Subscription Expense Tracker
SubScout is a mobile app that helps people track, manage, and pay for their service subscriptions. One of the core features is the Subscription Expense Tracker, which allows users to monitor their spending on each service.
My role
My role
Product designer
Product designer
Product
Product
Finance management + Mobile app
Finance management + Mobile app
Timeline
Timeline
October 2024 – December 2024
October 2024 – December 2024
Design focus
Design focus
user flows
user flows
UX/UI design
UX/UI design
prototype
prototype
user profile
user profile
registration
registration
Problem
Problem
Existing subscription management apps often lack a cohesive and intuitive user experience. While they offer basic subscription tracking, they often struggle with inconsistent visual design and limited functionality.
Existing subscription management apps often lack a cohesive and intuitive user experience. While they offer basic subscription tracking, they often struggle with inconsistent visual design and limited functionality.
Goal
Goal
Lead the design of MVP of the Subscription Expense Tracker, focusing on UX and UI to address key user pain points and deliver a transparent, trustworthy, and user-friendly experience.
Lead the design of MVP of the Subscription Expense Tracker, focusing on UX and UI to address key user pain points and deliver a transparent, trustworthy, and user-friendly experience.
01.
Study project aspirations
Unlike many competitors in the UK market, which often resemble serious banking products, we aimed to create a subscription tracker that looked light, approachable and friendly, while still reliable and professional.
We carried out insightful user research, which shaped the direction of the project. After this stage I worked independently on ideation, user flows, wireframing, visual design and prototyping. At each step I tested my decisions and compared them with our initial priorities of keeping the product light, clear and user friendly.
Unlike many competitors in the UK market, which often resemble serious banking products, we aimed to create a subscription tracker that looked light, approachable and friendly, while still reliable and professional.
We carried out insightful user research, which shaped the direction of the project. After this stage I worked independently on ideation, user flows, wireframing, visual design and prototyping. At each step I tested my decisions and compared them with our initial priorities of keeping the product light, clear and user friendly.
Onboarding flow
for first - time users
Custom subscription
creation flow
My subscriptions
after services were added
02.
User research insights
I led a small team of students through user research, competitor analysis and the prioritisation of user needs. Our goal was to focus on key user pain points around transparency, trust and ease of use.
To understand our users better, we reviewed comments on popular app stores and feedback platforms. We translated user feedback into testable UX hypotheses around expense forecasting, data representation, categorisation and app navigation. All hypotheses that were validated with target users at Zoom interviews directly shaped further design decisions.
This approach helped us uncover not only common frustrations but also the reasons people prefer expense trackers to the budgeting tools built into banks. We found that dedicated apps gave users more control through manual entries and customisation, without overloading with information.
I led a small team of students through user research, competitor analysis and the prioritisation of user needs. Our goal was to focus on key user pain points around transparency, trust and ease of use.
To understand our users better, we reviewed comments on popular app stores and feedback platforms. We translated user feedback into testable UX hypotheses around expense forecasting, data representation, categorisation and app navigation. All hypotheses that were validated with target users at Zoom interviews directly shaped further design decisions.
This approach helped us uncover not only common frustrations but also the reasons people prefer expense trackers to the budgeting tools built into banks. We found that dedicated apps gave users more control through manual entries and customisation, without overloading with information.
Competitor analysis
that shaped future design priorities
Emma
Plum
Revolut
Monzo
Emma
Plum
Revolut
Monzo
User feedback
that shaped future design priorities
03.
Shaping design priorities
We transformed the insights into design tasks and prioritised them using an ICE scoring system to focus on the features with the highest impact for users.
We transformed the insights into design tasks and prioritised them using an ICE scoring system to focus on the features with the highest impact for users.
