Case Study: Horde

The Problem

Through interviews and research, we discovered something important:
Most people don’t struggle with saving because they don’t care or don’t understand money.

They struggle with consistency.

Many existing budgeting tools are technically helpful, but emotionally exhausting. Users often start motivated, but gradually stop using the tools because they feel:

• Overwhelmed by numbers

• Discouraged by constant breakdowns

• Pressured by rigid systems

• Stressed by setup and maintenance

We also noticed that many users already have their own systems — spreadsheets, notes apps, or even mental tracking. The issue wasn’t access to tools. It was that current tools didn’t fit naturally into their lives.

Another key insight:
Money is emotional and social, not just mathematical.

Financial education varies widely by age and background. Many people compare their spending to friends without realizing it. At the same time, money remains a topic people rarely discuss openly. Saving isn’t just a technical challenge — it’s influenced by stress, confidence, and social pressure.

We realized users didn’t just need information.

They needed support.

They wanted a way to stay on track without feeling overwhelmed, judged, or alone.

Research & Ideation

We began by studying apps that successfully keep users engaged long-term — especially habit-building and fitness apps.

What stood out was this:
People stay consistent when they can see their progress.

Apps with strong engagement used:

• Streaks

• Badges

• Levels

• Small incremental rewards

• Customization

• Visual growth systems

Users were motivated by tangible representations of progress, not just data.

During early sketching, we experimented with:

• Progress bars

• Growing visuals

• Reward points

• Habit streaks

Even in rough prototype form, one thing became clear:
Watching something grow over time is more motivating than reading statistics.

However, we faced an important constraint.

We didn’t want to over-gamify.

Money is serious. If the app felt too playful or “fluffy,” users might not take it seriously. So our design process became about balance:

Fun vs. professional
Motivating vs. responsible
Friendly vs. reliable

We shifted from large milestone rewards to smaller, immediate feedback loops. People are more likely to stay consistent when progress feels immediate, not weeks away.

We also introduced collaborative saving — but made it optional. Accountability can be powerful, but we didn’t want social pressure to feel forced.

By the end of ideation, our mindset had evolved:

We weren’t building a budgeting tool.

We were building a habit-forming experience.

The Solution: Horde

Horde transforms saving from a passive tracking task into an interactive, emotionally engaging experience.

1. Visual Growth Through Avatars

At the center of Horde is a dragon avatar that grows and evolves as savings increase.

Instead of just watching numbers change, users see visible progress. Their dragon expands, customizes, and becomes uniquely theirs over time.

This creates emotional investment.
Saving becomes something users nurture — not just monitor.

2. Incremental Rewards & Momentum

Many users lose motivation because financial goals feel slow and distant.

Horde solves this by offering:

• Small, frequent wins

• Positive reinforcement

• Encouraging feedback

Rather than focusing only on distant milestones, Horde builds momentum through incremental progress.

Consistency becomes the reward.

3. Optional Social Collaboration

Money is deeply social, even when we don’t talk about it.

Horde allows users to:

• Create shared savings goals

• Partner with friends or family

• Collaborate without public comparison

This feature is optional — designed to encourage positive influence without pressure.

College roommates can save together.
Families can make financial education informal and engaging.

Collaboration becomes supportive, not competitive.

4. “Safe to Spend” Feature

Traditional budgeting tools often focus on restrictions and warnings.

Horde reframes budgeting by showing users what they can safely spend — with peace of mind.

Instead of fear-based alerts, we emphasize empowerment.

Budgeting becomes clarity, not constraint.

5. Low-Friction & Privacy-Conscious

We designed Horde to feel simple and non-invasive.

Users can:

• Connect their bank account

• Or manually enter expenses

No overwhelming setup.
No constant tracking pressure.

The goal was to reduce friction so the app feels like relief, not another task.

Impact

Horde addresses the emotional gap in financial tools.

Instead of asking:
“How can we track money better?”

We asked:
“How can we make saving feel sustainable?”

By combining:

• Visual motivation

• Incremental rewards

• Optional collaboration

• Empowering budgeting

• Low-friction design

Horde turns financial wellness into a habit-building experience.

Reflection

This project evolved dramatically from start to finish. There was no single solution that solved financial wellness completely. Instead, we treated it as a layered problem.

Horde became an experiment in combining small, thoughtful pieces:

• Gamified engagement

• Emotional reinforcement

• Visual growth

• Social support

• Privacy and simplicity

Everything — from color choices to avatar customization — was intentionally designed to make money feel less stressful and more approachable.

Next Steps

Moving forward, we envision:

• Testing across college campuses

• Iterating through user feedback

• Expanding collaborative features

• Refining educational components

• Strengthening privacy controls

We believe collaboration, education, avatar customization, and accessible privacy features are the most important pillars to improve in future iterations.

Financial education should feel accessible.

Saving should feel achievable.

And building healthy money habits shouldn’t feel lonely.