Building my iOS app for financial wellbeing - MonSense

Setting the Stage

As I transitioned from my role as co-founder at BeeBuilt, the idea of developing a finance app surfaced during a casual conversation with a friend. Existing apps seemed cluttered or outdated, motivating us to design something streamlined and contemporary. Our vision was to cater to new users venturing into financial planning and those seeking an upgrade from outdated navigation systems and interfaces.

Navigating the Design Process

The complexities of creating a financial tracking app prompted us to ponder over fundamental design choices. Should financial data be stored in a unified folder or segregated for ease of modification? Our discussions eventually culminated in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), emphasizing six key features: 'Multiple Accounts', 'Quick Expense', 'Export an Account', 'Patterns', 'Pending Payments', and 'Custom Categories'.

Lessons from BeeBuilt underscored crucial principles:

  • Swift progression to the design phase

  • Focusing on core features initially, with gradual expansions

  • Meticulous attention to every pixel

  • Rigorous testing for enhanced user experience

  • Harnessing the power of a coherent visual language

  • Prioritizing the art of simplification

Simplicity as the Ultimate Goal

Efficiency in data input emerged as a central goal, prompting us to streamline the 'add an expense' form and integrate default options for certain fields. Understanding the prevalence of recurring expenses, we introduced the 'Quick Expense' feature, reducing the input process to a mere two taps for routine transactions.

Challenges Along the Journey

In the pursuit of excellence, I grappled with challenges, including selecting a versatile font suitable for both textual and numerical data, ensuring a clear presentation of critical information, and establishing a user-friendly visual hierarchy for seamless navigation.

Reaping the Fruits of Dedication

Collaborating closely with Styre's iOS development team and lead programmer, we spent 18 months refining MonSense's prototypes through rigorous testing with select users. Our persistence culminated in the app's launch, We launched at midnight on 14th August 2014, almost two years from when we began. The app reached the number one spot in the paid finance app section, and top 25 overall, during the launch week itself. It was ranked amongst the top 10 finance apps across 32 countries, and the top finance app in 12 countries. It received positive reviews from The Next Web and 148Apps among others.

Marking a remarkable journey from inception to market success, gaining recognition as a top-ranking finance app across various global markets.

Lessons from the Depths

In the words of Bruce Lee, "If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you." The development of MonSense echoes this sentiment, standing as a testament to the triumph that emerges when initiative meets perseverance.