Sean Young’s Stick with It offers a science-based approach to making behavior change last. By applying its principles to the CedisPay Financial Wellbeing Budget App, users can stick to their financial goals, build healthier money habits, and experience true financial transformation. Here’s how the book’s framework can integrate with and enhance the user experience of the app.

• Stepladders: Break Down Big Goals into Small Steps:
  • Principle: People succeed when they break their goals into small, manageable steps.
  • Application in the App:
    • Budget Creation Process: Guide users step-by-step through naming their budget, entering income, categorizing expenses, and setting financial goals
    • Progress Indicators: Show progress bars for goals like “Save GHS 1,000 in 3 months” by dividing the target into weekly or monthly milestones
    • Daily Wins: Encourage users to log small actions, such as recording a single expense or reviewing their budget weekly
• Community: Build Support Networks:
  • Principle: Social connections and shared accountability enhance commitment.
  • Application in the App:
    • Accountability Groups: Allow users to join groups within the app to share progress, celebrate wins, and discuss challenges
    • Challenges: Introduce group-based challenges like the “30-Day Savings Boost Challenge” where users can track their collective progress
    • Progress Sharing: Enable users to share milestones with friends or family through the app, fostering support and encouragement
• Captivating Rewards: Provide Immediate and Meaningful Incentives:
  • Principle: People are more likely to stick with behaviors when they see tangible rewards.
  • Application in the App:
    • Points System: Award points for actions like logging expenses, completing budgets, or reaching savings milestones
    • Redeemable Rewards: Allow users to redeem points for discounts on premium app features, financial coaching sessions, or partner offers
    • Visual Celebrations: Use animations, badges, or congratulatory messages when users hit significant milestones
• Easy: Simplify the Process:
  • Principle: People are more likely to adopt habits when they’re easy to start and sustain.
  • Application in the App:
    • User-Friendly Interface: Keep navigation intuitive with clear labels like "Edit Budget" or "Enter Actuals into a Budget."
    • Automation: Enable features like auto-categorizing expenses, syncing bank statements (pending open banking regulations), or recurring reminders for bill payments.
    • Drag-and-Drop Tools: Simplify budget adjustments by letting users easily move funds between categories
• Enduring Behaviors: Focus on Long-Term Transformation:
  • Principle: Sustainable habits require aligning actions with long-term values.
  • Application in the App:
    • Financial Wellbeing Roadmap: Include a feature that helps users visualize their financial journey over time, from reducing debt to growing savings and achieving financial freedom
    • Identity-Driven Budgeting: Encourage users to define who they want to become (e.g., “I am financially responsible”) and tie their daily actions to this identity
    • Educational Content: Provide resources on financial literacy to reinforce long-term financial habits
• Important Incentives: Focus on Intrinsic Motivation:
  • Principle: Lasting behavior change happens when users feel personally invested in their goals.
  • Application in the App:
    • Personalized Insights: Use data from the Financial Wellbeing Calculator to give users actionable insights tailored to their financial situation
    • Goal Alignment: Let users select and customize goals (e.g., saving for a wedding, paying off a loan) to align with their personal aspirations
    • Celebrate Identity: Reinforce statements like “You’re one step closer to being a debt-free individual” to connect actions with intrinsic values
• Engrained Behaviors: Use Cues and Reminders to Build Habits:
  • Principle: Repeated cues help behaviors become automatic over time.
  • Application in the App:
    • Daily Notifications: Send reminders to log expenses or review their budget, keeping users engaged
    • Habit Stacking: Suggest pairing financial habits with existing routines, like reviewing the budget after morning coffee
    • Recurring Goals: Enable users to set recurring savings goals or reminders, reinforcing habits month after month

Conclusion: Empowering Financial Transformation with Stick with It

The principles from Stick with It provide a proven framework for designing a financial wellbeing app that drives long-term behavior change. By incorporating Stepladders, Community, Rewards, Ease, and Enduring Behaviors into the CedisPay Financial Wellbeing Budget App, users can:
• Break down overwhelming financial tasks into achievable steps
• Build lasting habits aligned with their goals and values.
• Experience the satisfaction of progress with tangible rewards and social support
With these tools, the CedisPay app becomes more than a budgeting tool—it becomes a partner in financial transformation, empowering users to stick with their goals and achieve lasting financial wellbeing