EconBites

Inspiration

Many students interact with money every day, whether it is spending money on food, transport, subscriptions or saving, but rarely understand the economics behind these decisions. Economics and financial literacy are often taught in abstract ways that feel disconnected from real life, which makes students disengaged.

At the same time, short-form content has become the dominant way students consume information. Students scroll daily, but most of that time does not translate into meaningful learning. EconBites was inspired by the idea that if students are already scrolling, that attention can be redirected towards financial literacy and economics in a way that feels familiar, accessible and motivating.

What it does

EconBites is a short form learning app that teaches economics and financial literacy through 30 second videos called EconBites. Students can choose videos based on what excites them, such as prices, saving or spending. Each video focuses on one clear economics or finance concept using real life, relatable examples. Learning is reinforced through weekly quizzes that test understanding rather than memorisation. Correct quiz answers earn points, which can be redeemed for practical rewards, such as supermarket vouchers. This turns passive scrolling into active learning while reinforcing good financial habits.

How we built it

EconBites was designed using behavioural economic prinicples and a proven learning structure inspired by apps like Duolingo. For this project, we designed the app flow and learning loop, created example EconBites covering topics like inflation, opportunity cost, interest and saving. I also designed a quiz system that focused on real world application. I also developed a points and rewards model that aligns incentives with learning outcomes. The project was built as a prototype and concept demonstration, focusing on clarity, feasibility and educational impact.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was balancing engagement and educational depth. Short videos need to be engaging while still accurately explaining economics and finance concepts. Another challenge was designing a reward system that motivates learning without encouraging unnecessary spending. This was addressed by capping rewards, focusing on essentials, and ensuring points are earned through understanding rather than time spent. I also had to balance student choice with accountability, ensuring students could learn freely while quizzes still reinforced learning.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud of creating a realistic and clear learning loop that combines short form content, quizzes and incentives. I successfully translated abstract economic concepts into relatable, real world examples and designed a system that respects student choice while reinforcing understanding. Most importantly, EconBites aligns financial literacy with behavioural incentives, making both engaging and meaningful.

What we learned

Through this project, I learned how incentives and choice architecture strongly influence behaviour. I also learned how challenging it is to simplify economic concepts without losing accuracy. This project reinforced the idea that effective financial education does not require long lectures, but instead, it requires relevance, clarity and motivation.

What's next for EconBites

In the future, EconBites could expand into content library, partner with schools and community organisations and introduce adaptive quizzes and personalised recommendations. It could also include "myth buster" videos to debunk common misconceptions in this topic. EconBites has the potential to become a platform that improves financial literacy by meeting students where they already are.

Built With

• canva