consumer financial protection bureau
paying for college web tool testing
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has developed an entire suite of tools designed to help consumers make better financial decisions. Their Paying For College tool is designed to help high school students and their guardians learn more about loan options, along with providing college graduates with information on loan repayment programs. I conducted two rounds of testing on the tool and found substantial improvement in user performance in the second version. for example, only half of participants in the first iteration made an accurate first click when attempting to find the Compare Costs tool; this improved dramatically to 94% in the second iteration.
Additionally, participants had much less trouble getting started with the tool in the second iteration compared to the first. Eye movement patterns show disorganized movements in the first iteration, indicating confusion. The second iteration had more organized eye movements, indicating that it was more clear on how to get started.
Disorganized eye movements in iteration 1 indicate participant confusion on how to add a school to get started using the tool.
Eye movements in the second iteration were much more concentrated, and were concentrated in the correct area on the page, indicating that the page was better-organized in this iteration.
bankruptcy disclosure form testing
In addition to web tools, CFPB also creates regulations surrounding what types of information should go into various disclosure forms. I conducted a hybrid cognitive interview/usability test of CFPB's proposed Bankruptcy forms to help them determine what types of information to include and what types of information is confusing and requires clarification. Across three rounds of iterative form testing, we were able to identify and correct numerous usability issues surrounding these disclosures.