Sanctify is an investing app that lets you screen companies for alignment with Catholic values, build & invest in portfolios, and join a community of like-minded investors striving to promote the common good.
Serve for the underrepresented & Promote human dignity
"Advocate for investors to adopt faith-based ESG investing, which would promote human dignity and enhance the common good, and lands on a profound impact on society. "
Increase companies to adopt socially conscious practices
"This can stimulate an increase in demand for socially responsible investments and encourage companies to adopt environmentally and socially conscious practices and policies."
The Challenge
Sanctify wanted transform the investment landscape with our user-friendly approach to faith-based investing. This sustainable form of investment evaluates both financial returns while considering ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors. Our ambitious were to create a complete platform that can hold both visions while increase the user base.
Our high-level goal was to:
• Make faith-based investing accessible to modern, everyday Catholics and individuals of similar faiths.
My role
I participated in the research, ideation, user flow, and wireframe processes with four other designers. I primarily designed the app's homepage. During the design process, I worked closely with the client's representatives to continuously update and iterate on the product.
My tasks included gathering customer insights and ideation, building the project vision, designing the user interface and experience, and creating motion and interactions.
Teammates
Bing Liu (Lead)
Amelia Wu
Colette
Sylvia
Wenxin Li
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
User Survey
Timeline
Jul 2022 - Nov 2022
(18 weeks)
Client
IWP Capital
We saved 40% of the drop-off rate. 🎉
As of now, although the app is still under development, over 20,000 new users have signed up to join the waitlist. 🎉
Obtaining the latest faith-based categories and sustainable stock information
Users can view news on democratized, faith-based ESG (environmental, social, and governance) sustainable investing, which empowers retail investors to align their investments with personal values and religious convictions.
Screening for MVP through FFV scorecard
we empower users to make informed faith-based ESG investments independently. Using our exclusive screening process, they have the ability to evaluate over 20,000 securities with regards to their stance on ethical topics.
Getting on-board with trustworthy guidance and personalized profile setting
The app's simplicity and transparent guided experience help users make investment decisions that align with their faith. This can stimulate an increase in demand for socially responsible investments and encourage companies to adopt environmentally and socially conscious practices and policies.
"Hi, I'm Sanctify, your ethical investment advisor."
In this video, see how Sanctify make its unique value of changing the way you invest.
Who are the users?
In meetings with stakeholders, we discovered that our target audience — U.S. Catholics and Catholic institutions — constitutes a significant portion of U.S. investors. Their investment needs align well with our business goals and main product features.
What are the user profiles and needs?
To get a deep insights of Catholic investment habits, goals and preferences, we interviewed five participants with faith-based preferences and generated 3 user profiles.
We conducted a heuristic workshop to simplify and conclude three main needs from the users before they see and get to know the primitive version of the app. This analysis helped us form the early insights of giving accessibility of the faith-based investment.
01
Catholic value
A Catholic investing app gives users immediate trust.
02
Display updates
Users will create an account and follow if there's motivation triggers and updates.
03
Financial knowledge guidance
Users would like professional help or guidance on which companies to invest in.
Deeper insights
I partnered with a researcher to test the existing app with three out of the five participants. Our goal was to understand their frustrations. During the testing, I prepared a script including a scenario where users were asked to screen companies not involved in controversial weapons and to purchase preferred stock.
Narrow down the design question
After digging into the data we collected, we found three main factors causing low engagements: uncandid, complicated, and boring. Thus we narrowed our design question accordingly:
• How might we design an informative, convenient and delightful mobile experience for users, where they can do purpose investing and screening.
Learn from mainstream investment apps
We examined six well-known investment apps, like Robinhood, Stash, and Ellevest, which is aimed at women. We discovered that each app has its own pros and cons.
The valued features we learned from competitors are:
01
Home as a hub
Some competitors love to put function and overview on the surface, which makes it easier for users to find the things they want
02
Personalization
Smart portfolio or system recommendation. Users won't want to see the same content every time they open the app.
03
Use illustrations
Financial app could be boring, using bright colors and illustrations to increase user engagement for this company-wide product.
The above features are used as our design strategies while ensure an informative, convenient and delightful mobile experience for users, where they can do purpose investing and screening.
Start from key path scenarios
The initial stage of optimizing the structure of this 0-1 redesign platform involved developing core path scenarios, which consisted of screening steps. This process enabled us to blaze through the wireframing and information architecture of our process with much greater ease.
User flow
The primitive app were like a simple assembly module. To generate a complete structure before embedding creative designs, we hold 2 workshops to set up this complete userflow, through process are cyclic in every stages. In the process of continuously refining the user flow, screening and more humanized functions have come to the forefront.
Complete picture of the product
We hold workshops to discuss and build the information architecture, which helps us generate the big picture of the flow, including screening and related functions on each page.
It was not until this stage that I, along with three other designers, began to concentrate on designing the homepage, while several other designers focused on pages such as screen, search & invest, and profile. In the design process, I contributed by structuring and providing creative ideas.
We kept asking...
How can we transform the home into a versatile and personalized center, where people are enriched with faith-based information and can conveniently do purpose investing?
Three primary design questions informed my design strategy.
- What information sections need to be displayed?
