Saving with round-ups

Researching and designing an app experience intended to make automatic saving understandable, motivating and easy to control.

Role

UX Researcher and UX/UI Designer

Timeline

March–May 2025

Tools

Figma and UserZoom

Overview

Round-ups increase eligible card purchases to the nearest pound and transfer the difference into savings. At the time, several competitors offered the feature, while Barclays had fewer tools focused on everyday money management.

Completed independently as part of my User Experience degree apprenticeship, this project explored how a round-up proposition could help customers save more consistently. It covered the complete experience from discovery and setup to tracking savings and managing the feature afterwards.

The Challenge

Providing the functionality would not guarantee that customers understood, valued or continued using it.

The project needed to establish:

  • What might encourage customers to adopt round-ups

  • What could prevent adoption

  • How to demonstrate the value of small, frequent savings

  • How much control customers would expect after setup

  • How the feature could remain useful beyond initial activation

The challenge was to make automatic saving feel worthwhile without making setup or ongoing management unnecessarily complicated.

My Role

As the UX researcher and UX/UI designer, I independently led the project from discovery through to prototype testing.

I was responsible for research planning, synthesis, problem definition, journey mapping, concept development, interaction design and high-fidelity prototyping.

Approach

1. Understand saving awareness and behaviour

I used UserZoom to recruit and survey 76 participants about their saving habits, awareness of round-ups and attitudes towards the proposition.

The survey found that:

  • 85% were aware of round-ups

  • 30% used them

  • 55% of non-users did not understand how they worked

  • 69% believed they could help them save more

The gap between awareness and use suggested that discoverability alone was not the main problem. Customers also needed to understand how the feature worked and believe that the amounts saved would be worthwhile.

I followed the survey with five interviews. Participants questioned whether small amounts would make a meaningful difference and wanted to track, adjust or stop round-ups when necessary.

I also reviewed how NatWest, Revolut, Chase and Starling approached discoverability, explanation and customer control.

Stats

1. Understand saving awareness and behaviour

I used UserZoom to recruit and survey 76 participants about their saving habits, awareness of round-ups and attitudes towards the proposition.

The survey found that:

  • 85% were aware of round-ups

  • 30% used them

  • 55% of non-users did not understand how they worked

  • 69% believed they could help them save more

The gap between awareness and use suggested that discoverability alone was not the main problem. Customers also needed to understand how the feature worked and believe that the amounts saved would be worthwhile.

I followed the survey with five interviews. Participants questioned whether small amounts would make a meaningful difference and wanted to track, adjust or stop round-ups when necessary.

I also reviewed how NatWest, Revolut, Chase and Starling approached discoverability, explanation and customer control.

Stats

2. Synthesise the research and define the direction

I used affinity mapping to group the survey and interview findings and identify recurring patterns across awareness, motivation and control.

The synthesis produced three design priorities:

  1. Make round-ups easy to discover and understand.

  2. Demonstrate the potential value of small, frequent savings.

  3. Give customers visibility and control after setup.

These priorities informed two “How might we” questions:

  • How might we help customers understand how round-ups work to increase adoption?

  • How might we show the benefit of small, frequent savings to encourage engagement?

I also created a research-based persona representing someone who wanted to save more consistently without having to think about it regularly.

The persona consolidated the research into three principles: demonstrate the impact, keep setup simple and provide ongoing control.

Affinity Mapping

Persona Card

2. Synthesise the research and define the direction

I used affinity mapping to group the survey and interview findings and identify recurring patterns across awareness, motivation and control.

The synthesis produced three design priorities:

  1. Make round-ups easy to discover and understand.

  2. Demonstrate the potential value of small, frequent savings.

  3. Give customers visibility and control after setup.

These priorities informed two “How might we” questions:

  • How might we help customers understand how round-ups work to increase adoption?

  • How might we show the benefit of small, frequent savings to encourage engagement?

I also created a research-based persona representing someone who wanted to save more consistently without having to think about it regularly.

The persona consolidated the research into three principles: demonstrate the impact, keep setup simple and provide ongoing control.

Affinity Mapping

Persona Card

3. Explore and compare concepts

I mapped the journey from discovery through to setup, confirmation and management, then created low-fidelity wireflows to explore the overall structure.

I developed three concepts with different entry points, onboarding approaches and ways for customers to increase their round-ups. I tested the concepts with five participants and used the preferred direction to develop the high-fidelity experience.

Concepts

3. Explore and compare concepts

I mapped the journey from discovery through to setup, confirmation and management, then created low-fidelity wireflows to explore the overall structure.

I developed three concepts with different entry points, onboarding approaches and ways for customers to increase their round-ups. I tested the concepts with five participants and used the preferred direction to develop the high-fidelity experience.

Concepts

4. Develop and test the preferred direction

I developed the selected concept using the Barclays design system and expanded it to include ongoing management after the research highlighted a need for visibility and control.

I tested the high-fidelity setup and management journeys with three participants. The evaluation focused on discoverability, onboarding, saving motivation, customer control and transparency. The findings informed the priorities for further refinement.

Direction

4. Develop and test the preferred direction

I developed the selected concept using the Barclays design system and expanded it to include ongoing management after the research highlighted a need for visibility and control.

