’s operations.

Rushed Investments: Making hasty decisions about investments they don’t fully understand can result in losses.

Difficulty Accessing Financial Services: Chamas often struggle to open bank accounts, secure loans, or access other essential financial products.

To tackle the above issues, the project scope would entail the following main features:

Chama setup: Which would enable Chamas to record their member details, settlement account details and signatory requirements, to enable a standard approval process on all outgoing transactions.

Approvals: Ensure outgoing transactions are approved by signatories in order to be processed.

Statements: Allow all members to view Chama transactions for transparency and clear record keeping.

Contribution types / Goals: Record the types of contribution members are to make, in order to clarify group contribution objectives.

A 'personal wallet' tailored to individual users to encourage savings culture.

Future plans:

Investments - Present users with safe investment opportunities that are regulated by CMA, to lower the likelihood of fraud investments.

Loans - Allow members to borrow within the Chama and support one another financially, all the while ensuring transparency and accountability.

The design process began with low-fidelity prototypes to outline the app's structure and gather stakeholder feedback. A series of review sessions allowed, incorporation of insights from both users and stakeholders to refine the designs and ensure all key needs were addressed. Once this phase was approved, I transitioned to creating high-fidelity prototypes.

The goal for the UI was to be friendly and lively, catering to a youthful demographic and reducing any sense of intimidation, thereby encouraging engagement with the app.

During the prototyping phase, I focused on emulating all interactions to bring the vision to life as realistically as possible. This enabled me to gather user insights from design testing, as their interaction with the prototype highlighted potential issues early, which could be resolved during the design phase.

A design kit played a crucial role in maintaining consistency across the application and streamlining the process. This not only ensured a cohesive design but also facilitated a smoother developer handoff, minimizing potential challenges during development.

The development process is currently underway, with close collaboration with the dev team to ensure the vision translates seamlessly into the final product. Regular sync-ups help address any discrepancies and maintain alignment on functionality and aesthetics. Ongoing testing is a key focus, allowing us to identify and resolve bugs early while refining interactions to match the intended user experience.

Feedback between the team and stakeholders ensure the project stays on track and any emerging needs are quickly addressed. By maintaining clear communication and a user-centered approach, the development process is progressing smoothly toward delivering a polished, intuitive application.