Sama
Designing a community-powered savings system for 40+ women in India
Role
Product Strategy & Product Design
Timeline
4 weeks
Team
3 designers
Overview
- Synthesized research across 15+ users to uncover cultural trust barriers in finance
- Designed and tested 5 scalable user flows grounded in local financial behaviors
The Problem
In India, financial literacy is not just an educational gap; it is also a cultural gap
Women over 40
- Rarely manage household finances independently
- Avoid conversations about money
- Feel intimidated by western-style financial tools
- Lack motivation to save alone
It's not just them — market research reveals that
516 million women, or 80% of the female population in India, navigate through issues of financial literacy.
Source: estimated from World Bank
So how did we simplify this massive problem into one compact digital solution?
Existing fintech tools are:
- Individualistic
- Western-centric
- Intimidating
- Detached from social behaviors
Financial tools fail not because women don't want independence — but because the tools ignore existing cultural systems of trust.
Research Patterns
My focus was translating cultural behavior into product mechanics and designing trust directly into financial interactions.
Finance is socially sensitive
Women avoided direct money conversations — even with partners.
Trust is interpersonal
Women trusted friends more than institutions.
Motivation is social
Saving alone felt isolating. Saving in groups created accountability.
The Breakthrough
Instead of introducing a new financial model, we digitized an existing one.
According to a forecast report by IndustryARC,
The India P2P lending market is forecast to reach $10.5 billion by 2026
Barriers to traditional banking systems make the peer-to-peer model an optimum alternative for women in India.
Kitty parties already:
- Pool money
- Rotate payouts
- Operate on social trust
- Normalize money conversations
What if we built a financial product that felt like something they already do?
That's where Sama comes in
We provide goal-oriented product features that use community to foster long-term financial education and growth.
Join local groups with common saving goals.
Set your goal intentions and preferences.
Turn on Lender Protection for extra security
Track your common goal, share accountability
Celebrate your success!
Use your savings wisely
Outcomes
Sama's pitch landed loud. The panel responded with enthusiasm, and a lively debate on its future direction. We were urged to actually build and ship it for its potential.
“A good service either gives value or entertains — here I'm getting value.”
