Strategy. User Experience. Product Design.

The Problem

Even before a child is born, the parents-to-be are often told to start saving for school, whether it's for private k-12, college, vocational school, or grad school. While this is solid financial advice, the process itself can be daunting, especially given today’s economic climate. Most Americans are unaware of 529 plans, and even after one is opened, having others contribute to it meant having to explain what it was (again) and then jumping through multiple hoops to allow contributions.

The Solution

My design team collaborated with founder Yosh Miller, starting with a set of wireframes and design rules then leading to a fully functioning prototype for the mobile app. Designed to not only make the onboarding, 529 discovery and setup process as seamless as possible, we also wanted to turn a staid financial product into a social experience. Hadley makes education savings social and allows family and friends to make 529 contributions as simple as Venmo.

The Results

Not only is Hadley a presenter at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, but it’s been featured on CBS and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Hadley is also now available as a benefit through multiple employers similar to a 401k with all of the social benefits intact!

“Tanooki was able to take all my inputs, apply their own ‘best industry practices’ knowledge, and create something that aligns 1:1 in my brain. But they made it even better by proactively identifying and incorporating features that I hadn't even thought about.”