Splitr — A Minimal Split Bill App

A nomad in the wilds

I love meeting new people and sharing meals, trips, or nights out. But there’s always that awkward moment when the fun ends and the bill arrives. Splitting costs among friends, travelers, or roommates shouldn’t feel like a chore—yet existing apps make it frustrating. They’re either overly complex, demand accounts, store your data, or lack basics like multi-currency support.

Key pain points include:

Manual Calculation Errors: Mental math or scribbled notes lead to mistakes.

Currency Barriers: Travelers struggle with conversions in group expenses.

Hidden Costs: Fees, taxes, or extras are often forgotten.

No Export Option: Users can’t easily share or save summaries.

Privacy Concerns: People dislike apps storing their transaction history.

Goal: Design a simple, local, no-storage app that lets users split bills manually, adjust for extras, handle currencies, and export results instantly.

Do a little research by asking real humans

1. User Research

Conducted interviews with travelers, students, and diners.

Key insights:

- Users want speed and transparency over social features.
- Currency flexibility is critical for international groups.
- “Extras” (e.g., tips, fees) are often added last minute.

2. Competitive Analysis

Reviewed apps like Splitwise, Tricount, and Venmo.

Gaps identified:

- Over-reliance on cloud storage.
- Cluttered interfaces with unnecessary features (e.g., debt tracking).

3. Design Goals

- Simplicity: Zero onboarding, minimal steps.
- Flexibility: Manual input for full control.
- Privacy: No data storage; sessions reset on exit.
- Clarity: Visual summary and export options.

Start to cook (let him cook..)

Low-Fi Prototype:

Basic flow: Input items > Assign people > Add fees > Split.
Early feedback: Users missed the currency selector; wanted fees added mid-process.

Key Iterations

1. Currency Selector Placement: Moved from a hidden menu to the top bar for immediate visibility.
2. Extras & Fees: Added a toggle to distribute fees equally or assign selectively.
3. Summary Page: Introduced color-coded avatars and a pie chart for quick comprehension.
4. Export Flow: Simplified export to one tap, with auto-delete after generating PDF/image.

I Built What Mattered

Currency Selector
Dropdown with 50+ currencies (symbol-only for simplicity).
No live rates (users input amounts in their chosen currency).

Split Bill Interface
Manual entry: Users add items, costs, and assignees in a clean list format.
Dynamic total updates as items are added.

Extras & Adjustments
Toggle to add fees/tips post-items, with options to split evenly or assign individually.

Detailed Summary & Export
Visual breakdown per person: Items owed, adjustments, and final total.
Color-coded avatars for quick scanning.
One-tap export to PDF/image; share via messaging apps.

UI Principles
Clean interface with currency selector, item list, and export button.

Minimalist Layout: Neutral colors, ample white space, and clear typography.
Local & Ephemeral: No accounts, no history. Sessions reset on app close.
Error Prevention: Inline validation for item costs and currency mismatches.

I Measured the Win

User Feedback
“Finally, an app that doesn’t make splitting bills feel like accounting.” – Traveler user.
“Love that I can use it once and forget about it.” – College student.

Reduced Effort
Users reported cutting bill-splitting time by 70%.

Privacy Assurance
100% of testers appreciated the no-storage approach.

What’s Next?
Optional tip calculator.
OCR receipt scanning (without storage).
Dark mode for accessibility.

Reflection
This case study emphasizes balancing user control with simplicity. By focusing on manual input and ephemeral data, Splitr addresses privacy concerns while maintaining flexibility. Iterations driven by real feedback ensured critical features like currency selection and fee adjustments were intuitive. The result is an app that feels lightweight yet powerful—perfect for on-the-go bill splitting.

Why It Worked: By focusing on immediate needs (manual control, privacy) and cutting fluff, Splitr turned a chore into a frictionless habit. 🧡

Designed with Figma, validated with real users.

Try Splitr for Free
👉 splitrs.netlify.app 👈
No signup. No tracking. Just split bills.