Peter Sörries
Interaction Design & Research
»Flux« is a playful, interactive device that helps adolescents develop financial awareness by making cash flows tangible.
Publication
Core77
Fast Company
Managing money can feel overwhelming, especially for adolescents who often have more on their minds than tracking every purchase on their phones. So why not make financial reflection more enjoyable, turning it into a simple, daily routine that feels less like a chore and more like a helpful way to build awareness of personal finances?
Inspired by the moodboard, a storyboard was developed to explore how adolescents experience their daily lives and how they might engage with a tangible artifact that reflects their habits and preferences in managing finances.
The storyboard acted as a lens for defining specific features of the artifact, which in turn informed its technical components. Since the artifact was envisioned as a wall-mounted device, the design needed to be subtle enough to fit seamlessly into an adolescent’s living space. To achieve this, the mechanical components were externalized, allowing the device to retain a delicate and refined form.
The physical interaction of the final artifact design occurs through two pendulums. The left pendulum represents the savings account, while the right one indicates the available checking account balance.
Flux is activated with a tap on the casing. Then, the two pendulums adjust themselves to display the account status. In addition, pulling the right pendulum transfers funds from savings, and simultaneously, the left pendulum shortens to reflect the change.
