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Clear instructions to keep the user informed at all times

  • A detailed onboarding prior to the start of the application process that avoids complex financial aid terms.

  • A progress indicator to allow users to keep track of their progress throughout the application

​

1

Granted Case Study

A case study covering the design of a mobile application focused on improving the financial aid application process

Summary

A quick review of Granted's case study

(estimated 1-2 minute read time)

The Challenge - A Flawed Financial Aid System

 

User interview insights regarding the financial aid application process

A lot of crying and trying to figure it all out on my own

Vanessa A.

I only figured out how to apply after it was too late to receive any aid

James H.

I joined the military because I could not complete any funding requirements

Lydia A.

Problem Statement

How might we create an easy and understandable financial aid process for students in higher education  

The Final Design - Financial Aid, Simplified

Minimal required data entry points 

  • Secure use of social security number to automatically pull all necessary application info, with an option to skip input and enter information manually

2

Easy access to assistance available at all times for user

  • A dedicated information center tab along with clickable definitions for quick explanations

  • A smart chatbot that can take actions on issues or guide users to correct mistakes

3

Prioritization of essential information and tasks + detailed to-do items

  • Upcoming notifications and deadlines at the top of the visual hierarchy to keep the user aware of important tasks.

  • Detailed to do items with direct access to fix the issue or request assistance

4

Lessons Learned

This project contained valuable lessons that I will carry through my future designs

Full Case Study

A complete review of the Granted design project

(estimated 6-8 minute read time)

The information I received from conducting these interviews was crucial in building out an affinity map, then persona and strong problem statement

Discover

$750m

in recent unclaimed federal grants amount due to incomplete or incorrect applications

30%

of students are more likely to finish their college career with proper financial support

36%

of applicants report having trouble applying simply because of confusing terminology

Secondary Research Statistics

Knowing where the biggest problems lie is just the start, but conducting secondary research was a great way to accurately assess the problem.

Secondary research revealed:

Had gone through the financial aid process at least once

Had varying levels of tech skills to create a diverse interview pool

User Interviews (virtual)

Having verified with secondary research that there were several pain points tied to financial aid, I recruited 6 survey participants who met the following criteria:

Affinity Diagram

The advantage of conducting user interviews was the wealth of information I received. To sort through this information I used an affinity diagram that would identify key pain points for users and help define a problem statement.

Define

Ideate

Persona

The affinity diagram allowed me to filter the data gained from my interviews and, once matched with my secondary research, led to 1 user persona (below).

Problem Statement

How might we create an easy and understandable financial aid process for students in higher education  

Crazy 8's

I began trying to sketch out some solutions to the problem of creating an easy and accessible financial aid process. In order to get some initial ideas out, I utilized the Crazy 8’s method and utilized these 4 sketches in further design

Financial aid wiki and glossary

Quick application process

Prominent reminders & alerts

Virtual advisor chat

Financial aid wiki and glossary

Quick application process

Prominent reminders & alerts

Virtual advisor chat

User Flow (Part 1)

It became clear that I would need to develop a user flow in order to visualize how a user may complete the task of filling out and submitting a financial aid application.

Application Process Flow

Prototype

Paper Prototypes

To first bring the app to life, I started with sketches of my red routes to tangibly communicate my solution and get feedback from a round of guerilla usability testing

Guerilla Usability Testing

In order to gain some insight on my initial solutions, I set out to do 5 guerilla usability tests to find the strengths and opportunities of what I had designed so far. Below is the feedback given by test users:

Positive Feedback

  1. Users liked ability to keep track of their progress during their application

  2. User enjoyed the simplicity of the application process

Fixes Needed

  1. Need clarity on what happens once users complete application tasks

  2. Increase user freedom to skip sections

  3. Users want more detailed guidance on how the application process will work

Return to Ideation

The focus on ease of use led me to continue with the idea of a 1 data entry point application (SSN) and consolidated information fields that only require user review and verification.

Continue Prototyping

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

After conducting my first instance of testing with users, I created a more defined map of what Granted will look like. Ease of use, availability of assistance, and prioritization of essential financial aid requirements continued to be a key focus during this stage.

 

I created a wireflow to better visually represent the revised user flow of the application process and also added the steps they could take if there were corrections they needed to make with their app. In the future, I would likely separate the application process flow and the post-application correction flow since these two goals are related, but their flows diverge.

Availability of assistance was the main driver to include a chatbot that could link to the user's account and assist with issues that come up or allow the user to search for information.

High Fidelity Screens

It was now time to put more life into my product to get it ready for another round of usability testing. Seeing a culmination of my research, sketching, and wireframing was the most exciting part of the process so far!

