Android Platform / Gen Z Consumer UPI & Wealth

The count you keep.
Safe to spend.

ANKA is a Gen Z-first payments and wealth mobile application for India built on UPI rails — re-engineering financial anxiety into real-time spendable clarity ("Safe to Spend"), automated N-1 group expense debt resolution ("Circles"), and a zero-ads dark design system built with Material 3 Expressive and Jetpack Compose.

RoleLead Product & Systems Designer
Timeline2026
CategoryFintech / Consumer UPI
TypeAndroid · Jetpack Compose · Material 3
View All 9 Screens Read Case Study
ANKA Interface — Pulse Dashboard
0
Ads or Scratch Cards
4
Permanent Tabs
N-1
Group Settlement
100%
Tabular Figures (`tnum`)
The problem
Incumbent UPI apps monetise attention by cluttering home screens with 40-tile bazaars while Gen Z Indians carry persistent financial anxiety.
The approach
Build a dark Volt-on-Ink surface with zero commercial clutter, providing forward-looking "Safe to Spend" daily cash clarity and automated N-1 group expense debt resolution.
The outcome
A native Android app running in Compose with spring-physics motion, tabular numerals, double-entry ledger security, and multi-PSP failover.
4
Permanent tabs
₹0
Ad revenue allowed
Volt
#CCFF00 spice accent
10
Indian scripts in Anek

01 — The Problem

The incumbents built a bazaar.
Gen Z needed a tally.

PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm process billions of monthly UPI transfers, but every incumbent optimizes for the transaction while monetising user attention. Home screens are packed with 40-tile bazaars, scratch cards, and ad banners. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Indians transact 8 to 15 times daily and carry constant low-grade money anxiety.

01
40-Tile Bazaar Clutter
Incumbents overload screens with credit offers, commerce tiles, and scratch cards that feel like a noisy bus station.
02
Money Anxiety & False Balances
Static bank balances mislead users into spending money that is already committed to upcoming bills and rent.
03
Awkward Group Debt Follow-ups
Splitting group bills forces manual math and pairwise transfers (N² complexity), causing social friction.
04
Single-PSP Outage Failures
Single-bank PSP outages account for the majority of 1-star payment app reviews in India.

02 — Core Innovations

Two features
nobody else has.

ANKA introduces two product wedges designed to eliminate financial anxiety and streamline social payment workflows.

Innovation 01
Safe to Spend Engine
Problem
Current apps show static account balances, misleading users into overspending before bills hit.
Approach
Calculate upcoming committed outflows (rent, SIPs, EMIs) and divide remaining cash by days left in month.
Output
"₹19,240 to last you 11 days. That's ₹1,749 a day."
A forward-looking daily spend limit changes financial behavior from anxiety-driven guessing to clear, daily boundaries.
Innovation 02
Circles (N-1 Debt Resolution)
Problem
Group bill apps require manual calculation and multiple pairwise transfers across members.
Approach
Pay the merchant, swipe the row, and requests go out. Multi-party debts automatically resolve in N-1 transfers.
Output
Group debts settle in single-tap transfers without awkward reminders.
Math is solved on the ledger level, removing social awkwardness and reducing transaction friction.
Innovation 03
Four Permanent Tabs
Problem
Incumbent navigation changes constantly as new monetization features are added.
Approach
Permanent 4-tab architecture: Pulse, Circles, Pay, Wealth — organized by time relationship to money.
Output
Zero fifth-tab expansion. A fifth tab is treated as a product failure.
Organizing by the user's mental model ensures predictability and long-term brand trust.

03 — Design System ("Tally")

Volt on Ink Substrate.
Dark by default.

Nobody in Indian fintech owns Volt (`#CCFF00`) on Ink (`#0B0C0E`). PhonePe is purple, Paytm and Airpay are blue, Google Pay is multi-color white. Volt covers strictly 5% to 8% of any screen — a high-contrast spice, never a overwhelming sauce. Numbers use mandatory `tnum` tabular figures in Anek.

Palette Tokens
Volt Accent#CCFF00
Ink Substrate#0B0C0E
Dark Charcoal#16181F
Volt Glow#E6FF66
Secondary#99A1B3
Typography & Numerals
Anek
One variable family covering 10 Indian scripts & Latin
Tabular Figures (`tnum`)
Mandatory on every balance and ledger row to eliminate column jitter
Money has Mass (Physics Motion)
ANKA uses spring physics (stiffness and damping) rather than duration-and-easing curves. Completed payment amounts land on ledger rows with physical overshoot.
Material 3 Expressive Substrate
Built on Material 3 Expressive Compose components, custom-themed with Volt/Ink tokens and 12 custom financial primitives.
Zero-Ad Brand Constraint
Founder-level veto on sponsored tiles, scratch cards, or third-party ads. Revenue is derived strictly from AUM, credit interchange, and MDR.

