Financial Diaries in Bangladesh

Created by My Oral Village and funded by The Gojo Foundation

In 2024, assisted in the creation of custom illustrations for My Oral Village, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing accessible financial tools for illiterate and innumerate individuals in developing countries. My Oral Village was founded on the recognition that people who are unable to read or write numbers are often excluded from the security and convenience of modern financial products. To address this gap, the organization designs banking, mobile money, and financial management tools that draw on users’ existing knowledge and capabilities, enabling them to manage their finances safely and independently.

The specific project to which I contributed was the final design of financial diaries developed for individuals living in rural areas of Bangladesh. The primary users of these diaries were women with little to no formal education who often felt they lacked the ability to take ownership of their finances. The diaries were intentionally designed to require no reading, allowing users to track daily income, expenses, and balances, as well as plan and save for future needs (an aspect of financial management that was frequently overlooked).

My role focused on creating custom illustrations that functioned as a visual replacement for written language. Each illustration represented a specific financial term or concept and needed to be immediately recognizable and culturally intuitive for community members. Prior to my involvement, extensive user research and feedback loops had been conducted to identify appropriate symbols to represent financial terms. Using this research as a foundation, I was responsible for designing each symbol in a clear, simple, and consistent visual style to ensure ease of interpretation across users.

After completing the illustrations, the My Oral Village team integrated them into structured tables and layouts that had been previously developed. These illustrations became the final component of the financial diary, which was then printed and distributed to teams working directly with the communities in Bangladesh.

This project highlighted to me the critical importance of user-centered design and meaningful community engagement. It reinforced that effective solutions are not created for users, but with them. Without the depth of research, iteration, and collaboration involved, the tool would have risked being inaccessible or confusing. Through this experience, I gained a deeper understanding of how thoughtful visual communication can empower individuals and create real-world impact.

Want to learn more? Visit the My Oral Village webpage or their News page about this project:

MY ORAL VILLAGE

BANGLADESH PROJECT

Diaries Cover Page

Made the 4 Illustrations in Photoshop and someone else arranged the page layout

Bengali Numbers Page

Before participants begin tracking their finances, they are introduced to the written Bengali numbers from 0 to 9. While all participants already understand these numbers verbally, know how to add them, and use them in their daily financial activities, many are unfamiliar with how the numbers are written. This page helps bridge that gap by pairing each written number with a visual representation of its value, shown through the corresponding number of coins above it.

I did not help in the creation of the layout or illustrations of this page

Currency Table

This table shows illustrations I created to represent Bangladeshi banknotes and coins. It helps users keep track of how many of each type of taka (Bangladeshi currency) they have.

The symbols are based on the appearance of real banknotes and coins so they are easy to recognize. They are arranged from highest to lowest value, with larger symbols representing higher-value currency and smaller symbols representing lower-value currency.

100 Taka Bill

10 Taka Bill

1 Taka Coin

Daily Income

Daily Expenses

Daily Balance

Monthly Finances Table

Future planing Table

These are examples of pages from the diary that help users record different parts of their finances. The Monthly Finances page (left) helps individuals track their daily income, expenses, and overall balance.

The Future Planning page (right) is used to record expected future expenses and income. It helps users understand how much they need to save in their day-to-day finances to prepare for expenses in the coming month or year.

Many participants felt they were unable to save money and believed that holding onto cash was a waste. In rural communities, it is common to trade money for cattle or goods, as these are seen as more practical. These pages help users recognize that they can set financial goals, track their progress, and save toward larger purchases such as a better home or a vehicle.

I designed all the illustrations in these pages but did not help in the layout or formation of these pages

Transaction Index

This is a page from the transaction index is designed to help participants identify and record the types of transactions referenced in the future planning table. Each illustration represents a common type of transaction and is paired with an associated number. Participants can record this number in their tables to plan for expected expenses or note unexpected transactions.

This system helps participants remember where their money is coming from and where it is going, making it easier to understand their overall financial patterns. Designed for long-term use, the transaction index supports participants in keeping a complete and ongoing record of their finances.

The transaction index also includes blank sections, allowing participants to create their own transaction types. If a participant has a unique or uncommon transaction, they can draw their own illustration next to an unlabeled number, making the system flexible and adaptable to individual needs.

I designed all 31 of the illustrations in the index, but did not assist in the layouts of the pages. Here are some more examples of the illustrations and what they symbolize: