UniVerse - Digital Wallet for Students
Project Overview
UniVerse is a mobile-first wallet app tailored for university students, especially international learners. It centralises student discounts, subscription tracking, and campus payments into one seamless platform. The app was developed through user interviews, journey maps, and iterative prototyping to help students manage money smarter, avoid hidden costs, and access exclusive deals effortlessly.
Business Goals
Unify campus discounts, loyalty rewards, and payments in one app
Minimise missed subscriptions and overspending
Increase student satisfaction through better financial visibility
Offer a white-label platform for universities to enhance student services
Context of Use
University students increasingly rely on digital wallets and subscriptions, but most campus services remain disconnected. Apps like Apple Wallet, Google Pay, and UNiDAYS have raised expectations for a single, streamlined experience. UniVerse responds to this by unifying payments, student discounts, and subscriptions into one app.
Mind Map
This mind map sets the stage by illustrating the interconnected problems around student financial struggles, discount discovery, and campus payment complexity. It outlines key domains like budgeting, subscriptions, and tech integration which shaped the problem space.
Visual Abstract
This mind map sets the stage by illustrating the interconnected problems around student financial struggles, discount discovery, and campus payment complexity. It outlines key domains like budgeting, subscriptions, and tech integration which shaped the problem space.
Process Overview
Stanford d. Design Process
The UniVerse project was structured using the Stanford d. design process, supported by participatory design methods at multiple stages. Each phase integrated direct user involvement from discovery and co-ideation to testing and refinement ensuring the final solution was informed by real behaviours, expectations, and feedback loops.
Interveiw Planning
Created a semi-structured guide to explore students' financial habits, discount awareness, and subscription tracking. The interviews balanced consistency with flexibility allowing users to share unplanned insights.
Participant Recruitment Strategy
To gather meaningful insights, I recruited university students who actively manage subscriptions, student discounts, and campus payments.
Strida made my portfolio finally look serious. The sidebar navigation and typography give it such a strong character — clients noticed right away.
Anna Torres
Brand Designer
