Revolut, Enhancing Savings Goal Tracking, Reihaneh

Every persona reaches the same dead end: a number with no meaning and no next step.

01 · Trigger

Friday 8:30. Elena opens Revolut on the tram to see "how much damage" she did this week.

02 · Open app

Instead of rigid budgets, she wants a calm, friendly overview of where her money went.

03 · Check spending

A highlight shows the cashback and rewards she's earned, "turn this into progress?"

04 · Decide

She taps the prompt and sees her savings goal filling up, nudged to move a little across.

05 · Reassure

Later she makes a spontaneous purchase; Revolut categorizes it and reassures her she's still within her usual pattern.

06 · Reflect

That evening a guilt-free reflection screen shows categories, rewards earned, and how much closer she is thanks to tiny auto-saves.

07 · Celebrate

A short celebratory message reframes it: "You enjoyed your week and still moved closer to Weekend Getaway, nice balance!"

08 · In control

She closes the app feeling informed and in control, open to Revolut nudging small, painless savings in the background.

Interface issues break motivation by hiding goal progress and making saving actions hard to decide.

These four heuristics are most directly connected to our problem statement and observed user pain points, allowing a focused, in-depth analysis of the most critical usability issues in Revolut.

User task

Manage multiple saving goals and decide what action to take next from the Home screen.

H1Visibility of system status

H2Match with the real world

H6Recognition rather than recall

H9Help users recover from errors

Must fix before release High priority fix Low priority fix

Severity 3 · H1 Visibility of system status

Pockets are hard to discover from Home

Pockets appear as an extra product rather than a core goal-management space. Buried under Savings & Funds and Brokerage, they get less attention and repeat-use decreases.

RecommendationSurface active Pockets on Home as goal cards, not only inside "Discover more". Treat saving goals as a primary feature, not an upsell product.

Severity 4 · H6 Recognition rather than recall

No overview of multiple goals

Users with vacation, emergency and gadget Pockets need an overview instead of remembering progress across screens, otherwise they lose momentum deciding what to fund first.

RecommendationAdd a Goals widget: show top 3 Pockets with priority, progress, status, and one suggested action, visible directly from Home.

Who we spoke to

Eight participants across the spectrum of financial confidence, from cash-first users to advanced optimizers. There is no single "saving user".

Ana

Trust-sensitive goal separator

Creates manual categories but avoids official Saving because it feels unclear.

Mike

Advanced optimizer

Understands Saving but prefers better investment options.

Sara

Careful student

Tight budget; small purchases add up. Needs control and clarity.

Elena

Free-spending professional

High income, low structure. Wants awareness without restriction.

Mina

Cash-first, low confidence

Uses cash and memory; understands only simple visuals.

Leila

On-the-edge switcher

Uses Revolut partly, compares with Emma. Motivated by cashback and interest.

Klara

Progress-seeking pocket user

Wants progress, prediction, and suggestions inside Pockets.

Amir

Active pocket budgeter

Uses Pockets seriously but still can't easily see progress or momentum.

The key themes

The four patterns that appeared most consistently across the eight interviews.

01People manage money by purpose, not just by balance+

Users don't only ask "how much do I have?", they ask "what is this money for?", "can I safely spend this?", and "will this affect my goal?" Pockets should be built around purpose and decisions.

02Balance alone doesn't communicate progress+

A balance tells users what exists now, not whether they're succeeding. They want to know if they're ahead or behind, saving faster or slower than last month, and when they'll reach the goal.

03Users want quick answers, not complex dashboards+

Most participants don't want to interpret analytics. They need Revolut to translate financial data into plain-language answers to the questions they actually ask.

04Users need flexible motivation, not guilt or restriction+

Not everyone responds to strict budgeting. Users want support that helps them decide better, without feeling promised, restricted or judged. The tone should be supportive, not controlling.

Three ways of saving, but all three get stuck at the same question: am I actually getting closer?

Maya

29 · The Goal Chaser

"I can see my balance. I just can't tell if I'm actually getting closer to my goal."

Splits her salary into Pockets the day she's paid and checks in monthly to see whether she's saving faster or slower than before.

Goal: See real progress, pace, and a completion date, not just a balance.

Pain points

Pockets show a number, but not whether she's ahead or behind.
She has to do the maths herself to know when she'll hit a goal.

Sara

22 · The Careful Budgeter

"The small things, coffee, eating out, add up before I even notice it."

Lives on a tight student budget. Protects rent and food first, and wants control over spending without feeling stressed or judged.

Goal: Stay in control on a tight budget with simple, clear visuals.

Pain points

Small repeated purchases go unnoticed until they've added up.
Too many numbers and unclear labels feel overwhelming.

Elena

34 · The Free Spender

"I want to know where my money goes, but I don't want to feel guilty about it."

