The Challenge

Surprise medical bills are a high-stress, high-stakes situation. How could we design an experience that provided tangible assistance without worsening users’ anxiety?

This was a high-complexity content design project, requiring screens to provide enough information on complicated financial topics for users to make informed decisions without overwhelming them, all while moving them through a series of personalization flows to connect them to assistance options.

Because financial hardship can trigger strong feelings of powerlessness and shame, it was critical to maintain an encouraging, empathetic voice throughout the experience, leveraging behavioral nudges to overcome common cognitive biases.

My Role

I was both the design and research lead and primary copywriter for this project, conducting SME interviews to understand the subject and user interviews to understand unmet needs. Additionally, I fact-checked draft copy, collaborated on information architecture, helped design multiple funnels, wayfinding elements, and interactions. I wrote both the longform and microcopy elements included in the experience, and managed a rigorous policy and legal approval process.

Outcomes

Our approach required users to answer a few onboarding questions about their situation in order to receive a personalized action plan for tackling their surprise medical bill. This low-friction onboarding process resulted in robust signups. Early, encouraging benchmarks for UX metrics like repeat engagement with the action plan and time spent on resource pages were further corroborated by survey results indicating that a subgroup of users was experiencing quantifiable improvement in their financial situation.