Ensuring NYC residents receive the financial counseling they need
Redesign of a public service appointment flow to make financial guidance more accessible and reassuring for everyday New Yorkers.
MY ROLE
Product designer
TOOLS
Figma
Figjam
Miro
TIMELINE
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
TEAM
4 Product Designers
2 Product Managers
2 Developers
Did you know?
Post-pandemic, NYC saw an influx of new residents, many of whom were middle-aged immigrants navigating a new financial system
To support them, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) operates the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC), which provides free, one-on-one financial counseling on topics like budgeting, debt management, and credit building
Despite strong demand for these services, a large number of users who begin the online booking process never complete it — meaning many residents in need of financial guidance never receive the help that’s available to them
Initial goal
Understand why users weren’t completing their appointments and design an flow that builds trust, clarity and confidence
Discovery & Insights
Current design
What we did:
8
Stakeholder
interviews
40+
User survey
responses
5
Heuristic
evaluation
Three key insights emerged:
Usability gaps created friction (unclear guidance, long scrolls, slow loads)
Misconceptions created hesitation (users equated “financial counseling” with “financial aid”)
No real-time feedback (made users unsure and led to drop-offs)
Three key problems emerged
Users didn’t know how long it would take to finish the booking
Users were overwhelmed and unsure what to do
Users were unsure whether the page was loading or malfunctioning
Remapping the journey
In conjunction with fixing the usability issues of scrolling, poor guidance, and long loading times, you can see in the current flow that our maze like experience is set up to fail. Here are what the current experience is like, and where these pain points take place:
From our research, we defined a simple but powerful design goal
Make the scheduling process feel as reassuring as the counseling itself
We aligned on three design objectives:
Simplify navigation and provide progress clarity
Reduce cognitive load during form completion
Build trust through transparent communication and microfeedback
Proposed flow with our core design objectives
What used to be three long processes was reorganized into ten clear, manageable steps
First iteration
Moderated User Testing
We conducted moderated usability tests with 8+ users, including 50% aged 55+, to gather valuable insights. These insights informed thoughtful design iterations, ensuring the process was more intuitive, accessible, and user-centered.
Users were able to understand clear progress indication
Users wanted more clear visuals
Simplify ux writing to reduce confusion for non-english speakers
Accessible for elder users instead of endless scrolling
Users feels visually cluttered for users
Users are confused with “Map View” and “List View”
Users now understand that the page is loading
Users wanted more interactive elements that indicates loading
Users were confused and impatient due to the lack of loading indicators
Final design
Guided by our initial design principles of clarity, simplicity, and trust, we refined the final experience through multiple iterations
Simplify navigation and provide progress clarity
Solution
Introduced progress indicators to reduce uncertainty
Impact
Increased user confidence and completion intent in testing
Reduce cognitive load during form completion
Solution
Added a toggle to switch between map and list views
Impact
Improved clarity and reduced cognitive load
Build trust through transparent communication & micro feedback
Solution
Designed a loading screen indicating wait time and counseling benefits
Impact
Built trust and eased user anxiety during wait moments
Full flow walk thorugh
Impact
Design approved for implementation in 2025
Positive client feedback for clarity and trust-building
Anticipated adoption of our flow model across other city services
“Excellent work! Very thoughtful approach to every aspect of the portal ”
-Vilda Vera, Commissioner
“We’re definitely applying this design to all our other appointment tools”
-Elina Tatis, Assistant Director at FEC
Reflection & Takeaways
I learned that clarity isn’t just about visual design — it’s about emotional reassurance. By reframing the flow as an onboarding journey, we helped reduce uncertainty and empower diverse users to take confident action.
What I’d do next
If I had more time, I’d love to partner with the city’s accessibility office to further optimize this flow for non-native English speakers.
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