1

Essential Info on HomeScreen Tiles

Ability to see important information & requirements in one place to help user stay organized 

2

Step-by-step Onboarding Process

Provide direction so user can be prepared for upcoming steps and understand how the application process works

3

Secure One-Step Data Entry Point

Minimization of required data-entry points to simplify the application process for the user. For user peace-of-mind, user is notified that data is secured

4

Ability to review  submitted info

All previously submitted application information and editing made available for users to review at any time

5

 Chatbot to assess issues and questions

An always-on chatbot that can review user account information, diagnose errors, answer questions, or direct to a human if needed

  • It was not apparent to users that after completing an application, what "Pending Applications" entailed and if they needed to apply for other types of funding like student loans

  • Users indicated that potential grant amount was the most important info, and would prefer an easy way to see this

Issue

Test

Moderated Usability Tests

I set out to run 5 moderated usability tests to find out what worked and what didn't with my prototype. I then collected the feedback to improve app usability. Below are the major issues I found and how they were corrected:

  • Added additional tiles to separate student loans from grants, improved tile wording, and moved grant amount into home screen dashboard

  • Added pop-up onboarding when each tile is first clicked. In future iterations, these onboardings would be always viewable in the information tab

Solution

  • Users needed clarification on what certain terms meant and what the application would cover

Issue

  • Added clickable definitions for quick explanation so the user could understand what was needed without interrupting their application flow

​

  • Developed the idea for an in-app information center that, in a future iteration, would include a list of definitions and previously viewed tutorials/onboarding

Solution

Thank you for reading (or skimming) this far! This was my first design project and I learned countless lessons through hours of reading and studying, and many more hours of trial and error. I chose this topic as I'm familiar with the financial aid field and know how much impact a product like this could have if it were brought to market. I hope to find a way to build upon this project while carrying its lessons throughout my product design career.

​

Please feel free to view the video below of the prototype in action! 

A lot of crying and trying to figure it all out on my own

Vanessa A.

I only figured out how to apply after it was too late to receive any aid

James H.

I joined the military because I could not complete any requirements get funding

Lydia A.

Notable Interviewee Pain Points

An onboarding process was added to keep the user informed on how the application process will work with an option to skip. Additionally the ability to decline entering an SSN with the option to manually enter information was added in order to give more freedom to the user.

Revised Flow - Application Process

Expunge Assist

Furthering criminal record expungement through improved partnership rates

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If you found this project interesting, please take a look at some of my other projects below!

Conclusion

1

Ask Questions

Being my first design project, I was hesitant to appear new and didn't ask enough questions to those who were there to guide me. This left me bogged down on stages of the project and taught me to better utilize the resources available to me.

2

Documentation

Improve tracking of changes and iterations for use in better understanding of design process implementation.

Project Success Measurement

Although this was a simulated project that did not go to market, below are some indicators of what success would look like for the project.

  1. Reduced time spent completing a financial aid application 

  2. An increase in completion of financial aid applications and, consequently, an increase in access to grants and additional funding

  3. Reduction of inquiries to financial aid offices

Key Success Indicators

How Granted's Design Might Achieve This

  1. A simplified financial aid application process through reduced data entry points

  2. Step by step guidance through application, with breakdown of different aid types 

  3. Available e-advisor along with clickable definitions and information center

Project Overview

Project Background

  • Arose from my experience working to help students through the entire financial aid process and seeing student and administration pain points first-hand

  • Availability of apps that broke down the financial aid process was extremely limited

Project Goals

  • Streamline the financial aid application process for first-time applicants

  • Improve ability for both first-time and returning applicants to understand their financial aid options

My Responsibilities

  • Carry out secondary research and user interviews

  • Synthesize data and develop problem statement and persona

  • Brainstorming, develop user flows, information architecture and user stories

  • Develop low, mid, and high fidelity prototypes

  • Develop usability testing plans, test prototypes and iterate on user feedback

1

Ask Questions

Being my first design project, I was hesitant to appear new and didn't ask enough questions to those who were there to guide me. This left me bogged down on stages of the project.

2

Documentation

Improve tracking of changes and iterations for use in case studies and better understanding of design process implementation.

Lessons Learned

1  —

Additional Usability Tests

I would carry out at least 1 additional round of usability testing on the final prototype to catch any additional issues

2  —

Information Center Feature

Conduct research, brainstorm, and prototype to design an information center feature and determine how it would best work for Granted

3 —

Include Administrators

​

Include financial aid admins as a new user group to see how Granted could be built to improve collaboration between students and admins

Plan for Future Iterations

While I have concluded work on this project for now, were I to continue work on Granted, I would focus on the following to make further improvements on the next iteration:

The Final Design - Financial Aid, Simplified

Clear instructions to keep the user informed at all times

  • A detailed onboarding prior to the start of the application process that avoids complex financial aid terms.

  • A progress indicator to allow users to keep track of their progress throughout the application

​

1

Minimal required data entry points 

  • Secure use of social security number to automatically pull all necessary application info, with an option to skip input and enter information manually

2

Easy access to assistance available at all times for user

  • A dedicated information center tab along with clickable definitions for quick explanations

  • A smart chatbot that can take actions on issues or guide users to correct mistakes

3

Prioritization of essential information and tasks + detailed to-do items

  • Upcoming notifications and deadlines at the top of the visual hierarchy to keep the user aware of important tasks.

  • Detailed to do items with direct access to fix the issue or request assistance

4

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