Nietzche Validated a Fintech MVP

Project Snapshot

Client: Nietzsche (Fintech Startup)
Duration: 4 weeks | June - July 2025
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Focus: MVP Development, Personal Finance Dashboard, User Testing

The Challenge

Nietzsche wanted to break into fintech with a simple tool for personal finance insights. In just 4 weeks, we built a lean MVP that let them test key features and gather real user feedback before scaling.​​

The Brief:
Design and deliver a minimal viable product that validates core assumptions about user behavior around spending tracking, budget management, and financial goal-setting—all within a tight one-month timeline.

Week 1: Discovery & Strategy

With limited time, we focused on understanding the most critical user pain points through rapid research methods:

• Competitive analysis of Mint, YNAB, and Simplifi to identify gaps

• Stakeholder interviews to define success metrics and non-negotiables

• User persona development focusing on millennial users new to budgeting​

Key Insight: Users wanted transparency and simplicity over feature-rich complexity. They needed to understand their spending at a glance without overwhelming dashboards.

Week 2: Design & Prototyping

Created a focused MVP centered on three core features:

1. Dashboard Overview - Total balance card with visibility toggle, monthly spending progress, and quick actions

2. Transaction Management - Simple list view with category filtering and manual entry

3. Spending Insights - Basic category breakdown with visual progress indicators​

Design Decisions:

• Card-based layout for clear information hierarchy

• Blue gradient hero section reinforcing trust and financial security

• Minimal navigation (5-tab bottom bar) to reduce cognitive load

• Progress bars and percentages for instant spending comprehension​​

Week 3: Development Collaboration

Worked closely with engineers to ensure design feasibility within the 4-week constraint:

• Prioritised features based on technical complexity vs. user value

• Created a component library for consistent implementation

• Designed empty states and error handling for edge cases

• Delivered developer-ready Figma files with specs and annotations​

Week 4: Testing & Refinement

Conducted rapid usability testing with 8 participants to validate core flows:

• 7/8 successfully connected accounts and viewed spending breakdown

• 100% understood the monthly spending progress indicator

• Users requested more granular category customisation (noted for V2)

• Average task completion rate: 91%

The Solution

We designed a clean, trustworthy personal finance dashboard that prioritises clarity and actionable insights over feature bloat.

Core Features Delivered:

1. Financial Overview Dashboard
Hero card displaying total balance with show/hide toggle for privacy. Monthly spending card with progress bar showing percentage used and remaining budget. Quick action buttons for adding transactions, viewing reports, setting goals, and connecting accounts.​​

2. Smart Category Tracking
Spending breakdown by category (Food & Dining, Transport, Shopping, Bills) with individual progress bars and budget comparisons. Visual indicators showing percentage used help users identify overspending at a glance.​​

3. Transparent Visual Language
Branded blue colour scheme building trust and credibility. Clean typography hierarchy with generous white space. Card-based design creating clear content separation without clutter.​​

Impact

MVP Success Metrics:

• Delivered fully functional MVP in exactly 4 weeks as promised

• 85% positive feedback from initial user testing group

• Validated 3 core features before committing to full development

• Identified 5 key improvements for V2 based on real user behavior

• Enabled Nietzsche to secure seed funding with working prototype​

User Feedback:

"Finally, a finance app that doesn't overwhelm me. I can see everything I need in one glance." — Sarah, 29, Early Adopter

"The spending progress bars are genius. I immediately knew where my money was going." — Marcus, 34, Beta Tester​

Key Learnings

MVP Constraints Drive Focus
The 4-week timeline forced ruthless prioritisation. Every feature had to earn its place by directly addressing user pain points. This constraint led to a leaner, more focused product than traditional timelines often produce.​

Early User Feedback is Gold
Testing with real users in week 4 revealed assumptions we got wrong and validated features we debated internally. This feedback directly shaped Nietzsche's product roadmap and prevented costly post-launch pivots.​

Trust Through Transparency
Financial apps require immediate trust. Simple design decisions like the visibility toggle, clear progress indicators, and branded colour palette built credibility faster than feature lists ever could.​

Next Steps

Based on MVP learnings, the V2 roadmap includes:

• Custom category creation and budget allocation

• Bank account aggregation and auto-categorisation

• Goal-setting with milestone tracking

• Insights powered by spending pattern analysis

• Social features for accountability partners​

Reflection

This project proved that thoughtful design can thrive under tight constraints. By focusing on core user needs and validating assumptions early, we helped Nietzsche enter the fintech market confidently with a product users actually wanted. The 4-week MVP approach allowed them to test, learn, and iterate based on real behavior rather than assumptions—turning what could have been months of speculation into actionable insights.