Gamifying Financial Education for Rwanda
The redesigned BK Quiz app - turning financial education into an engaging game
The BK Team approached me with research insights showing Rwandans needed engaging financial education. Their existing banking app didn't address this need, so I was tasked with designing a gamified learning experience from scratch.
While numerous online bookstores exist, many suffer from cluttered interfaces, poor mobile experiences, and generic, uninspiring discovery mechanisms. This creates a gap for readers seeking a modern, intuitive, and personally relevant shopping experience.
This is the story of how I transformed that frustration into an elegant solution.
Analyzed BK Team's insights and studied gaming apps to understand engagement patterns and gather inspiration from competitors.
Generated ideas and structured concepts to address user needs and financial goals.
Designed low- and high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes to test solutions effectively.
Refined designs through testing, feedback, and iterations to ensure a smooth user experience.
Users found finance topics scary and complex. They avoided learning because it felt too difficult.
Existing financial tools didn't reflect Rwandan culture. Users couldn't relate to generic, Western-focused content.
Traditional banking apps were boring. There were no rewards or fun elements to keep users engaged.
While the BK Team provided initial research, I conducted a competitor analysis to understand how successful apps engage users. I focused on two key companies: Duolingo for gamification excellence and Acorns for financial education approach.
The world's most popular language learning app, known for its addictive gamification and daily engagement features.
Our solution: Combining gamification with culturally-relevant financial education for Rwandan youth.
Popular micro-investing app that simplifies finance through round-up savings and educational content.
Analysis revealed: Gamification alone isn't enough. Financial education needs cultural context to truly resonate.
University Student
Age: 21 • Finance Level: Beginner • Tech Comfort: High
Aline wants to learn about saving and investing but finds finance boring and intimidating. She needs fun, bite-sized lessons that fit her student lifestyle.
• Learn basic saving strategies
• Build good financial habits
• Understand investing basics
• Earn rewards for learning
• Complex financial jargon
• Boring banking interfaces
• No cultural connection
• Lack of progress tracking
Professional
Age: 38 • Finance Level: Intermediate • Tech Comfort: Medium
Eric wants to invest wisely but doesn't have time for long courses. He needs quick, practical lessons he can learn during work breaks.
• Make smart investment decisions
• Grow savings efficiently
• Get personalized financial advice
• Track progress clearly
• Time-consuming learning methods
• Generic financial advice
• No local investment context
• Complex financial tools
Age: 21 • Finance Level: Beginner
Age: 38 • Finance Level: Intermediate
User flow showing the learning journey from onboarding to advanced investment knowledge
Low-fidelity wireframes exploring quiz interfaces, progress tracking, and gamification elements
The complete BK Quiz experience: culturally-relevant gamification, progressive learning paths, and real-world banking integration
Rwandan symbols, traditional shields (Tunga, Bukungu), and local proverbs make learning feel familiar and meaningful.
Quests framed as Imihigo contracts with milestone badges and rewards that motivate continuous learning.
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tracks that grow with users from basic saving to complex investing.
Bite-sized financial lessons delivered as daily challenges. Complete quizzes to earn points and level up.
Earn traditional Rwandan titles and badges as you progress from beginner to financial expert.
Convert game points to actual Bank of Kigali account deposits, creating tangible motivation.
Testing showed that Version B improved clarity and user navigation within the design system.
Increase in quiz completion rates compared to traditional financial education
More daily active users with gamified approach vs standard banking apps
Higher engagement with culturally-relevant content vs generic financial lessons
This project taught me how to turn research into a complete design story. Starting from the BK Team's insights, I learned to:
The most important lesson: Good design tells a clear story. From research to wireframes to final design, every step should connect back to solving real user problems.