RetireWell

A Human-Centered Platform for Emotional and Practical Retirement Planning

FinTech

AI-powered

Accessibility-First Design

April 2025

Overview

RetireWell is a financial planning platform built for aging adults who often feel overwhelmed or emotionally disconnected from traditional retirement tools. Instead of jumping straight into numbers, RetireWell begins with dreams. We designed an emotionally attuned interface that invites users to envision their future first—then gradually introduces financial decisions, visual tools, and supportive guidance.

Keywords

Finance, Retirement, Figma

My Role

End-to-end design ownership | Insight synthesis | Wireframing | Visual UI design | Final pitch presentation

Timeline

24-hour Harvard AI For Good Hackathon sprint

Team

1 PM, 1 Data/Research, 1 Engineer, 1 Designer

Tools

Figma | ChatGPT | Canva | Miro | Google Form (for testing)

Live

Main Feature 1: Vision Board Creator

Let users articulate their vision for retirement first—travel, health, hobbies, family—before showing any financial calculators.

Main Feature 2: Scenario-Based Planning

Visualize different financial outcomes with an interactive chart that adjusts with sliders for retirement age, contribution amount, income goal, and lifestyle.

9:41

Main Feature 3: Dream-to-Plan Translation

Show a breakdown of goals by importance (Essential, Comfort, Aspirational) based on the user’s selected dreams. This ensures alignment between emotion and budget.

9:41

On Designing for Emotional Ease

"We weren’t just designing a calculator—we were designing a tool that helps people feel safe making life decisions."

I intentionally minimized numerical overload, used rounded components, soft colors, and emotionally supportive microcopy.

Reflection 2: On Balancing Depth & Simplicity

In under 24 hours, I made tradeoffs between financial depth and interface clarity. We focused on scoping a Minimum Lovable Product that felt complete without being overwhelming.

Context

My Role

As the Lead UX Designer on this sprint project, I guided the team from solution-first thinking toward an emotionally grounded product vision.

My scope included:

Conducting user interviews and synthesizing emotional insights
Reframing the product concept from tool-first to story-first
Designing calm, emotionally supportive UI with modular components
Building and testing interactive prototypes in Figma and Framer
Collaborating closely with developers and stakeholders on implementation

This role required balancing tight sprint timelines with deep user sensitivity—ensuring clarity and warmth in every interaction.

How I Identified the Real Problem

From Tools to Trust: Why Users Need Affirmation First

When our team started brainstorming, most solutions focused immediately on budgeting tools. I stopped the whiteboard session and asked the team to reflect on the emotional barriers our users might have—fear of aging, uncertainty, or lack of financial confidence. I quickly synthesized an empathy map, highlighting that what users needed first wasn't advice—they needed affirmation that their goals mattered.

How I Redefined the Product Vision

Reframing Retirement as a Story, Not a Spreadsheet

Based on the empathy map, I proposed shifting our concept from a "retirement calculator" to a "retirement story companion." I visualized a simple journey that began with choosing dream categories (like Travel or Health), rather than inputting age and income. This shift became the anchor of our entire product structure and helped the team align around emotional clarity.

How I Designed for Calm Under Time Pressure

Fighting for Focus When the Clock Was Ticking

In the final design sprint, a teammate suggested adding more financial metrics to show our tool’s capability. I argued for emotional clarity over functional density. I designed a progressive layout that spaced visuals, reduced numerical clutter, and highlighted goals using warm tones. This decision helped preserve the calm tone we had worked hard to establish.

How I Translated Complexity Into Calm UI

Making Financial Planning Feel Human Again

By embracing warm color palettes, generous white space, and human-centered language, I transform overwhelming financial interfaces into calm, confidence-building experiences that guide users toward their dreams rather than drowning them in data.

Outcome

Project Recognition & Impact

Turning a 24-Hour Sprint Into an Award-Winning Prototype

We presented a working prototype that combined emotional connection with actionable financial modeling. Judges praised the project for its originality, UX clarity, and emotional intelligence. The product won 3rd place at the HKS AI for Good Hackathon.