• [ Artificial Intelligence ]
  • [ Finance ]
  • [ Human ]

Eden

Eden is a calm, intelligent financial system that helps people track their money, manage investments, and understand their finances through smart, AI-driven insights. It’s built for long-term trust, clarity, and ease without the noise or hype.

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This document is going to be mostly about the design decisions behind some of the features included in Eden along with the market strategy guiding how it was built to grow.

Content

Quick Overview

01

Research and Insights

02

Design and Product Decisions

03

Key Features

04

Market Strategy

05

Conclusion

06

01

Quick Overview

Quick video overview showing Eden's Home navigation

Product Overview

Eden is an AI-powered financial assistant built to bring calm, clarity, and confidence to the way people experience money. We’re not here to add another dashboard. We’re here to replace noise with peace and help people finally feel in control. During my time working at the Royal Bank of Canada, I saw it up close every day. People weren’t just making financial mistakes. They were drowning in stress. Clients missed bills not because they were irresponsible, but because the money sat in the wrong account. They got hit with NSF fees just because payday shifted and no system adapted. Fraud happened. Not once. Not rarely. And they often found out after the damage was done. The tools that were supposed to help? Too loud, too complicated, and too focused on numbers not people.

Then there’s Jack, someone I met more than once, in many forms. Jack earns well. But he pays bills late. He doesn’t know where his money really goes. He’s not confident about retirement. Or owning a home. He says, “I just wish I knew where to start.” And he’s not alone. 70% of Canadians don’t use budgeting tools, and 52% of consumers say they’re unsure where to begin. Nearly half the world reports feeling financial stress every month.

This isn’t just a feature gap. It’s a feeling gap. People don’t need more dashboards. They need calm. They need something that feels safe. They need peace. That’s where Eden comes in. Eden is a calm, AI-powered financial assistant that helps you make sense of your money without the overwhelm. It tracks your spending, offers personalized insights, and alerts you before problems arise. You can talk to it by voice or chat, whatever feels most natural. It’s not a spreadsheet. It’s not another dashboard. It’s a quiet guide that grows with you, helping you feel in control, and good, about your money.

My Role

I led the design work for Eden and was involved in everything, from early ideas to the final screens. My work included:

  • Designing the product: I created the full experience for desktop and mobile, keeping it simple and easy to use.
  • Building the design system: I made reusable components and clean layouts that work in both light and dark mode.
  • Creating the brand: I came up with the name, logo, and look of Eden so it feels calm and trustworthy.
  • Doing the research: I looked into what users needed, studied other finance tools, and found what was missing.
  • Exploring funding: I researched grants and programs in Canada and the U.S. that could support Eden's future and I built a roadmap for that.

This project gave me the chance to design, research, and think about the big picture, all with the goal of building something people can trust with their money.

02

Research and Insights

User Research

Eden wasn’t always going to be what it is now. It started as a simple plan for a component library that developers could use in financial dashboards. But as I reflected on my year at the Royal Bank of Canada, the direction shifted. I listened to people talk about money every day. I noticed patterns—recurring frustrations that weren't being addressed:
  • Users missed payments not because they didn’t have money, but because the funds were in the wrong account.
  • People were frustrated by late alerts or no alerts at all when it came to bills, loans, or suspicious transactions.
  • Payday changes often led to missed loan payments and NSF charges.
  • Users wanted to know when their card was used in a different country, or when someone tried logging in from an unusual IP address.
Beyond the bank, I launched an ongoing survey to better understand what features people want in a financial tool. I also wanted to learn how expectations and habits change across age groups and income levels. This research continues as Eden grows, helping us shape the right features through feedback. Through conversations with advisors at other financial institutions and smaller accounting firms, many firms wanted a SaaS product that could handle external investments securely, intelligently, and in compliance with government regulations like KYC. These were the people I was designing for. And these are the voices that helped shape Eden into what it is now. Eden’s user research was designed to be in phases: Phase 1: One on one research that span a year at the Royal bank which led to the initial design iteration. Phase 2: This is the feature and feeling testing stage to understand how people feel while using the design and what they think is missing or not needed. We will be doing a guerrilla testing of the design prototype consisting of wealthy people, financial advisors, students, regular workers, businesspeople, and people who aren’t really doing well with their finances and debts. This phase will lead to the final design iteration before development. Phase 3: A repetition of phase 2 but this time we beta test for bugs post development. Phase 4: This will be the continuous testing phase after public release.

Market Research

We conducted an in-depth analysis of leading personal finance platforms in 2024-2025, combining user experience reviews, pricing models, product focus, and target demographics. Our analysis included tools like Fey, Monarch Money, Mint, and Perplexity Finance, as well as emerging or niche apps such as Cleo, Rocket Money, Empower (formerly Personal Capital), YNAB, and Finary.