04 — Final Solution

What the app actually does.

Four core tabs carry the product. Each exists to replace fragmented financial tasks with immediate clarity and tactile confidence.

⚡
Pulse (Present State)
The primary home surface featuring Safe to Spend daily limits, committed outflows, and live payment feed.
Problem
Users don't know how much money is genuinely spendable today.
Approach
Single hero spendable number calculated dynamically against upcoming commitments.
User Benefit
Instant daily clarity; eliminates overspending anxiety.
Business Benefit
Establishes daily app habit without needing artificial engagement gimmicks.
👥
Circles (Social Ledger)
Group expense tracking, trip tallies, flatmate bills, and automated N-1 debt resolution.
Problem
Splitting bills requires awkward manual math and multiple individual transfers.
Approach
Single payment swipe triggers instant requests; ledger computes N-1 transfers.
User Benefit
Debts settle effortlessly without awkward reminders.
Business Benefit
Drives viral user acquisition through multi-party group invites.
📷
Pay (Frictionless Rail)
High-speed camera QR scanner, recent contacts tray, and custom tactile amount keypad.
Problem
Camera initialization lag and slow keypad entry cause merchant checkout friction.
Approach
Hardware-accelerated QR scanner and custom tabular keypad with spring haptics.
User Benefit
Sub-second payment launch to completion.
Business Benefit
Maximizes successful UPI checkout completions.
📈
Wealth (Future State)
Goal-based micro-SIPs, consolidated net worth, inflation tracking, and passive accumulation.
Problem
Gen Z avoids complex investment platforms with high-pressure sales jargon.
Approach
Simple goal rings, automated roundups, and transparent AUM fee disclosures.
User Benefit
Builds long-term wealth without financial jargon.
Business Benefit
High-margin AUM revenue stream without advertising dependency.

Component & Screen Showcase

Click any screen to view detailed high-resolution UI specs.

Pulse Dashboard Screen

Pulse Dashboard

Main home screen with Safe to Spend daily limit and live stream.

Circles Screen

Circles Ledger

Group expenses & single-tap N-1 debt resolution.

Pay Keypad Screen

Pay Keypad

Tactile amount keypad with rolling tabular numerals (`tnum`).

Wealth Screen

Wealth Overview

Goal rings, micro-SIPs, and net worth tracker.

Safe to Spend Component

Safe to Spend Detail

Committed outflows calculation engine breakdown.

Profile Screen

Profile & Security

Linked bank accounts, security, and Quiet Mode.

Onboarding Screen

Onboarding & Setup

Gen Z welcome flow and handle binding.

Motion Lab Screen

Physics Motion Lab

Spring stiffness, damping, and mass parameters.

Android Emulator Live Capture

Live Android Emulator

Running native `money.anka.prototype` build in Android Studio.

05 — Outcomes & Impact

Designed for trust.
Engineered for speed.

ANKA proves that consumer fintech does not require dark patterns or attention-selling to build a sustainable business. The system prioritizes user clarity over commercial noise.

0
Ads or Scratch Cards
Zero attention-monetization clutter on any surface.
N-1
Transfer Efficiency
Automated group debt settlement reducing pairwise friction.
100%
Tabular Numeral Alignment
Pixel-perfect numerical columns without animation jitter.
4
Permanent Tabs
Predictable navigation organized by time relationship to money.

06 — Key Learnings

What This Project Taught Me

Learning 01
Clarity reduces financial anxiety
Showing static balances makes users nervous about upcoming hidden bills. Calculating disposable cash ("Safe to Spend") transforms anxiety into confidence.
Learning 02
Numerals are the primary content
Financial UI lives and dies by numerical legibility. Enforcing `tnum` tabular figures across 10 Indian scripts in Anek was non-negotiable.
Learning 03
Restraint builds premium brand equity
Using Volt (`#CCFF00`) at 5–8% density on Ink (`#0B0C0E`) created a distinct visual identity that instantly sets ANKA apart from blue and purple incumbents.
Learning 04
Architecture dictates user trust
Double-entry ledgers and multi-PSP failover redundancy ensure that when a payment is made, it works reliably every single time.

Reflection

"The single constraint that defined ANKA was refusing to monetise attention. Every incumbent app in India eventually turns into a 40-tile bazaar of scratch cards, credit ads, and sponsored banners. By keeping the surface dark, permanent, and focused strictly on Safe to Spend clarity, ANKA gives Gen Z something money apps forgot to offer — peace of mind."
— Rupesh Chavan, Lead Product & Systems Designer

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