The ask: How can Barclays become the premier bank in the UK for neurodivergent people?
The answer: Barclays will personalize budgeting, make it beautiful, and make money meaningful.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) implies attention deficiency, but the truth is attention is actually so excessive, it’s important for the ADHD brain to feel stimulated by tasks at hand.
Context
Problem
Banking is set up for data, not people.
Many with ADHD struggle with impulsivity and disorganization. And these struggles + personal finance = impulsive spending, overdue debts, and missed payments.
The linear processes and monotony of online banking is a huge hurdle for many living with ADHD, forcing them to put blinders on their finances and sink deeper into those bad habits.
Idea
Gemma is a Barclays app extension that innovates the way users review and categorize their spending.
Customizable spending categories, based on users’ personal values.
Month end statements full of personal insights about daily spending habits.
Visual design that breaks away from category conventions through intentional color and depth.
How it Works
1. Custom Gems
Money is given a sense of purpose when it is categorized by personal values. This helps users feel more fulfilled and satisfied with spending decisions, providing a better banking experience.
Right: Examples of budgeting series based on their own, unique values.
2. Expense Sorting & Swiping
Each transaction can be dragged into the personalized series. Fun animations, blinking lights, and reaffirming messaging reminds users how banking and budgeting can be excited and rewarding.
3. Month End Scorecard
Digestible month-end recaps are a visually engaging way to review recent spending. The month-end scorecard provides users with a recap of where their money went using rounded numbers to reduce clutter, relative percentages to give weight to abstract figures, and comparisons to previous months. These will be automatically available at the end of each month.
4. Nuggets
A familiar social-story feature provides at-a-glance insights about recent spending. Where does your card get the most action? Are you an early bird spender? What did you drop the most cash on last month?
Reviewing transactions facilitates a mindful connection to money.
Developed at VCU Brandcenter
AD: Me
XD: Paul Noonan
CW: Martin Rees
Strategist: Allison Fitzgerald