Zenguide

First-generation students and immigrants struggle with U.S. financial literacy—78% expressed high anxiety around credit cards and 65% couldn't explain what a FICO score impacts. Through interviews with 15 participants (ages 18-36), I designed a bilingual, gamified mobile app that transforms complex financial concepts into bite-sized lessons. The solution includes micro-lessons in English/Spanish that take under 5 minutes, a credit score dashboard with real-time tracking tied to actionable milestones, and interactive budgeting tools reflecting culturally relevant scenarios like remittances and student loan navigation. Gamification mechanics reward progress with tangible financial goals, transparent privacy controls build trust, and the app addresses a critical gap in financial literacy resources for underserved communities.

• High anxiety around credit cards and student loans.
• Limited time for self-study, so bite-sized "micro-lessons" resonate.
• Need for bilingual or simplified explanations of financial terms.

Through these conversations, three distinct user types emerged;

• Maria, a 19-year-old college freshman from Mexico, represents users who are entirely new to the U.S. financial system and prefer cash transactions because credit cards feel risky. She sends money home monthly and needs Spanish resources that explain concepts from the ground up.
• James, a 24-year-old recent graduate from Nigeria on a work visa, understands finances conceptually but struggles to translate his home country's credit system to the U.S. FICO model. He's overwhelmed by terminology like APR and credit utilization ratios while juggling remittances across currencies.
• Sarah, a 28-year-old working professional whose parents immigrated when she was young, has a credit card but doesn't know how to optimize it. She's navigating student loan repayment without family guidance and feels stuck between conflicting advice from friends and online articles. These personas shaped every design decision, from language toggles to culturally relevant budgeting scenarios.

Existing solutions like Credit Karma or Mint are helpful, but often lack cultural relevance and simplification that newcomers need. While Credit Karma offers credit score checks and educational articles, it doesn't fully cater to first-generation or immigrant-specific contexts (language, cultural nuances, sending money abroad, etc.). It's not gamified in the same sense ZenGuide aims to be, and educational content is still fairly general, often text-heavy.

Credit Card & Loan Confusion They've heard the term "credit card" but don't truly understand how it works (interest rates, credit scores, minimum payments, etc.). They may not know what a FICO score is or how it affects their financial future. Student Loan Stress Sarah and Karla have student loans but aren't sure about repayment strategies, interest accrual, or how to navigate federal vs. private loans. They might not know about potential scholarships or loan forgiveness programs. Lack of Trust & Fear of Debt Common in immigrant communities if there's no prior experience with US banking or if they've heard cautionary tales about debt. Financial Terminology Overload Terms like APR, variable interest rates, credit utilization ratio can be overwhelming.

Gamification & Micro-Learning Breaking lessons into digestible pieces improved engagement, especially for busy students and working parents. Credit Score Monitoring Provides a dashboard to track finances and credit score.