Citizens Rise
Citizens Rise
Investing in Gen Z's Financial Literacy
Investing in Gen Z's Financial Literacy
Problem
Problem
Gen Z has the lowest financial literacy rate of any generation at 38%, yet 57% say investing is one of the top topics they want to learn about. The gap between wanting to invest and feeling equipped to do so is exactly what Citizens Rise was designed to close.
Gen Z has the lowest financial literacy rate of any generation at 38%, yet 57% say investing is one of the top topics they want to learn about. The gap between wanting to invest and feeling equipped to do so is exactly what Citizens Rise was designed to close.
Design Challenge
Design Challenge
The core challenge was behavioral, not visual. Traditional investing platforms create a one-time friction event where users sign up, get lost, and never return rather than building the kind of daily habit that actually leads to financial literacy.
The core challenge was behavioral, not visual. Traditional investing platforms create a one-time friction event where users sign up, get lost, and never return rather than building the kind of daily habit that actually leads to financial literacy.
Current User Pain Points
Current User Pain Points
Intimidation Barrier
Investment platforms use Wall Street terminology without context. Users encounter "P/E ratio" and "diversification" with no explanation, creating an immediate knowledge barrier.
Intimidation Barrier
Investment platforms use Wall Street terminology without context. Users encounter "P/E ratio" and "diversification" with no explanation, creating an immediate knowledge barrier.
Access Barrier
High account minimums and the fear of making costly mistakes mean Gen Z cannot afford to learn by trial and error. Without a safe space to practice, most never take the first step.
Access Barrier
High account minimums and the fear of making costly mistakes mean Gen Z cannot afford to learn by trial and error. Without a safe space to practice, most never take the first step.
Engagement Barrier
Investing feels like a one-time task rather than an ongoing habit. There is no daily hook, no visible progress, and no feedback loop to keep young users coming back.
Engagement Barrier
Investing feels like a one-time task rather than an ongoing habit. There is no daily hook, no visible progress, and no feedback loop to keep young users coming back.
Solution
Solution
By studying platforms like Duolingo and Fidelity, I identified three design opportunities: a personalized onboarding path that reflects where users actually are in life, daily modules that build financial knowledge without the overwhelm, and a Citizens Tokens system that lets users practice investing hands-on without the fear of losing real money. All three were designed within Citizens Bank's existing design language to keep the experience feeling familiar and trustworthy.
By studying platforms like Duolingo and Fidelity, I identified three design opportunities: a personalized onboarding path that reflects where users actually are in life, daily modules that build financial knowledge without the overwhelm, and a Citizens Tokens system that lets users practice investing hands-on without the fear of losing real money. All three were designed within Citizens Bank's existing design language to keep the experience feeling familiar and trustworthy.
Design Strategy
Design Strategy
Transform investing from an intimidating one time task into a daily habit by meeting Gen Z where they are, teaching through doing, and making it safe to learn.
Transform investing from an intimidating one time task into a daily habit by meeting Gen Z where they are, teaching through doing, and making it safe to learn.
Key Solution 1: Personalized Onboarding
Key Solution 1:
Visual Transaction Categories
Not every user starts from the same place. Citizens Rise opens with a short onboarding flow that learns who you are, your life stage, your goals, and how much you know, then builds your experience around that. For a first time user who chose to start with $50, the app meets them exactly where they are rather than assuming they already know what a brokerage account is.
Not every user starts from the same place. Citizens Rise opens with a short onboarding flow that learns who you are, your life stage, your goals, and how much you know, then builds your experience around that. For a first time user who chose to start with $50, the app meets them exactly where they are rather than assuming they already know what a brokerage account is.
Key Solution 2: Daily Modules and Badges
Key Solution 2: Daily Modules and Badges
Users can browse stocks, preview their order, and confirm a trade in minutes. Fractional shares remove the intimidation of high stock prices, making real hands-on investing accessible to anyone regardless of budget or experience level. It's the perfect way to build confidence and learn by doing, without the pressure of losing real money.
Users can browse stocks, preview their order, and confirm a trade in minutes. Fractional shares remove the intimidation of high stock prices, making real hands-on investing accessible to anyone regardless of budget or experience level. It's the perfect way to build confidence and learn by doing, without the pressure of losing real money.
Key Solution 3: Hands-On Investing with Citizens Tokens
Key Solution 3: Hands-On Investing with Citizens Tokens
Breaking financial education into short digestible modules gives users a clear path forward without the overwhelm. Each module combines bite-sized lessons with a quick quiz, and completing one earns a badge that makes progress feel real and worth coming back for.
Breaking financial education into short digestible modules gives users a clear path forward without the overwhelm. Each module combines bite-sized lessons with a quick quiz, and completing one earns a badge that makes progress feel real and worth coming back for.
Design Decisions & Rationale
Design Decisions & Rationale
Behavioral Design
Badges earned through completed modules give users a tangible marker of progress. As their Citizens Token portfolio grows, performance rewards reinforce that their learning is translating into real decisions.
Behavioral Design
Badges earned through completed modules give users a tangible marker of progress. As their Citizens Token portfolio grows, performance rewards reinforce that their learning is translating into real decisions.
Plain Language First
Every financial concept is introduced in plain English before being used in context. The app never assumes prior knowledge, so no user feels left behind from the start.
Plain Language First
Every financial concept is introduced in plain English before being used in context. The app never assumes prior knowledge, so no user feels left behind from the start.se.
Safe to Fail
Citizens Tokens remove the biggest barrier to hands-on learning: the fear of losing real money. Users can make mistakes, learn from them, and build confidence before investing anything real.
Safe to Fail
Citizens Tokens remove the biggest barrier to hands-on learning: the fear of losing real money. Users can make mistakes, learn from them, and build confidence before investing anything real.ng the 80/20 principle.
Results & Key Learnings
Results & Key Learnings
The biggest challenge was differentiating Citizens Rise from the growing number of fintech apps already in this space. The key insight was that gamification and real investing do not have to live separately. When learning and doing happen hand in hand, users build both knowledge and confidence at the same time. If given more time, the next step would be conducting user testing to understand what concepts users are grasping, where confusion still exists, and where there is still room to improve the experience.
The biggest challenge was differentiating Citizens Rise from the growing number of fintech apps already in this space. The key insight was that gamification and real investing do not have to live separately. When learning and doing happen hand in hand, users build both knowledge and confidence at the same time. If given more time, the next step would be conducting user testing to understand what concepts users are grasping, where confusion still exists, and where there is still room to improve the experience.