Designing Mosaic, a Savings App Empowering LGBTQ+ Financial Wellness

Many LGBTQ+ people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, struggle to reach long-term financial goals. From emergency savings to milestone planning, current financial tools rarely reflect LGBTQ+ realities, leaving many without support that truly meets their needs.

To address this, I envisioned Mosaic, a high-yield savings app built specifically for the community. By helping users save toward personalized goals, such as transition surgery or first-home funds, Mosaic turns abstract numbers into something meaningful and motivating. Features like writing prompts, milestone badges, and an aging avatar of the user’s “future self” make saving deeply personal and even fun.

Mosaic: Track your money goals with your future self in mind. A system built by you, for future you.

Building an MVP the community can rally around.

Through the discovery process, I interviewed LGBTQ+ individuals and held product workshops to understand what truly drives financial behavior. I asked tough questions: How can people think about retirement investing when their basic needs aren’t yet secure? If financial education improves wellness, is it ethical to hide it behind a paywall?

These insights led me to one guiding principle: getting more money in the hands of users with as few barriers as possible. I focused on designing an experience that fosters long-term motivation through emotional connection. Writing prompts accompany each new savings goal, asking users to define why it matters and how they’ll feel once they achieve it. If they try to change a goal’s deadline or skip a transfer, they’re reminded of their original “why,” building intrinsic motivation over time.

Early testing showed strong enthusiasm and improved consistency in savings behavior among participants. Mosaic helps users see their financial progress not as a distant plan but as a living reflection of who they’re becoming, their future selves.