Industry Trends

  • AI Financial Assistants: Platforms like Fey and Perplexity are leading the way in AI-driven tools. They simplify research by allowing users to ask financial questions in plain English and receive personalized summaries and updates. Yet, they lack full lifecycle support for personal finance.
  • Comprehensive Ecosystems: Tools like Monarch and Empower aim to unify budgeting, goal tracking, and investment analysis. Monarch even supports professional advisor collaboration. However, pricing and complexity limit their accessibility for casual users.
  • Decline of Free Tools: With Mint shutting down in 2024, the market has shifted away from ad-supported free models. Most visible apps now charge $5-15/month. This raises the bar on design, UX, and long-term value.
  • UX & Emotional Engagement: Cleo shows how tone and emotion can drive daily usage, while YNAB focus on structure and planning. Still, few tools truly guide or comfort users emotionally. Most remain purely functional.
  • Gap in Accessibility: There's a growing gap for older adults, newcomers to finance, and those with irregular incomes. Most tools presume financial literacy and tech comfort. Gig workers, freelancers, and international users remain underserved.
  • Fragmentation & Privacy Concerns: Users often juggle multiple apps for budgeting, investing, and bill tracking. There's still no widely adopted, seamless all-in-one platform. In addition, people increasingly want transparency and control over how their data is used or shared.

Competitive Analysis

Platform Core Focus Strengths Gaps/Challenges
Fey AI-driven investment research Real-time stock data, AI summaries, sleek design No budgeting tools, assumes financial literacy, desktop-first
Monarch Money Budgeting, planning, advisor collaboration All-in-one dashboard, customizable views, professional use supported High subscription cost (~$99/year), may feel overwhelming to casual users
Perplexity Finance Conversational finance research Natural language Q&A, live stock data, helpful explanations No portfolio management, desktop-only, early-stage product
Mint (Closed) Budget tracking & aggregation Longtime free tool, simple UI, popular among general users Shut down in March 2024 due to low engagement, lack of innovation
Cleo Budgeting via AI chatbot Fun, conversational UX for Gen Z, behavioral nudges Limited planning features, lacks depth, not suited for older users
Empower Retirement/investment planning Net worth tracking, retirement simulators, wealth dashboards Budgeting is weak, appeals mostly to higher-net-worth users

Market Opportunity; Starting in Canada

We’re beginning in Canada, where the personal finance market is valued at $15 billion. Our first focus is the $1.5 billion segment in digital financial tools, with a clear path through over 5,000 accounting firms and 400+ financial institutions. Our early users are already clear:
  • Jack, a professional who just wants things to be simple.
  • Maria, a small business owner drowning in dashboards.
  • Arjun, a freelancer with unpredictable income.
  • Sophia, Gen Z, AI-native, and craving a better way to manage money.
We’ll start B2B, collaborating with advisors, banks, and accounting firms who already hold trust, then grow into personal finance for individuals. Eden meets people where they are and grows with them.

03

Design and Product Decisions

The Brand

Empowering Users

  • Name: Eden – a peaceful place where money grows.
  • Tone: Calm, clear, and helpful
  • Visual Style: Soft edges, quiet colors, no clutter
  • Logo: A clean wordmark paired with a growing stem rising from the letter “d,” symbolizing peace, steady growth with the help of AI, and financial clarity.

UI System

I built a modular design system using a 4-point grid, focusing on clarity and flexibility. Every component, from buttons to charts to cards—was created to scale well across desktop and tablet without overwhelming the user.

Widgets were chosen to be the core unit of interaction. Why? Because some sense of customizability makes people feel in control. Users can drag and rearrange widgets, and they remain responsive. The layout adapts, the experience stays smooth.

The color system was carefully chosen to avoid harsh contrast, making both light and dark modes feel soft and balanced.

Interactions and motion were shaped to mimic natural, human-like gestures, helping the product feel smooth and familiar.

Throughout the design process, I followed key principles like:

  • Progressive Disclosure: Show only what’s needed. Reveal more as the user explores.
  • Accessibility: Adhered to WCAG contrast rules. Text is always legible. Layouts adjust.
  • Modularity: Widgets can grow or shrink depending on need, always snapping back into harmony.

Eden is not loud. It’s clear, quiet, and personal.

No Scrolling

The Glanceable Principle

Design Decision: Eden does not allow vertical scrolling on almost all screens on its large screen dashboard.

Reason:

  • Most financial apps bombard users with complex, never-ending data streams.
  • Scrolling leads to fragmented cognition, users must remember what they’ve seen and re-contextualize as they go.

Value:

  • By limiting the dashboard to a single, glanceable screen, Eden ensures users get the most essential insights instantly.
  • Encourages users to check in briefly and stay in control without distraction.

Bento Grid for Widgets

Design Decision: We chose a bento grid layout for displaying content modules.

Reason:

  • The bento grid offers visual hierarchy, modular structure, and balance.
  • Inspired by the aesthetics of Japanese bento boxes, compact, organized, and pleasing to the eye.

Value:

  • Enables different widget types (charts, goals, AI cards, news) to sit together without competing for attention.
  • Allows both users and institutions to customize their layout intuitively, based on their priorities.
  • Maintains scalability across devices (desktop/tablet/kiosk) without clutter.

AI Dynamic Island

Design Decision: Inspired by Apple’s dynamic island, An AI-powered floating insight center.

