I chose to rebrand Splitwise, an app for splitting purchases between groups The branding was too corporate for the user base, and the interface lacked focus. I started with a moodboard, found the key pain points, and then developed my prototype.
Splitwise is an app aimed at helping users easily split bills among friends. Most use cases would be for splitting meals and transportation costs. The app's aesthetic does not reflect this informal user group, and instead has a dull, corporate style.
I wanted to create a youthful, fun, and expressive experience for the app to reflect its users expectations. Most of Splitwise's uses were between friends, so the design should reflect that. I was inspired by Italian design aesthetics, postmodern furniture, and other expressive elements.
I found the logotype too formal and unfriendly. The color scheme was dull and corporate. The amounts owed didn't have hierarchy, and the “add more friends button,” which is important, is too small. The icons were inconsistent and strange. It was unclear which entries were positive or negative, and who owed what to whom. It was also unclear which balances had been settled and which hadn’t.
I created the key screens for the application, as well as a tablet and Apple watch version. I also created two motion prototypes that translate the key attributes I started with (youthful, fun, expressive) into motion, and to further add a sense of delight.
I created a styleguide to document my branding changes. I created a new logo, color scheme, typography, and iconography.The logo contains a double meaning, creating a shape from the intersection of two individual shapes, to reference the power of Splitwise to bring people together to accomplish a goal. I chose DIN, a refined yet expressive font, as the main font for the rebrand. I also simplified the icons to make them more friendly and easy to understand.
I was able to share this redesign with the founder of Splitwise, who responded positively, and even ended up including some of the points I mentioned into the app's future iterations. This was a super-fun exercise in branding and UI, with an exciting result.