High income, low structure. Happy to spend, but responds to gentle nudges; cashback and rewards make saving feel rewarding, not restrictive.

Goal: Stay aware of spending and be nudged to save, without guilt.

Pain points

Rigid budgets feel like restriction, so she disengages.
Nothing connects her rewards to an actual saving goal.

Leading saving apps show progress, predict timelines, and celebrate milestones, Revolut does none of these.

I reviewed five direct and indirect competitors in the saving and budgeting space, Monzo, Starling, N26, Plum and YNAB.

MonzoDirect · UK

Saving feels easier when it's playful and part of everyday banking.

Pots, Trends, round-ups and Salary Sorter make budgeting feel light.

Revolut opportunity

Add more emotional progress moments inside Pockets, not just static numbers.

StarlingDirect · UK

Clear money separation builds trust.

Spaces are easy to understand and keep money separate from the main balance.

Revolut opportunity

Make Pockets more visible and easier to access from Home.

N26Direct · EU

Flexible sub-accounts help users manage multiple priorities.

Up to 10 Spaces, shared Spaces, cards/IBANs and Income Sorter support organisation.

Revolut opportunity

Give users an overview of multiple Pockets with priority and status labels.

PlumIndirect · UK/EU

Automation reduces effort.

Round-ups, saving rules, challenges and smart suggestions help money grow passively.

Revolut opportunity

Suggest small, affordable actions: "Save €10 this week" to stay on track.

YNABIndirect · UK/EU

Users need clarity about what their money is for.

Every dollar has a job. Goals are prioritised and decisions are intentional.

Revolut opportunity

Help users understand whether they're ahead, behind, or affecting another goal.

The features that matter most show users where they stand and what to do next.

Plotted by impact (higher = more valuable) against effort (higher = more to build). Hover a quadrant to focus it.

Impact ↑Effort → Low effort, High impact High impact, High effort Low impact, Low effort High effort, Low impact

Replace the flat % bar with a richer visual of how much is saved and how much remains One summary screen showing all Pockets side by side, sorted by urgency or deadline Show the projected date a user reaches their goal at their current saving rate Surface one clear contextual action per Pocket, always know what to do next Show whether each Pocket is ahead, on track, or behind its pace A brief first-Pocket guide explaining how it differs from a Flexible Account

Ask what / by when / how much, then calculate the required pace automatically Suggest a weekly saving amount from spending patterns and available balance Detect slow saving and nudge with how much to add to get back on track Connect spending to goals, "cut dining by €20 to reach your goal a month earlier" In-app celebration at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of a goal A rewarding moment at 100% before prompting the next goal

Temporarily pause a Pocket's contributions during a hard month without closing it Suggest a weekly contribution that hits the chosen deadline Update target or deadline anytime without losing existing progress Pin the most important saving goal to the top of the list A simple growth chart inside each Pocket A short personal note inside a Pocket, why they're saving

Shared goals: multiple users contribute and see each other's progress Archive a completed Pocket without deleting it Share saving progress with friends and comment on each other's goals Attach a personal photo to a Pocket to make the goal feel tangible A streak counter for consecutive weeks of contributions

The solution

From passive money storage to an active saving coach.

Instead of only showing how much is saved, the redesigned experience helps users build a realistic plan, understand where they stand, recover when they fall behind, and stay motivated along the way.

Know exactly how much to save

Users defined what they were saving for, the target amount, and the deadline. The app calculated the optimal weekly contribution instantly, surfaced slower and faster plans, and showed the impact of each choice before confirmation.

High effort · High impact

Catch up before you fall behind

Falling behind is silent. We detect when saving slips below the needed pace, flag the Pocket as Behind, and give the exact number to fix it. One confirmation moves users back on track.

High impact

Know exactly when you'll get there

A progress ring shows how much you've saved, never when you'll arrive. We surface the projected date from the current pace, and a control lets users test a higher weekly amount and watch the date jump earlier before committing.

Low effort · High impact

Always know your next move

The list showed balances but never what to do. Every Pocket now surfaces one contextual action tuned to its state, act straight from the list, never zero, never a menu.

Low effort · High impact

Turn spare change into steady progress

Every card payment became an opportunity to save. Users could round up purchases, assign the spare change to any Pocket, and multiply each contribution to accelerate progress without changing their spending habits.

Low effort · High impact

Celebrate every milestone

Saving is a long, flat grind. Each goal is broken into 25 / 50 / 75 / 100% milestones, celebrating each one and nudging users toward the milestone within reach.

High impact

Usability test result

All tasks were completed, but the interaction data shows where guidance broke down.

100% task success did not mean a frictionless journey.

Success = task completed · Misclick = click outside the expected path

Task 01n=5

Create a holiday savings goal

0Task success

0Misclick rate

110.7sAvg. time

FindingUsers searched for where to start goal creation.

