Helping freelancers understand what they can actually spend after taxes, expenses, and unpaid invoices.
Product Designer
Figma, Illustrator
4 Weeks
Freelancers often struggle to understand their financial health despite having access to accounting tools.
Design a financial management tool that prioritizes clarity over accounting complexity.
Freelancers know what they earn but not what they can spend
How much money came in?
How much money is actually available?
Understanding freelancer financial workflows
Income Tracking
Time Tracking
Invoicing
Tax Estimation
Financial Clarity
Honeybook
Wave
Freshbooks
★★★☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
★☆☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★★★★☆
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
★★☆☆☆
★★★☆☆
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★☆☆☆
★★★☆☆
Honeybook
Income Tracking
Time Tracking
Invoicing
Tax Estimation
Financial Clarity
★★★☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
★☆☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
Wave
Income Tracking
Time Tracking
Invoicing
Tax Estimation
Financial Clarity
★★★★☆
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
★★☆☆☆
★★★☆☆
Freshbooks
Income Tracking
Time Tracking
Invoicing
Tax Estimation
Financial Clarity
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★☆☆☆
★★★☆☆
Most competitors focus on bookkeeping. Avail focuses on decision-making.
View the questions and answers to the interview here.
"Every time I get paid, I immediately start doing mental math. I know the money is in my account, but I don't know how much of it actually belongs to me versus taxes."
"I use FreshBooks for invoices and expenses and a spreadsheet for everything else. The information is there, but it's scattered across too many places to give me a clear picture."
"Looking at my bank balance doesn't really tell me anything. I need to know what I can safely spend without worrying about an unexpected tax bill later."
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Income ≠ Available Income
Users mentally subtract taxes and expenses every time they check their balance.
Tax Planning Creates Anxiety
Most freelancers estimate taxes manually.
Invoices Are Disconnected
Income tracking and invoicing often happen in separate tools.
Existing Tools Feel Overwhelming
Many participants described finance software as: "Built for accountants, not freelancers."
Help freelancers understand their true financial position without requiring accounting expertise?
Clarity First
Financial information should be understandable at a glance.
Reduce Anxiety
Surface the most important numbers.
Action Over Reporting
Help users make decisions.
Simple, Not Simplistic
Powerful workflows without overwhelming complexity.
Search
Alerts
Help
Profile
Dashboard
Calendar
Time Tracking
Projects
Documents
Finances
Reports
Contacts
Settings
Resources
Calendar
Activity Feed
Create New
Invoices
Cash Flow
Available Funds
Time Tracking
Expenses Breakdown
Client pays invoice and bank deposit arrives
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Record earnings: Client, Project, Amount, Date, Category
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Tax estimation happens automatically based on income
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Total Income - (Taxes & Expenses) = Available Income
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View Dashboard: Available Funds, Cash Flow, Invoices
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Move money to savings or tax account, Follow up on overdue invoices, Create new project
Testing Findings & Iteration
Making "Available Funds" the Hero
Available Funds
$5,200.00
H1 Header
Poppins SemiBold 40px
H2 Salutation | Poppins Bold 24px
H3 Card Header | Poppins Medium 20px
P1 Paragraph | Poppins Regular 14px
P2 Paragraph | Poppins SemiBold 14px
P3 Paragraph | Poppins Regular 10px
I chose the rounded geometric sans-serif,
Poppins,
to create a balance between financial trust and
approachability, avoiding the cold, corporate feel
of traditional accounting tools.
Fast Income Logging
Removing Guesswork
Tax information is traditionally intimidating. The experience was designed to feel approachable and actionable.
Avail helped users:
Helping freelancers make confident financial decisions through a clearer understanding of their money.