I tested the high-fidelity setup and management journeys with three participants. The evaluation focused on discoverability, onboarding, saving motivation, customer control and transparency. The findings informed the priorities for further refinement.

Direction

Key Decisions

Place discovery within the current-account experience

Round-ups are generated by card spending, so placing the feature only within a savings area would have separated it from the behaviour that created the saving.

I positioned the primary entry point within the current account, where customers were already reviewing their spending. The onboarding explained how round-ups worked and how the feature could be customised, with more detail available through an optional “Learn more” page.

Final usability testing confirmed that the location made sense to participants. However, the entry points for both setup and management were not immediately obvious, showing that their prominence needed further refinement.

Testing also found that the introductory screen was text-heavy, reinforcing the need to simplify the main onboarding and move supporting detail into the optional content.

Place discovery within the current-account experience

Round-ups are generated by card spending, so placing the feature only within a savings area would have separated it from the behaviour that created the saving.

I positioned the primary entry point within the current account, where customers were already reviewing their spending. The onboarding explained how round-ups worked and how the feature could be customised, with more detail available through an optional “Learn more” page.

Final usability testing confirmed that the location made sense to participants. However, the entry points for both setup and management were not immediately obvious, showing that their prominence needed further refinement.

Testing also found that the introductory screen was text-heavy, reinforcing the need to simplify the main onboarding and move supporting detail into the optional content.

Make the round-up multiplier easier to understand

The multiplier let customers increase the amount saved from each purchase. For example, a 40p round-up would become 80p when using 2x.

The first two concepts used a slider input field, which offered flexibility but made the effect harder to understand. The preferred concept used predefined multipliers and a calculator based on previous spending, showing how each choice affected estimated monthly and yearly savings.

A transaction example also showed how much would be transferred from an individual purchase.

All five concept-testing participants preferred this direction. Final testing found the calculator motivating and the transaction example helpful in explaining how the multiplier worked. Because the figures were estimates, the experience also explained that actual savings could vary.

Make the round-up multiplier easier to understand

The multiplier let customers increase the amount saved from each purchase. For example, a 40p round-up would become 80p when using 2x.

The first two concepts used a slider input field, which offered flexibility but made the effect harder to understand. The preferred concept used predefined multipliers and a calculator based on previous spending, showing how each choice affected estimated monthly and yearly savings.

A transaction example also showed how much would be transferred from an individual purchase.

All five concept-testing participants preferred this direction. Final testing found the calculator motivating and the transaction example helpful in explaining how the multiplier worked. Because the figures were estimates, the experience also explained that actual savings could vary.

Design beyond initial activation

A setup-only journey would have reduced the size of the project, but interviews showed that customers wanted to monitor their progress and remain in control.

I expanded the proposition to include a management dashboard showing:

  • Total saving progress

  • Monthly trends

  • The selected round-up setting

  • Whether round-ups were active

  • Individual round-ups linked to card transactions

Final usability testing supported this direction. Participants valued seeing their monthly and yearly savings, changing or pausing round-ups, using low-balance protection and understanding how individual purchases contributed to their savings.

Low-balance protection and notification settings were represented, but their detailed journeys remained future work. Adding management created a more complete proposition, but reduced the time available to iterate that part of the experience as deeply as setup.

Design beyond initial activation

A setup-only journey would have reduced the size of the project, but interviews showed that customers wanted to monitor their progress and remain in control.

I expanded the proposition to include a management dashboard showing:

  • Total saving progress

  • Monthly trends

  • The selected round-up setting

  • Whether round-ups were active

  • Individual round-ups linked to card transactions

Final usability testing supported this direction. Participants valued seeing their monthly and yearly savings, changing or pausing round-ups, using low-balance protection and understanding how individual purchases contributed to their savings.

Low-balance protection and notification settings were represented, but their detailed journeys remained future work. Adding management created a more complete proposition, but reduced the time available to iterate that part of the experience as deeply as setup.

Design Solutions

Outcome & Reflection

Outcome

The project produced a research-led and tested proposition covering discovery, setup, confirmation and ongoing management.

The resulting prototype connected initial motivation with ongoing visibility and control. Concept testing established the preferred direction, while final usability testing evaluated the complete setup and management experience and identified priorities for further refinement.

As the concept did not progress into production, its outcome was a tested prototype and a prioritised set of improvements rather than measurable customer or business impact.

Reflection

This project strengthened my ability to translate mixed-method research into a proposition covering both initial adoption and continued use.

It also reinforced the importance of testing setup and ongoing management together rather than assuming that successful activation would lead to long-term engagement.

If the proposition were developed further, I would test it with a larger and more varied group, validate how previous spending should be used to create understandable estimates, and develop the low-balance protection and notification journeys in more detail.

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Lets create better experiences

I'm always open to new UX opportunties, exciting challenges and teams where I can contribute and continue to grow.

Get in touch

Lets create better experiences

I'm always open to new UX opportunties, exciting challenges and teams where I can contribute and continue to grow.

Get in touch

Lets create better experiences

I'm always open to new UX opportunties, exciting challenges and teams where I can contribute and continue to grow.

Get in touch