Task 02n=5

Plan regular contributions

0Task success

0Misclick rate

182.6sAvg. time

FindingThe source of the suggested €70 was unclear.

Task 03n=5

Get a goal back on track

0Task success

0Misclick rate

58.4sAvg. time

FindingThe reason for adding €35 was unexplained.

Task 04n=5

Save more with round-ups

0Task success

0Misclick rate

95.4sAvg. time

FindingThe Round-ups state caused uncertainty.

Prototype-test data · not live product analyticsTask success is listed separately from misclick rate

Entry point not visible, suggested amounts felt arbitrary

Driven by T1 (67.4% misclick · 110.7s) and T3 (57.8% misclick).

Where do I create a new goal?Entry point always visible

Why €35? Where does this come from?Source of number now clear

What changed

Added a persistent "+ New Pocket" button to the Pockets list header, always visible, no scrolling. Added one line above every suggested amount showing the source of the calculation.

Why it works

Recognition over recall: the entry point must be seen, not remembered. Showing the maths converts distrust into confidence in under a second. Visibility of system status: users need to know where a number comes from before they trust it.

Expected: misclick ↓ · time ↓ for T1 & T3

Auto top-up amount had no source shown, highest friction task

Driven by T2 (48.2% misclick · 182.6s), the worst-performing task.

Why €70? Is this right?State confirmed, no re-tap

What changed

Added one line of grey text directly above the pre-filled amount on the confirmation screen: "€800 ÷ 12 months = €70/month". The calculation is now visible before the user has to decide.

Why it works

Users don't distrust the number itself, they distrust numbers that appear with no source. T2 had the highest time (182.6s), so this single change is expected to be the highest-impact fix in the iteration.

Expected: time ↓ significantly · misclick ↓

Round-ups toggle state was ambiguous, users re-verified repeatedly

Driven by T4 (misclick 12%, but time 95.4s, slow despite easy navigation).

Returns to normal, no active indicatorPersistent active state on Pocket card

What changed

When users return to the Pockets list after enabling round-ups, the Holiday card now shows a persistent "Round-ups active · ×3" strip with the most recent save, the active state is visible without opening any settings.

Why it works

T4 had the lowest misclick rate (12%), users found the flow easily. The extra 95 seconds came entirely from re-verifying a setting that gave no visible confirmation. After a user takes an action, the interface must confirm what happened; silence reads as failure.

Expected: time ↓ · state confirmed at a glance, no re-verification

What I learned through this project.

The strongest outcome was a shift in how I evaluate success in financial products.

Completion is not the same as clarity

Success can still hide hesitation and low confidence.

Task success alone does not describe the quality of the experience.

Financial guidance must explain itself

Recommendations need a visible reason.

Users need to understand why an amount is suggested before they can trust it.

Confidence comes from transparency and control

Show impact while keeping choices editable.

Financial experiences should guide users without making decisions feel automatic or unexplained.

Core learning

Good financial guidance should explain decisions without taking control away from users.

Every persona reaches the same dead end: a number with no meaning and no next step.

Users lose motivation because progress is unclear and multiple goals are hard to prioritize.

See progress

Interface issues break motivation by hiding goal progress and making saving actions hard to decide.

User task

Pockets are hard to discover from Home

No overview of multiple goals

Consistency creates the greatest friction

From passive money storage to active financial guidance.

Who we spoke to

Ana

Mike

Sara

Elena

Mina

Leila

Klara

Amir

The key themes

Three ways of saving, but all three get stuck at the same question: am I actually getting closer?

Maya

Sara

Elena

Leading saving apps show progress, predict timelines, and celebrate milestones, Revolut does none of these.

Saving feels easier when it's playful and part of everyday banking.

Clear money separation builds trust.

Flexible sub-accounts help users manage multiple priorities.

Automation reduces effort.

Users need clarity about what their money is for.

Three different savers, three habits, all leave the app unsure if they're on track.

The Goal Chaser

The features that matter most show users where they stand and what to do next.

From passive money storage to an active saving coach.

Know exactly how much to save

Catch up before you fall behind

Know exactly when you'll get there

Always know your next move

Turn spare change into steady progress

Celebrate every milestone

All tasks were completed, but the interaction data shows where guidance broke down.

100% task success did not mean a frictionless journey.

Create a holiday savings goal

Plan regular contributions

Get a goal back on track

Save more with round-ups

Entry point not visible, suggested amounts felt arbitrary

What changed

Why it works

Auto top-up amount had no source shown, highest friction task

What changed

Why it works

Round-ups toggle state was ambiguous, users re-verified repeatedly

What changed

Why it works

What I learned through this project.

Completion is not the same as clarity

Financial guidance must explain itself

Confidence comes from transparency and control