ICE score formula
for prioritising tasks
Action 1
Action 1
Organise subscriptions into overlapping custom groups and view analytics per group
Organise subscriptions into overlapping custom groups
Organise subscriptions into overlapping custom groups
Action 2
Action 2
View and compare expenses across different timeframes — past, current, and future
View and compare expenses across different timeframes — past, current, and future
View and compare expenses across different timeframes
Action 3
Action 3
Add multiple plans per subscription, tag by priority, add notes, create custom subscriptions
Add multiple plans per subscription, tag by priority, add notes, create custom subscriptions
Add multiple plans, add notes, create custom subscriptions, tag by priority
Action 4
Action 4
Let users personalise reminders — set their own timing, message, and add them to a calendar
Let users personalise reminders — set their own timing, message, and add them to a calendar
Let users personalise reminders to set timing, message, and add to a calendar
Action 5
Action 5
Assign subscriptions to bank accounts if connected, core features work without link to bank
Assign subscriptions to bank accounts if connected, core features work without link to bank
Assign subscriptions to bank accounts, core features work without link to bank
Higher Priority
Lower Priority
To guide the ideation stage, I mapped a user flow that clarified where forecasting, analytics and expense-tracking tools should appear within the journey. This ensured that every priority was connected to a clear interaction and that the overall experience remained simple and intuitive.
Alongside this, I defined design principles that became central to the project: the app should feel light and approachable, analytics should be accessible within one tap, and onboarding should minimise friction by working even without a linked bank account. These principles informed the navigation structure, interaction patterns and visual choices, while success was planned to be measured through engagement, retention and adoption of the most valued features.
To guide the ideation stage, I mapped a user flow that clarified where forecasting, analytics and expense-tracking tools should appear within the journey. This ensured that every priority was connected to a clear interaction and that the overall experience remained simple and intuitive.
Alongside this, I defined design principles that became central to the project: the app should feel light and approachable, analytics should be accessible within one tap, and onboarding should minimise friction by working even without a linked bank account. These principles informed the navigation structure, interaction patterns and visual choices, while success was planned to be measured through engagement, retention and adoption of the most valued features.
User flow
with main features introduced
Wireframing
for analytics feature
04.
First test: assemble everything
The initial usability test brought together the parts of the app to see how well users could navigate the system and locate essential information. The test scenario asked participants to sign in, add new subscription, explore active subscriptions, and review spending. The focus was on validating the overall structure and ensuring that key actions matched user expectations.
During tests most participants assumed the charts were interactive and tapped them to reveal category details, overlooking the breakdown provided further down the screen. Confusion also arose between the Breakdown and Spending tabs, as both displayed subscription categories but were not clearly differentiated.
The initial usability test brought together the parts of the app to see how well users could navigate the system and locate essential information. The test scenario asked participants to sign in, add new subscription, explore active subscriptions, and review spending. The focus was on validating the overall structure and ensuring that key actions matched user expectations.
During tests most participants assumed the charts were interactive and tapped them to reveal category details, overlooking the breakdown provided further down the screen. Confusion also arose between the Breakdown and Spending tabs, as both displayed subscription categories but were not clearly differentiated.
These findings guided the first set of refinements:
the chart section was updated to allow direct interaction, providing instant access to category-level details
the Breakdown and Spending tabs were redefined to present distinct views with clearer labelling and hierarchy
the search function was repositioned to the top bar to make its purpose more visible and straightforward, the search icon at the bottom was replaced by Help section
These findings guided the first set of refinements:
the chart section was updated to allow direct interaction, providing instant access to category-level details
the Breakdown and Spending tabs were redefined to present distinct views with clearer labelling and hierarchy
the search function was repositioned to the top bar to make its purpose more visible and straightforward, the search icon at the bottom was replaced by Help section
Redesigned charts
differentiate total spend over time and category breakdown
Search function
has been repositioned to the top bar
05.
Second test: user patterns
The focus of this test shifted to fine-tuning usability and testing how effectively users could complete their main goals without confusion. Each participant followed a tailored scenario that reflected realistic use cases, such as checking upcoming payments, reviewing spending forecasts, editing or cancelling a subscription, and testing different notification settings.
