A feature design for Wise's Young Explorer card, entered into the D&AD New Blood Awards 2026. Side Quests is a goal-based earning and saving system that lets parents set tasks, attach real pay, and reward teens who choose to save, turning everyday chores into a genuine first step toward financial independence.
Figma, After Effects
10 Weeks
UI Design, Motion Design
Due to UK advertising regulations, Wise can't market directly to under-18s. The brief was to convince parents of 15 to 17 year olds that the Young Explorer card is worth getting for their child, while building enough loyalty with teens that they open a full Wise account at 18. The challenge was designing a single product that worked for both, encouraging financial growth for the teens and peace of mind for the parents.
Side Quests gives parents a way to set household tasks, assign a pay rate and offer a goal bonus, an extra percentage earned on top if their teen chooses to save rather than spend. Teens complete their quests and use a split calculator to divide earnings between spending and saving goals at their own percentages. Parents guide without controlling, and teens build real financial habits with real money.
The part of this project that I feel represents my skill, style and attention to detail is the Explainer Video, but you will also find all the other deliverables and all project files down there too. Jump straight to it with the button below, or take it slow and scroll through my breakdown of the features.
Working with the existing Young Explorer dashboard, a new button was added and positioned in the main actions. An additional item in the options list gives quick access to the Young Explorer's goals, all designed to fit into a parent's busy schedule for efficiency and simplicity.
Adding a Side Quest takes seconds with a name, description, pay, and optional due date or repeat schedule to build habit and responsibility over time. Auto release makes funds available the moment a job is marked complete, and the toward goal bonus adds an extra percentage on top of their pay if the teen chooses to save their earnings, incentivising good financial habits from the start.
The goal overview gives parents a clear snapshot of their teen's progress without needing to step in, including the currency being saved, percentage of completion, and how much is left to go.
The metrics offer infographic deep dives into the teen's progress, letting parents see how habits are forming over time and which Side Quests have earnt the most towards the savings goal, all while keeping the information simple enough for a quick read at any time.
The Young Explorer can view and filter their Side Quests via the pills, seeing all or filtering by what's due today or this week. Clear pricing and info prompts for the toward goal bonus keep everything transparent, and the ability to suggest a task to the parent puts teens in charge of their own financial journey.
When marking a job complete, the Young Explorer has full transparency over how they receive payment, with info prompts styled to Wise's success and warning states clearly communicating that locking earnings into a savings goal means the bonus lands on top.
The split calculator gives the Young Explorer full control over where their earnings go, splitting across multiple savings goals or a mix of goals and the spending account. The toward goal bonus is automatically calculated on top of whatever percentage they choose to save, making the reward for good habits feel immediate and real.
Explore the iframe below, use the filters panel below to choose from the design file, prototype, research board or presentation
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