- How to embed faith-based features into sections where people get access to other pages and functions?
- How to provide a delightful and informative user experience of the home?
Homepage user flow
We returned to the early stage where we developed the information architecture and began restructuring the homepage. Through discussion, we added an Ad banner section and combined the FFV scorecard recommendations with market information into one. By doing so, we brought a more organized and business-valued homepage.
Wireframe exploration
This process is one of aligning user needs with business value. Initially, we crudely transplanted mainstream apps onto our wireframes. Subsequently, we placed screening and scorecards related to business value on the interface. Ultimately, we adjusted it to create the most suitable interface for browsing and information gathering.
High-fi exploration
In the hi-fi phase, we conducted two rounds of user testing. We found that although users complained about the aesthetics of the original app during the initial testing phase, in this stage, they were more concerned about the usability of each piece of data and information. For example, instead of placing a sanctify logo in the performance section, users were more concerned with the availability of data in the reports.
Mid-fi exploration
We began to add colors, testing different visual effects. The colors ranged from light to dark, and ultimately we chose a clear and pleasing green, combined with a generous amount of white space.
Home as a versatile and personalized hub
From uncandid to informative
People feel investing through Sanctify is not candid mainly due to a lack of openness, honesty, and frankness. Our data revealed that:
1. 50% of users are unsure how screening works and consequently have low trust.
2. Half of the useful data showed that we ignore screening values.
3. 45% of users want to be trained or learn how to use screening.
Based on this, I proposed three featured ideas: a thumbnail of screen reports profile, adding smart collections under FFV scorecard set. These are designed to offer users transparent, newsworthy, and trustworthy information.
Feature 1: Transparent progressing of screen reports
Unlike the personal home preview of general investment accounts, we offer you real-time screening status and results.
Users can enter the screening interface with one click for further operations, providing you with a safe and trustworthy environment for faith inspection.
Feature 2: Browsing through FFV score card collections
The FFV Scorecard® was issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2003 to facilitate investment for investors with Catholic values.
We have made the scorecard transparent through a smart collection method, allowing faith-based users to browse and focus on its 5 core features and 21 business screening contents.
Users no longer need to inquire about the asset distribution of the companies their stocks belong to. Sanctify reviews and updates the scorecard annually while maintaining its core structure.
From complicated to convenient
We have identified two typical areas of complexity in our interface and processes:
1. New users are required to fill out tedious information forms upon first login.
2. Users unfamiliar with Christian doctrine and faith-based investing may abandon investment due to reluctance to spend time understanding the FFV Scorecard and screening process.
To address these issues, we have designed a convenient and quick login process, and have incorporated popular market movers to provide users with an easy investment channel.
Feature 1: Welcome back with progress indicators and simplified forms
Read the agreement and onboard in just 10 seconds. Users don't have to worry about privacy breaches, as they can save their necessary personal information for future use.
Additionally, the progress bar ensures a comfortable and secure environment for logging in.
Feature 2: Invest through the most popular market movers
By clicking on market movers, you can gain insights not only into popular market stock categories but also into detailed classifications based on Catholic doctrine.
This dual perspective offers you a comprehensive channel for stock filtering.
Feature 3: Acquiring daily news
Stay informed about stock market dynamics by reading daily news.
We proactively filter news relevant to your investment beliefs, saving you time each day.
From boring to delightful
Feature 1: Getting onboard with delightful illustrations
Enjoy a delightful onboarding experience that is appealing and easy-to-use, leaving a positive, relaxing and professional impression.
Norms of developing illustrations
Using illustrations was one of the primary approaches to development this app. We understand that illustrations can effectively express complex information, intuitively convey feelings, and enhance user engagement. A unique standard we adhered to while developing the illustrations was aligning them with the moral values of the business. This involves creating and promoting a positive, just, and non-addictive investing environment.
Details and color pallette
While considering where the illustrations would be placed in the product, we realized they would be used primarily for onboarding features. These include a new user's first-time registration, initial use of screening, membership registration, etc., aiming to provide an informative and delightful experience for the first impression. Consequently, we decided to opt for a relatively limited color palette, aligning it with the main color system.
Design system
When we were developing the standard design system, our main focus was on aligning its meaning with the business's values and design goals. The aim is to create an informative, convenient, and delightful faith-based investment platform. We chose green as the primary color to symbolize growth, health, and the promotion of social and moral responsibilities.
1. Addressing a Unique Market Need
Sanctify fills a niche in the investment market, catering to those who seek to align their financial decisions with their faith. This unique positioning not only sets Sanctify apart from other investment platforms but also serves a significant segment of the market that was previously underserved. Products for special market needs, along with the presentation of promotion, news, and educational information resources, can open up the market to ordinary users.
2. Collaboration often leads to greater impact
Working alongside a talented team of designers and developers, each bringing their own perspectives and skills, was a lesson in the power of collaborative work. The diverse insights helped in shaping an app that was not only visually appealing but also functionally robust.
3. Design combine technology and ethics
It underscored the importance of understanding and catering to specific user needs, the impact of technology in aligning financial decisions with personal values, and the potential for digital platforms to drive positive change in traditional industries. This project will be a highlight of my portfolio, showcasing my ability to contribute to innovative, impactful, and user-centric digital solutions.