Reason:

  • Users often need real-time guidance without navigating away from the dashboard.
  • AI can offer suggestions, summaries, alerts, or even reassurance based on current behavior.

Value:

  • Enhances user experience by reducing friction, users get help without leaving their workflow.
  • Adapts based on user & AI behavior.
  • Supports both retail users and advisors by serving up context-relevant insights and actions.

Soft Color Palette and Typography

Design Decision: Use of muted blues, warm neutrals, and soft gradients.

Reason:

  • Finance can induce stress, aggressive reds, blacks, and neon greens amplify anxiety.

Value:

  • Eden’s color scheme promotes calmness and trust.
  • Typography is highly legible and softly weighted, improving scan-ability without harshness.

Calendar-Linked Financial Planning

Design Decision: Financial goals and budgets are visually integrated with a monthly view calendar.

Reason:

  • Time is a natural context for money, and yet most financial tools ignore it.

Value:

  • Gives users a temporal sense of control, helping them plan proactively.

04

Key Features

Key Features

04

Market Strategy

Eden is built for steady, meaningful growth, not short-term hype. The focus is on earning user trust through secure, responsible AI tools and growing the product gradually. It starts with strong foundations like privacy, transparency, and user-friendly design. Over time, Eden expands its features, partnerships, and compliance efforts to serve both individuals and institutions. Eden will first target B2B clients, accounting firms, banks, and financial service companies, who need secure, AI-powered tools to support their operations. These businesses will benefit from Eden's financial tracking, automation, and compliance-ready features. Starting with enterprise-level users allows the product to grow in a controlled, stable environment with feedback from real clients who manage large-scale financial data. Once the B2B foundation is solid and the product has been validated at scale, Eden will expand to serve everyday users, offering a calm, easy-to-use personal financial assistant built on the same secure and intelligent infrastructure. This phased approach ensures trust and credibility before moving into broader markets.

Project Starfish

As part of Eden’s long-term marketing strategy, we’re launching an initiative internally codenamed Project Starfish. This is a calm, cross-niche content expansion designed to build emotional resonance, brand reach, and social monetization without relying on traditional ads or performance marketing. Unlike trend-driven campaigns, Project Starfish focuses on high-quality, timeless video content that spans lifestyle, wellness, finance, and cultural themes. Some pieces are developed in collaboration with creators and influencers. Others are generated in-house or AI-assisted. All are designed to live quietly across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and emerging media platforms. The project is structured to maximize organic reach and watch-time, while reinforcing Eden’s identity as a calm, emotionally intelligent brand in a noisy category. We expect this to compound brand value over time and serve as a recurring revenue channel through platform monetization and partnerships. While the full scope is proprietary, Project Starfish is a key pillar in our content-first growth model. It helps Eden stay relevant, loved, and profitable across formats, communities, and decades.

Whisper

Whisper is Eden’s yearly financial wrap-up. It is a quiet, personal moment of reflection delivered to every user, both digitally and physically. It's not a report. It's a ritual. In the app, users receive a beautifully designed summary of their financial year: patterns, progress, and gentle insights, all told in Eden’s emotionally intelligent voice. Offline, they receive a physical package, a premium financial journal and pen, boxed with care and minimal branding. The tone is calm. The goal is clarity. Whisper is designed to feel like a gift, not a notification. It deepens user trust, increases retention, and reinforces Eden’s presence as a financial partner, not just a tool. It is a key part of Eden’s long-term brand strategy, transforming financial review into a moment users look forward to each year. Strategic Value: Whisper increases user retention by transforming financial review into a moment of care. It strengthens Eden’s brand by making finance feel personal, not transactional. It also provides a quiet, recurring marketing opportunity through shareable unboxings and word-of-mouth. Over time, Whisper becomes a signature of Eden’s promise: calm, clarity, and companionship with money.

Business Model

Eden’s model is simple and built to grow with trust. We begin with a freemium tier that lets users explore core features at their own pace. From there, we offer:

For our B2B partners, the first **three months are free;** not as a hook, but to build comfort and confidence. We’re not rushing users. We’re growing with them.

05

Conclusion

What Came Out of It

Eden is still in its design stage, but what’s been built already sets a strong foundation for the future. I designed a full product experience that feels calm, modern, and genuinely useful. The design system is complete, modular, and easy to scale or hand off to developers. From thoughtful UX to a detailed brand, Eden brings together visual design, research, and systems thinking in one clear product. Beyond the screens, I also mapped out a funding and growth strategy—showing exactly how Eden can evolve without giving up ownership or chasing hype. This wasn’t just a design sprint, it was a full product vision.

What I Learned

Working on Eden reminded me that money is emotional. At the bank, I saw how overwhelmed people felt and how much they just wanted something that felt safe and clear. That’s what Eden tries to offer.

I also learned how important it is to zoom out: design isn’t just about pixels. It’s also about positioning, long-term growth, funding, and brand. Eden helped me connect all those pieces.

What’s Next

  • Build a working prototype to test how users feel using Eden in real life
  • Start applying for grants and reaching out to fintech accelerators
  • Expand features to support shared accounts, coaching, and community tools

Eden is still just getting started—but it’s built with the long game in mind.