Participants found cancelling and deleting a subscription too similar, even with explanatory text. The pause subscription function also required a clearer description. Some users were uncertain about the meaning of the priority tag, and the distinction between subscription category and group was not always understood.
Following these findings, I refined the wording and visual hierarchy of related functions to make actions and labels more distinct. Contextual hints were added to clarify grouping logic. These changes resolved the main areas of confusion and helped finalise the structure for the next design stage.
The focus of this test shifted to fine-tuning usability and testing how effectively users could complete their main goals without confusion. Each participant followed a tailored scenario that reflected realistic use cases, such as checking upcoming payments, reviewing spending forecasts, editing or cancelling a subscription, and testing different notification settings.
Participants found cancelling and deleting a subscription too similar, even with explanatory text. The pause subscription function also required a clearer description. Some users were uncertain about the meaning of the priority tag, and the distinction between subscription category and group was not always understood.
Following these findings, I refined the wording and visual hierarchy of related functions to make actions and labels more distinct. Contextual hints were added to clarify grouping logic. These changes resolved the main areas of confusion and helped finalise the structure for the next design stage.
Cancel & pause subscription
functions with explanation provided
Priority tags
use select between limited number of options
Subscription grouping
use contextual help to clarify it's function
06.
Third test: simulate real life
The final round of testing focused on simulating real-world use of the functional prototype to observe how users interacted with the app in everyday scenarios. Since the prototype was not connected to live banking systems, interactions and data updates were simulated to mirror typical user flows as closely as possible. Participants were encouraged to perform natural actions, such as managing multiple subscriptions, exploring grouped spending summaries, or setting up notifications for renewals.
At this stage, testing focused on behavioural metrics such as task completion rate, navigation errors, time on task and user confidence level. Results showed a significant increase in efficiency and understanding — users completed most tasks without hesitation, and navigation confusion dropped considerably compared with previous tests.
The final round of testing focused on simulating real-world use of the functional prototype to observe how users interacted with the app in everyday scenarios. Since the prototype was not connected to live banking systems, interactions and data updates were simulated to mirror typical user flows as closely as possible. Participants were encouraged to perform natural actions, such as managing multiple subscriptions, exploring grouped spending summaries, or setting up notifications for renewals.
At this stage, testing focused on behavioural metrics such as task completion rate, navigation errors, time on task and user confidence level. Results showed a significant increase in efficiency and understanding — users completed most tasks without hesitation, and navigation confusion dropped considerably compared with previous tests.
Subscription analytics
with filtering by category, group and linked bank accounts
Bank linking flow
with information about personal data security
Minor issues remained around terminology consistency and the clarity of tag and grouping settings, suggesting the need for microcopy adjustments and improved onboarding hints. These final refinements helped confirm that the app’s structure and interactions were intuitive and ready for visual polish and high-fidelity prototyping.
Minor issues remained around terminology consistency and the clarity of tag and grouping settings, suggesting the need for microcopy adjustments and improved onboarding hints. These final refinements helped confirm that the app’s structure and interactions were intuitive and ready for visual polish and high-fidelity prototyping.
07.
Key outcomes
Success rate when creating a custom subscription was 100% indicating streamlined and easy-to-follow process. The time it took users to add a new subscription and check general analytics was 14% faster compared to the first design version. We also saw a 3% error rate when viewing expense analytics, meaning users made fewer mistakes.
Success rate when creating a custom subscription was 100% indicating streamlined and easy-to-follow process. The time it took users to add a new subscription and check general analytics was 14% faster compared to the first design version. We also saw a 3% error rate when viewing expense analytics, meaning users made fewer mistakes.
100%
Task completion rate
Task completion rate
when creating custom subscriptions
14%
Reduction in task time
Reduction in task time
when adding a subscription
3%
Error rate
Error rate
when viewing expense analysis