Brazilian Couples Fight Over Money. How Can Design Help?
Research and prototyping of a Pix-native shared expense app. Focused on reducing emotional conflicts, not just splitting bills.
In progress
Brazilian Couples Fight Over Money. How Can Design Help?
Research and prototyping of a Pix-native shared expense app. Focused on reducing emotional conflicts, not just splitting bills.
In progress
Context
Harmon is a research project (portfolio case study) where I’m exploring how Brazilian couples manage shared finances—and how design can reduce emotional friction in these conversations.
Context
Harmon is a research project (portfolio case study) where I’m exploring how Brazilian couples manage shared finances—and how design can reduce emotional friction in these conversations.
Explore in Figma
Explore in Figma
The Problem
The Problem
Money conversations between couples create tension due to a lack of clear, visible agreements.
Money conversations between couples create tension due to a lack of clear, visible agreements.
Tracking shared expenses requires constant discipline, which often leads to app abandonment.
Tracking shared expenses requires constant discipline, which often leads to app abandonment.
Financial apps don’t reflect the Brazilian reality (Pix, variable income, informality).
Financial apps don’t reflect the Brazilian reality (Pix, variable income, informality).
Initial Hypothesis
Initial Hypothesis
"If financial tracking is fast, collaborative, and contextualized for Brazil, with clear rules defined together, then couples/groups will be able to manage their finances with less friction and more consistent use."
"If financial tracking is fast, collaborative, and contextualized for Brazil, with clear rules defined together, then couples/groups will be able to manage their finances with less friction and more consistent use."
My Approach
My Approach
Exploratory Research
Exploratory Research
Behavioral Analysis
Behavioral Analysis
Rapid Prototyping
Rapid Prototyping
Qualitative User Testing
Qualitative User Testing
The Challenge
The Challenge
How can we enable couples to manage shared finances quickly, fairly, and without conflict, considering the Brazilian context and the reality of variable income?
How can we enable couples to manage shared finances quickly, fairly, and without conflict, considering the Brazilian context and the reality of variable income?
Next Steps
With the discovery and definition phase completed, the challenge has shifted from understanding the problem to translating emotional tensions into concrete interface decisions.
Next Steps
Currently, the project is focused on:
Structuring the information architecture
Exploring critical flows in wireframes
Rapidly testing how financial agreements can be represented without judgment or ambiguity
Future decisions will focus on how design can mediate difficult conversations without taking on the role of an arbitrator.
The next phase of the project will happen at the interface level.
With the discovery and definition phase completed, the challenge has shifted from understanding the problem to translating emotional tensions into concrete interface decisions.
Currently, the project is focused on:
Structuring the information architecture
Exploring critical flows in wireframes
Rapidly testing how financial agreements can be represented without judgment or ambiguity
Future decisions will focus on how design can mediate difficult conversations without taking on the role of an arbitrator.
The next phase of the project will happen at the interface level.
Explore in Figma
Explore in Figma