Big thanks to the Monzo team, been using it since it first came out as Mondo. Very delightful app.
However I did realise looking at my budget scales that I find it difficult processing the graph and the textual info.
I read from left to right so do not expect the graph to be reducing from right to left.
Please can this be fixed.
The other aspect is the colours of the scale. I instantly feel like it’s the darker grey moving not the light grey.
It takes some mental gymnastics to overcome this.
Happy to also do without the scales.
I didn’t get the metaphor at first (and it still causes me to ‘pause’ which is maybe a sign that it isn’t the best design?).
Subtle indicator may help, a little arrow or something?? I’m no UI designer though but without and indication of direction over time, these bars aren’t great. Some way to show… last week it was here, now it’s here may be better??
Yea exactly. My husband says he just blanks it out and focuses on one piece of info, which is ‘what’s left’ which raised a question - Are people more interested in what’s left or what they have spent.
Monzo thinks it’s what we have spent, but we are more interested in what’s left!
It’s not easy to design UI but the whole thing needs a rethink, pls Monzo.
I think because they are tied to a set amount you want to spend, then it would follow that naturally that amount of money you’ve set aside would go down. (Think of it like a distinct pile of money, every time you spend on that category that pile of money would go down). So you are slowly working to a zero sum left for that category - I see arguments for it “filling up” as you get closer to the amount you want to spend but as I say, due to the idea that it is a digital representation of envelope budgeting - it would go down rather than up.
The little line I think is also a rough estimate of where you should be at that specific point in the month (although I think this is a straight average per day and so is usually a bit out of whack).
See, I understand WHAT it’s trying to represent, my issue is that that isn’t abundantly clear to everyone on first glance. A good UI shouldn’t require you to know this, it should be obvious. IMO.
Yeah I get your point, but I think sometimes it does take some thought to understand what something is trying to tell you - because it is very individual information.
When you are attaching a pre-conceived idea as to how something should work, then its all immediately skewed to that train of thought. UI isn’t and shouldn’t be “well that’s how we think it should work because its worked like that before”
Different countries read and write from right to left instead of left to right (not actually sure this helps what I’m trying to say in anyway)
Maybe adding in a “filling up” switch could be a good idea, its effectively the same information needed just inverting the colours/ direction of travel.
Yes, thanks. I know that a good UI needs to take many things into account from many different aspects. This isn’t about me being attached to a pre-conceived idea (and not a point I’m going to discuss/argue with you on), this is more that there is a simple fix that can be applied to make two ways of thinking equally valid at the one time.
And all it needs is a sense of direction. Is this line filling up, or dropping down?
BTW - I have worked in software and managed a team of UI designers. So I understand the principles.
I didn’t suggest you didn’t. I was stating what my point of view is on the UI. Nor did I mean to suggest that you were attaching a pre-conceived idea. I originally looked at the bar and thought it should fill up, but when I realised what it was trying to show and teach me, it made sense for it to go down - it helped me realise where my money was going, for me that is great UI.
The styling and hierarchy of elements also seems crossed.
The “£X left of £X” copy is a light grey colour, while the corresponding bar area is black. Then we have the “£X” spent figure right-aligned in black colour, but it’s corresponding bar area is light grey.
The biggest number on the page is ££ left, within the circle area. But the easy to read values on the right are the spent numbers, not the amount I have left.
I’d like to be able to specify an amount for each budget category instead of a multiple of £5. Maybe have it so that once you’ve set a round amount you can press on the category and type in a more exact amount?
