Game-First Financial Literacy App

The Challenge

Financial literacy education often relies on lectures and quizzes—formats that fail to engage users emotionally or create lasting behavioral change. This project explored gamification as pedagogical strategy, translating financial concepts into playable, decision-driven scenarios.

Framework: Octalysis & Behavioral Design

Applied Yu-kai Chou's Octalysis Framework—a gamification methodology centered on eight core human motivational drivers:

• Epic Meaning & Calling
• Development & Accomplishment
• Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
• Ownership & Possession
• Social Influence & Relatedness
• Scarcity & Impatience
• Unpredictability & Curiosity
• Loss & Avoidance

Structured gameplay into four phases (Discovery, Onboarding, Scaffolding, Endgame), each leveraging different motivational drivers to sustain engagement.

Design System: "Playset"

Created a comprehensive design system rooted in 1980s retro computing aesthetics—using nostalgia as emotional anchor while maintaining modern UX principles.

Playset included:

• Color token system and typography scale
• Icon library with consistent visual language
• Animation guidelines defining transitions and micro-interactions
• Complete Figma component library enabling rapid prototyping

Prototype & Deliverables

Developed fully interactive Figma prototype featuring:

• Complete onboarding flow introducing game mechanics
• Full gameplay level where players role-play as bank employees reviewing financial documents
• Decision-driven scenarios with branching consequences
• Narrated video walkthrough demonstrating prototype functionality