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This blog highlights news, events, and informative articles on personal finance from University of Illinois System's Student Money Management Center. Feel free to navigate to different categories with the list of topics on the right or search for a specific topic next to the view all link below.

  • Podcast: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why It Works

    Jul 10, 2026 10:00 am by Andrea PellegriniPodcastsEducationNewsStudent Loans
    How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior

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    • How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior

    Making Cents of Money: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why It Works 

    Part 1: The Invisible Nudge

    In this episode of Making Cents of Money, we take a deep dive into how these apps are designed to shape your user experience—and subtly nudge your brain toward certain decisions every time you log in.

    Tune in for the first episode of our three-part series exploring the psychology behind digital design and how it can influence your financial decisions, often without you even realizing it.

    You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    Prior Relevant Episodes

    References

    • Hershfield, H.E., et al. (2011). Increasing Saving Behavior Through Age-Progressed Renderings of the Future Self. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(SPL), S23–S37.
    • Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
    • Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O.S. (2014). The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(1), 5–44.
    • Madrian, B.C., & Shea, D.F. (2001). The Power of Suggestion: Inertia in 401(k) Participation and Savings Behavior. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(4), 1149–1187.
    • Thaler, R.H. (2015). Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. W. W. Norton & Company.
    • Thaler, R.H., & Sunstein, C.R. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press.
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