Financial Support Website Generative Research

Early-stage concept testing for a non-profit startup aimed at offering low-income families an affiliate marketing solution for helping them save for their child’s college.

Life Beautified

Overview

Life Beautified, a non-profit startup hosted by Tech Fleet, aims to facilitate college savings for families via affiliate marketing, with a future educational component. This project focused on gauging perceptions of the Life Beautified concept and testing the website prototype among low-income families. We aimed to ascertain parents’ knowledge, behaviors, and perceptions of 529 plans while validating the Life Beautified concept.

My Role

As a UX Researcher member of the UX research team, I led the participant onboarding strategy, collaborated on designing the screener survey and discussion guide, and independently analyzed data from the screener surveys. I played a crucial role in synthesizing findings and insights, particularly regarding 529 plans and participant demographics.

Project Duration

3 months (Oct. 2023-Jan. 2024)

5 sprints total

Team

2 UX Research Co-Leads

3 UX Research Apprentices

Tools

Figma, Miro, Notion, UserInterviews.com, Google Suite

Challenges

Sourcing participants from the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area

Limited budget for recruiting participants

Short timelines following an agile sprint framework

Difficulties in remote communication among various project teams

Little to no groundwork research from previous initial phase of the project

Goal

Ascertain the current savings habits of parents with children under 18 years old, and gauge their interest in the Life Beautified concept.

Impact

The 529 Savings Plan is state-sponsored and offers families a way to save for their child’s post graduate education that offers tax advantages and has no income restrictions.

Our research provided valuable insights, solidifying target parent user personas and laying groundwork for future phases. The findings informed UX design and content strategies, particularly emphasizing the need for comprehensive support regarding 529 plans on the Life Beautified website.

Research Methodologies

We conducted 5 interviews and 5 usability tests with parents of children under 18, utilizing a collaborative approach to design screener surveys and discussion guides. Affinity mapping was employed to analyze and synthesize findings, facilitating pattern identification and unearthing actionable insights.

Sprint 3: Interview with parents

  • 5 interviews total

  • 30 minutes each

  • Concept testing and ascertaining attitudes and behaviors around saving for college and 529 accounts.

Sprint 5: Usability testing with parents

  • 5 sessions total

  • 45 minutes each

  • Concept testing based on website homepage and ease of completing the process of signing up.

Sourcing Participants

  • Due to the limited timeframe and the need to recruit participants in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) area, I suggested we use UserInterviews.com to source participants.

  • Since we had a limited budget, we took advantage of the first 3 free interviews this platform offers for first-time users.

  • As the only member on the UX research team who had used this platform and created screener surveys on this platform, I provided 1-on-1 and group guidance on how to create and launch a project.

  • The responses gathered from the screener (over 30 total) were used in a survey data analysis to gain a better understanding of current college savings habits and 529 knowledge.

Analysis and Synthesis

Interview & Usability Test Analysis: Affinity Mapping

Using the affinity mapping method, my UX research team analyzed and synthesized findings from interviews and usability tests, uncovering patterns and insights crucial for informing UX design and content strategy.

Screener Analysis: Affinity Diagramming

I independently analyzed screener survey data to derive insights on 529 plans and participant demographics.

Findings

Results indicated positive interest in the Life Beautified concept among parents, highlighting the validity of the product. However, the results I found from my survey screener analysis supported results from usability testing:

  • There is lack of clarity that one needs a 529 account to use Life Beautified, and the majority of participants do not have a 529 account.

  • Of the 31 survey screener responses, only 7 actually had a 529 college savings account, with half of the remaining participants claiming to have knowledge of 529s, but do not have one themselves.

  • Participants who did not pursue post graduate education are less likely to be familiar with and have a 529 savings plan.

Next Steps

Research Moving Forward

  • Speak more with individuals who know of 529 accounts and don’t have one to identify their understanding of 529s and any hesitations around it.

  • Speak more with individuals who don’t know of and don’t have a 529 savings plan to gauge their interest in opening a 529, and whether Life Beautified could play a role in this interest.

  • For those who have a 529 plan, speak more with them to learn how they learned about this plan and the positives of this plan to see if this can be leveraged in how the information about the 529 plan can be communicated on the Life Beautified website.

Reflections and Learnings

  • Be creative and use tools from your toolbox to solve different problems, such as sourcing participants.

  • Don’t be afraid to analyze data in different ways to gain different insights that can be triangulated between a variety of research methods.

  • Use your previous knowledge to propose ideas and train colleagues on new research platforms.

“Franchesca was a strong team member, was very knowledgable, took initiative, and taught me a lot. She was always willing to go above and beyond. Franchesca is kind, thoughtful, and professional. She's got great experience and would be an asset on any team.”

-Carrie Pitzulo, UX Research Co-Lead for the Life Beautified Project