[TITLE
Background
A client in the study abroad industry came to Marketade looking to improve the overall usability and usefulness of an app that 97% of their customers downloaded.
Their app functioned as a conduit for students’ travel and program information. Within the app students could fill out important travel documents, check their schedule and grades, book extracurricular activities, and view their learning certificates.
The client was also interested in reducing their 25% post-booking cancellation rate. Given that customers often booked their trips 4 to 12 months in advance, the client asked us to explore ways to increase app engagement among students in the post-sale, pre-departure stage.
Understanding current pain points
The product team had designed new features that they hoped would increase app engagement among pre-departure students. They admitted, however, that these features had been developed without conducting research.
To understand how these new features would impact pre-departure engagement, we first needed a better understanding of pre-departure students’ current needs and pain points. Our team conducted a series of interviews with 11 customers hat represented different points in the user journey, 6 of whom were in the pre-departure stage. In these interviews, we discussed students’ concerns about their programs, observed students using the current app, and asked students to test-drive some newly developed features.
The pre-departure dilemma
Our research uncovered critical insights that shaped the experience of pre-departure users:
Students received consistent messaging that program details would not be available in the app until two weeks before their departure date.
A lack of program information was a source of anxiety for students who often booked their trips 4+ months in advance.
While pre-departure students were broadly interested in connecting with other students, the majority stated that they would be concerned about talking to strangers and would not connect with other students before arriving at their program.
Perhaps most significant of all, the newly developed features did not address the most significant challenge to pre-departure app engagement:
Without program details, students felt the app had little use until two weeks before their trip.
The problem?
The client could not provide program information such as exact accommodations or specific class schedules any earlier. “Two weeks before” was not just a bit of copy that could be quickly rewritten. It reflected the operational constraints of a company coordinating international travel and education for students attending school at 50 different campuses across 17 countries.
At this point we had to get creative. Our team set out to generate new ideas for addressing pre-departure students’ demand for program details.
Outlining inclusive language practices
The finEQUITY website referred to formerly incarcerated populations as “justice-impacted.” Team members reworking the website’s copy recognized the need to use language that respected the experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals but wondered if formerly incarcerated people knew that 'justice-impacted’ referred to them. In fact, a past finEQUITY user had mentioned this exact issue.
To ensure team members were using respectful and inclusive language, I spearheaded a research program focused on the language around incarceration.
“If I'm recently released, I see that Reentry [tab], that's who I think I am…I still don't think most people would know that they're justice-impacted.”
- Past program participant
I led the research team in a review of academic articles, reports, and blog posts published by advocates for justice-system reform to track language considered outdated and language recommended by reform advocates. Our research outlined how stigmatizing language can influence public opinion of people impacted by the justice system and, in turn, public opinion of criminal justice reform. Following best practices established by justice system reform advocates, we compiled a list of language that focused on the person rather than their status.
This research:
Informed the development of respectful, inclusive website copy
Guided the language of internal team discussions and ensured that team members were not inadvertently perpetuating negative stereotypes about users
The impact of my leadership was not limited to a single design project but encompassed our team culture more broadly.
“Why are you helping me out? What's your goal? Why are you doing this? You're complete strangers . Why me, you know somebody who society really wants nothing to do with? Why are you here helping me and what are your expectations from me? ”
- Past program participant
Building user trust
After receiving negative feedback from project participants, finEQUITY leadership conducted several interviews with past participants.
My secondary analysis of these interviews highlighted that financial service organizations marketing to formerly incarcerated people can seem predatory and that these populations are often the target of advance fee scams. Users arriving at finEQUITY questioned if finEQUITY had ulterior motives.
“I was pretty desperate, looking for insurance. Nobody would call or they would call, and you couldn't understand what they were saying, or it was some kind of a scam. I got hip to it pretty quick.”
- Past program participant
To understand how finEQUITY could better serve its users, I led the research team in a competitive analysis of other organizations that worked with people impacted by incarceration.
We concluded that peer organizations put significantly more effort into “peopling” their websites. Users saw the faces of the organizations’ employees and past customers. Users also had multiple opportunities to read stories highlighting why employees were dedicated to working with formerly incarcerated individuals as well as the success stories of past customers.
Key Recommendations
Include concise mission statements on the homepage
Create an About Us page with more comprehensive background information about the organization’s history and leaders
Add customer testimonials and success metrics throughout the website
Testing the Solution
User interviews and heuristic evaluations highlighted challenges with identifying finEQUITY’s services and costs, website navigability, and overall brand credibility. After reworking the website’s navigation, copy, and content features, team members wanted to gauge how effectively the redesigned website addressed these issues. I led the design of a usability test meant to address the following questions:
Can users identify the services finEQUITY offers?
Does the new website navigation and copy fit with users’ mental models?
How trustworthy does finEQUITY feel to users?
After moderating usability testing sessions with 7 users, the research team delivered a report that outlined 8 critical findings including features that worked well, recommendations for quick wins, and strategic opportunities to further improve the website.
Key Insights
Users reviewing the finEQUITY homepage successfully identified that finEQUITY offers financial resources to people impacted by incarceration.
The majority of users stated that they felt comfortable sharing their name, email, and general bank details, citing features recommended by the research team including past participant testimonials.
While users were clear about finEQUITY’s intended audiences, users were still confused about what specific services finEQUITY offers.
Impact
Over the course of 5, two-week sprints I led a research team in several research studies designed to build empathy for vulnerable users while supporting cross-functional stakeholders as they built a more inclusive and accessible website. Our research uncovered critical user insights including a reliance on mobile devices, a mistrust of financial institutions, and a need for simple, concise language about financial topics.
These insights and recommendations contributed to a redesign that:
Improved website navigability
Increased overall brand credibility
Insights from usability testing will be used to:
Adjust copy to more clearly outline free services
Shift the placement of a rewards program to de-emphasize a program that not all users are eligible for
Insert bios for finEQUITY team members to further increase user trust