01Introduction
Inveswift is a concept investing app I designed on my own in 2021. It lets Filipinos start investing with as little as ₱100, and it still has the tools that experienced investors need.
Many Filipinos want to grow their money in the stock market, but starting is hard. Budgets are small, apps are full of jargon, and people are afraid of losing money.
Experienced investors have the opposite problem: simple apps do not give them enough tools. I wanted to design one app that works for a first-time investor with ₱100, and still works for an active trader.
What stops beginners
Small budget
Most brokers sell shares in board lots, so you cannot start with just ₱100.
Complex apps
Charts, jargon and order types overwhelm first-time investors.
Fear of losing money
Without guidance, the first trade feels like a gamble.
I did this project alone, from research to testing.
I interviewed 5 people with different investing experience, from people who had never invested to active traders. I asked about their goals, what stopped them from investing, and which apps they used. From these interviews, I created three personas.
Gil has no experience, Jessica is a beginner, and Migz is an active investor. Each one needs something different from the same app.
I compared the three apps my interviewees used. Each one serves one group well but leaves the other behind.
Beginners needed fewer choices and more guidance. Active investors needed more tools. The biggest reason beginners did not start was fear of losing money.
Before designing screens, I planned how a new user moves through the app, from sign-up to their first trade.
Investment profiling and the free voucher come right after registration, so every user has a profile before they see the home page. From the home page, buying and selling each take only a few steps to reach a receipt.
I sketched the main screens on paper first. Then I turned them into grey wireframes to check the layout and flow before adding color and real content.
Each decision comes from the same problem: one app has to work for people with very different experience.
During sign-up, users answer a few questions about their goals and experience. This builds their investment profile. The market page then suggests stocks that fit their risk level. Beginners see ETFs and low-risk stocks first. Active investors see stocks with higher risk and reward. Tags on each stock, like “Low risk” or “Analyst top pick”, explain what kind of stock it is in simple words.
Sign-up to market
Buying a stock starts with one tap on Buy from the home screen. By default, users only pick a stock and type an amount in pesos, like ₱100. The app buys fractional shares for them. This part is a what-if, since Philippine stocks are sold in board lots. Experienced investors can change the buying method to “Buy by shares” to set the order type, market and expiry.
Buying a stock
Fear of losing money was the biggest reason beginners did not start. I designed three things to help. New users get a free ₱100 voucher, so their first trade does not use their own money. The voucher idea came from Gotrade, which gives first-time users a free voucher. The Learn tab has short courses for each level, and the Community tab lets users ask other investors questions.
First-time investors
I tested the Figma prototype remotely with 5 people, from no experience to active traders. Each person did a set of tasks, then I asked what they thought. Everyone finished every task. The biggest problem was stock terms that beginners did not understand.
| Criterion | What happened | What I would change | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | All 5 finished sign-up and the profile questions with no problems. | Nothing. Keep it as it is. | Worked |
| Choosing a stock | People felt confident picking a stock. Active investors wanted better charts. | Add advanced charts in advanced mode. Make tags tappable to show similar stocks. | Worked |
| Making a trade | All 5 bought a stock, but beginners were not sure what the details under the amount meant. | Explain each detail in plain words. | Needs work |
| Stock terms | The design felt clean, but stock terms confused beginners. | Add tooltips to stock terms. Rename “Portfolio” to “My Stocks”. | Needs work |
| Learn tab | Beginners wanted to use it like an FAQ. | Add quick answers to common questions, and groups in Community. | Needs work |
I would: