Ascent / Centspace

Building a financial literacy app that uses simulations as a low-stress entry way into learning complex financial concepts.

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Overview

Ascent is a financial literacy application designed to address the racial wealth gap in the United States through gamified simulations.

Rather than presenting financial education as static content, Ascent reframes it as interactive decision-making. Users practice real-life financial scenarios — like renting their first apartment — in a consequence-free environment.

The Problem

Financial education alone does not guarantee wealth. But a lack of financial literacy increases exposure to damaging financial behaviors.

Research shows:

• Young adults (21–34) report high levels of financial anxiety.
  
• Black households hold significantly less generational wealth.
  
• Financial literacy tools are often static, overwhelming, or disengaging.
  
• High school financial literacy courses show little long-term behavioral impact.
  

Meanwhile, wealth accumulates through decades of small decisions. Young adults, particularly first-generation wealth builders, often make major financial decisions without access to experienced models.

Research

Secondary Research 

My research explored:

• The racial wealth gap and its historical roots
  
• Behavioral finance and financial anxiety
  
• Gamification theory
  
• Limitations of existing financial literacy tools

A key insight:

Financial literacy must be tied to intrinsic motivation and personal goals.
Information alone is not enough — engagement drives retention.

If you were curious just how much research I did, heres a concept map summarizing all of the key topics I felt were critical to my work. It was presented to my professors as part of my thesis. If you’re interested, you can read my full thesis here. 

Expert Conversations

Logic

I structured Ascent around three gamification principles:

1. Autonomy

• Users make their own decisions within simulations.
  
• There are no “right answers” — only trade-offs.
  

2. Mastery

• Challenges are scaffolded to match user ability.
• Users build competence gradually instead of feeling overwhelmed.
  

3. Relatedness

• Onboarding identifies personal goals (e.g., move out, buy a car, pay off debt).
• Education modules are then tied directly to those goals.
• This prevents the experience from feeling generic or preachy.

Personas 

I built user personas to support the creation of a user-centered design. While my research was incredibly helpful in understanding the problem statement, I wanted to have a full picture of my target user’s needs, preferences, and behaviors so that I could build something that directly fell in line with their lifestyles. 

Design Strategy 

I made this user flow early on in the process (before doing insame amounts of research) so though helpful in mapping what the app would consist of or how heavy it would come to be, I learned fairly quickly that a product with my level of functionality would require something much more thorough.  









This is when I began to plug my first simulation into an app called Twine, an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. I used Twine to map out and build my first simulation. Then, I began to design the shell where users would interact with the simulation. 

The Core Experience

These are the low-fidelity prototypes I finished the semester with (this is when I shifted from being a student to a founder). After designing these and having an idea of what my final output would be, I continued to prioritize research until the end of the semester, since the algorithm would play a much bigger role than the aesthetics. However, this project became near and dear to my heart, therefore I continued to work on it months after graduating. 


The first simulation I decided to build focuses on renting an apartment — often one of the first major financial decisions young adults make.

Users navigate:

• Choosing location
  
• Balancing rent vs. income
  
• Understanding security deposits
  
• Reviewing lease agreements
  
• Budgeting recurring expenses
  

Instead of being told what to do, users experience consequences through branching narrative scenarios. I prototyped the simulation in Twine to rapidly test flows then wireframed them in Figma:

Run through the entire Figma simulation here. 

MVP’s & Rebranding

I enrolled in NYU’s Female Founder’s Fellowship the spring after thesis with hopes of seeing this project through to development and release. I rebranded, built a pitch deck, and conducted dozens of customer interviews during this time. Unfortunately, as a result of post-grad life changes I burnt out fairly quickly and began to really feel the struggle all entreprenuers know and feel. 

For the MVP, I designed four primary pages:

• Home: provides orientation, surfaces progress, & encourages daily engagement
  
• Health (Financial Wellness Dashboard): Help users visualize their evolving financial state without shame.
  
• Learning (Simulations): Allows users to practice financial decisions safely.
  
• Goals (Financial Planning): Connects simulations to real-life aspirations.

Pitch Deck

Click in to view the full deck.

Next Steps

If I were to develop this project further in the future, I would:

• Expand into additional simulations (student loans, credit building, investing)
  
• Build a recommendation engine tied to onboarding inputs
  
• Conduct broader testing across income groups
  

Long-term, I envision Ascent/Centspace as a modular platform that bridges behavioral science and financial education.

Measuring Success / Impact