A survey of some recent brands in personal finance education in various forms of media.

1. Something that I would like to see built…

2. What A comprehensive digital learning experience about money skills Why Thought leadership ✪demonstrate innovation in visual language and technologies Brand value ✪build traffic and goodwill with a unique offering Do good ✪ provide free educational content Revenue ✪ distribution of paid content

3. I’ve seen a clear need for visual financial education Personal finance books are sensational and filled with obvious or useless information. And too many words (like this slide) Academic materials are dense and overwhelming. Money skills are nearly absent in public education. Abuse of consumer naiveté and poor decision-making is rampant. Needs range from consumer level to sophisticated and institutional investors.

4. A vision (the project) Visual interactions are the future of informal education ✪ because text puts people to sleep Content that is simple but not superficial ✪ comprehensive but not overwhelming (with academic rigor & sound theory) Honesty is critical ✪ corporate institutions are not trusted Expand the visual grammar ✪ huge quantities of content & concepts need to be translated into modern visual formats

5. [Examples of current activity in visual learning and finance]

6. Videos and e-books made with paper cut-outs …simple …effective …feels human …minimal offering [example]:

7. An 8-minute animated explanation of the credit bubble …some humor and style ...a one-time production …rich audio and slick animation …a bit overwhelming, and missing key points [example]: Jonathan Jarvis

8. …excellent storytelling …clear, simple explanations …substantial time commitment NPR show and podcast [example]:

9. Personal finance blog with diverse articles …a trusted brand …very tall graphics …simple, inviting design …lacks guided topic progression [example]:

10. Whiteboard video explanations …engaging …obscure, out of sight …lacks guided topic progression …playful approach to complex topics [example]:

11. Female-targeted personal finance guide …focused branding …“Personalized Action Plans” …step-by-step topic narratives …inconsistent user experience [example]:

12. …frequent updates …contrarian thinking …edgy, irreverent attitude A one-man brand, book, and blog [example]:

13. Lessons Users need a crystal clear path to follow Knowledge must be presented in bite-sized chunks Not all information benefits from visualization There is a big difference between decoration and information

14. Lessons Cognitive science can help us make efficient and potent designs Optimal content = minimum production cost & maximum stickiness Personified characters and storytelling forge emotional connections Humor and game-like qualities make content more engaging

15. ✪ Paul Van Slembrouck paul@seeingfinance.com 405.247.0506 San Francisco, CA .com for more links Go to