Futuresync
Research
Interviews
We focused on young adults navigating early financial choices:
Many experience decision paralysis when juggling debt, saving, and investing.
They lack financial literacy and often avoid conversations out of fear or shame.
Traditional tools feel overwhelming, especially when social anxiety enters the picture.
Persona
Abigail, 23 years old, recently started a full-time role in retail after graduating from UC. She received a $20K inheritance but feels overwhelmed by the decision to invest or pay off her $52K in student loans. She wants to make responsible choices but feels intimidated by traditional financial systems. Abigail needs a solution that’s conversational, trustworthy, and helps her learn at her own pace.
Pay off debt while building savings
Learn financial concepts without jargon or shame
Receive personalized, low-pressure financial guidance
Struggles to balance debt with investment decisions
Doesn’t know which company or products to trust
Feels anxious asking questions to financial advisors
Journey Map
Abigail receives a $20K inheritance and begins seeking financial advice, but quickly feels overwhelmed by jargon, pressure, and uncertainty. Despite opening a Fidelity account, she struggles with confidence and clarity. Her journey highlights the need for a more relatable, judgment-free experience—like FutureSync—that guides users through emotional and financial decisions with empathy.
Storyboarding
In this scenario, a financial influencer, certified by Fidelity, guides Abigail as she wrestles with what to do with her new inheritance of 20k. The influencer’s AI double introduces Abigail to future versions of herself to better engage her with investment options.
Ideation
From Low-Fi to Hi-Fi
Solution
Demo Video
Key Features
Future Self Projection
This feature lets users see different versions of their future self through an AI double, powered by data from their social media and financial habits collected by FutureSync. They can explore milestones like buying a home or traveling, view a simulated portfolio, and adjust settings such as timeline, risk level, and profit goals, making financial planning more visual and easy to understand.
Learn Finance Basics Without Judgment
Many users avoid asking advisors basic questions because they fear feeling judged. To remove that barrier, FutureSync provides personalized explanations of financial basics based on the user’s interests and social data. By translating complex concepts into simple, relevant insights, this feature builds understanding and confidence, helping users move forward without embarrassment.
From AI to Human Advisor
Users can choose between two advisor profiles tailored to their goals, with an overview of each advisor’s background and why they’re a fit. Once selected, the advisor receives a summary of the user’s FutureSync journey, making follow-ups deeper and more personal without repeating the basics.
Reflection
Limitations
In this project, we struggled with finding the right balance between pushing innovation and keeping it realistic. Our goal was to design a solution Gen Z would actually use, trust, and feel comfortable with. From a business perspective, we also had to consider Fidelity’s position: reaching an unexpected audience while ensuring AI enhanced the experience rather than replacing human advisors, who remain better equipped to provide nuanced, market-aware guidance.
For The Future
Build transparent opt-in/opt-out controls for privacy and data sharing.
Experiment with rewards or progress tracking to keep Gen Z engaged in building financial confidence over time.
Conduct usability studies with Gen Z participants to validate trust, clarity, and engagement.
