Existing App Research

For some further research for our own app idea, we did some existing app research, looking into existing apps in our category to examine what features the other apps used, what was effective and what wasn’t.

BY looking at existing apps, we could develop more ideas for how we could make our app stand out from the other budgeting apps already out there.

Daily Budget  

The first app we analysed was ‘Daily Budget’, which we decided to look at as it has a very similar concept to our chosen app idea. The app is by C Ruttinger, who describes the app as fun to use, which makes the app more desirable to download as budgeting is not a fun concept.

Very similar to our app idea, the app allows the user to set a daily budget and make note of how much they have spent each day. The user can add their income, expense and savings, so they can keep track of their budget and money easily by keeping it all in one place where they can view it everyday to see where they are spending their money and how well they are sticking to their set daily budget.

 The above screenshots show the first screen the user sees when they open the app. There are many positive features and aspects to the app and the home screen is one of hem, the screen is blue if the user is sticking to the budget, while it turns orange if the user is low on money. This is one feature we enjoyed as it is very visual, and easy to see if you are not sticking to the

budget well. Along with the large numbers, it makes it easy to use.

Another positive is that the app was colorful, making it more fun, but it was still simple and easy to follow, allowing for ease of use. Even though the app is simple, it is still trustworthy and looks professionally made and designed.

One feature we also loved was that the user can note when they have spent money, how much they spent and what they spent it on, so they can keep track of where there money is going and when and where they spent it. The app allows them to note when they spent money on groceries, household, transportation and more. We liked this feature as it means people will be able to see what they are spending their money on, allowing them to budget further if they find they are spending more in one area.

Along with many positives, we also found some   negative features of the app.

one of the main ones we discussed was that the app didn’t have many features that could be used for free. without paying for a ‘Pro’ version of the app, the user could only use the basic features of the app.

As our audience is mainly students, this would be negative for our own app and would affect the success of it, as most students cannot afford to pay for an app, and would be more likely to continue to use one that had all features for free. The app was usable without paying, but to fully get the benefit of the app, the user would have to pay for the extended version. However, many of the reviews on the app store stated that   paying for the extra features was worth it, as they ended up saving money by using the extra features.

To look for more views from long time users, we read the reviews on the app store. The majority of the reviews were positive, with the app earning mostly 5 star ratings. A lot of comments state that they find the app easy to use, not too complicated, and many reviews state that the app would be suitable for students or people who have never budgeted before, which fits out target audience for our own app.

Some of comments explained that the app did not have notifications, so the app only worked if the user remembered to use it, which is another key negative point which we can use when developing our own app.

The second app that we decided to look at is called ‘Goodbudget’. The app is made by Dayspring         technologies. the app concept is also very similar to our app idea.Much like ‘Daily Budget’, the app allows the user to set up an account, add income and expenses to track their money and budget.

One positive that we foudn with the app, is that it is very visual. As seen in the above screenshots, the app uses bars and pie charts to show the user how much money they have spent on certain things, making it easy to use and easy for the user to see where their

money is being spent, and how much of their budget they have.

Another positive that the app shared with Daily Budget is its simplicity. The app uses simple colours, with a white background and green accents, making it easy on the eyes and easy to follow. Using simple backgrounds and colours has allowed the graphs to stand out on the page, meaning they aren’t confusing to follow and even users who are not used to graphs can make sense of them and use them effectively.

Another positive, and one it does not share with Daily Budget, is that you can use this app to set up a budget for a household, not just individuals. it allows the  people using the app to budget their finances as a household, keeping track of a household budget. This is a feature we may transfer into our app, as some    students have a household budget to work with.

Rather than just researching budgeting apps, aimed at everyone, we wanted to look into some apps for deals aimed at students. The most popular app like this is Unidays.

We liked the Unidays app because it allows students to find discounts local to them. It has an interactive home page, in which users can see the top new offers on offer instantly without having to search around too much. It has a search menu too, so if a user wants a deal for a specific place, they can search for it easily. 

Looking at both budgeting and a deals app, we found that both are effective and can be used to save money. So upon discussion, we decided that we could combine the two apps into one app, creating a Budgeting App for Students, which also offers deals. 

This means users won't have to download two apps, and if they are struggling to stick to their budget, the app can offer deals and strategies for saving money in shops and supermarkets local to them.