Improving the Financial Aid Experience for All Texans
In Slalom's Service Design Masterclass, I had the opportunity to practice my service design skills on a mock project. While all research and participants were real, the amount of research included is not nearly as extensive as would be necessary for a project of this type. In addition, full testing plans were discussed, but we were not able to complete the testing in full.
Completed in September 2023 by Victoria Garner, Ben Manners, Danielle Field, and Jillian Merrill.
Project Approach
In this mock project, the State of Texas identified a need to improve its federal student aid experience for all Texans, whether they are a student, guardian, teacher, or counselor. We were asked to research and consider the current experience, providing a path towards a more equitable experience for all. As a group, we all shared responsibility for and worked on every aspect of the project, and I specifically led the group through the beginning of our discovery phase and our ideation/solutioning process. This can be seen mapped at the bottom of the page.
Discover,
Define
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User Interviews
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Secondary Research
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Problem Definition
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OKR Definition
Ideate & Prototype,
Test & Validate
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Solution Ideation
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Prototyping
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User Testing
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Idea Validation
Design & Develop,
Deploy & Implement
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Solution Consolidation
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Value-Effort Scoring
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Roadmapping
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MVP Definition
Objective
Make Texas the most equitable state for financial aid
Key Results
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80% FAFSA completion rate for high school seniors
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90% FAFSA completion rates for minority & economically disadvantaged student groups
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75% of students that complete a FAFSA go on to appeal for additional financial aid, and receive it
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80% of students not eligible for FAFSA fill out TASFA
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80% of students have completed a financial literacy course
Key Performance Indicators
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Increased high school senior FAFSA completion rate
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Increased minority & economically disadvantaged student FAFSA completion rate
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Increased financial aid appeals rate
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Increased TASFA completion rate
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Increased financial literacy course completion rate
Our OKRs came largely from our secondary research given the constraints mentioned above around our primary research.
(Some) User Interview Insights
Every participant we spoke with was unaware of the option to appeal aid amount.
Many students didn’t understand the longevity or amount of debt they were committing to.
The FAFSA application was difficult to understand.
Students wished for earlier FAFSA preparation.
Students wished for a central resource location.
During our research phase we struggled with gaining access to people who had filled out FAFSA in Texas. For this reason, we had to focus our primary research on FAFSA across the US and our secondary research on Texas.
Primary research efforts included speaking to 8 participants, one of whom filled out FAFSA in Texas.
Most students learned about FAFSA through their high school counselors.
The majority of support while filling out the FAFSA application came from high school counselors.
Not everyone had access to the level of parent or guardian involvement needed to fill out the form.
Proto-Personas
Current-State Service Blueprint
Non-Happy Path Considerations
It is important to note that there are constraints on the current-state service blueprint. These include:
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Not all students qualify for FAFSA. Some students are only eligible for TAFSA.
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Not all students have family or counselor support available.
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Not all students have access to their parents’ or guardians’ financial information.
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Not all students speak English and/or Spanish as their primary language.
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Not all students attend schools that have to follow the curriculum of the state’s Board of Education.
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Not all students receive the appropriate amount of financial aid upon first application.
Following discovery, we ideated, prototyped, and validated.
Ideation Sessions
We used our user research, personas, and blueprint to pull out key insights, pain points, and opportunities, which led us to four prioritized opportunities:
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When and how students learn about FAFSA
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Desire for central resource location
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Awareness of appeal process
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Better understanding of the long-term debt students were taking on
I then led us through an ideation session to solution. We affinity mapped these solutions, discussed them, and, voted on our prioritized solutions that we wanted to validate. I used an opportunity map to lead us through this activity, which can be seen filled out in its entirety at the bottom of this page.
Solution Validation
Increased College Readiness Support
Description: Texas students will now be required to speak to a guidance counselor or teacher at specific intervals around college readiness and financial aid.
Testing Methods:
Longitudinal Studies, Survey, Focus Groups, Interviews
Technology exists to supplement process. Checklist was created to aid conversations and allow counselors and teachers to be trained more easily.
Feasible
By allowing teachers to assist more broadly in college readiness and financial aid discussions this solution was viable.
Viable
Students, counselors, and teachers surveys indicated these discussions as being beneficial. Financial aid award amounts increased year over year after program implementation.
Desirable
Financial Literacy Courses
Description: Existing personal finance courses in Texas high schools will now be required statewide. These are currently available as electives.
Testing Methods: Pre & Post Course Testing, Focus Groups, Surveys, Long-Term Longitudinal Studies, Interviews, Observation
No technological impact. Courses are currently required to be offered as electives.
Feasible
Opening personal finance courses to all student levels and making it 1 semester made this a viable solution.
Viable
Students surveyed rated these courses as highly beneficial.
Desirable
Checklist Program
Description: Standardizing the milestones and check-in conversations for TX students will increase comprehension of the process, comfort levels, and aid qualifications.
Testing Methods: Observation, Surveys, Interviews
Checklist added to Texas Education Agency website was quick and low-cost to implement, making this feasible.
Feasible
This solution reduced cost overall by standardizing processes, making it viable.
Viable
Teachers and counselors indicated conversations with students were easier with a checklist. Students desired the ability to use the checklist themselves and indicated it kept them on track.
Desirable
Central Resource Hub
Description: An all-inclusive resource center to bring knowledge to students around college readiness, scholarships, financial aid, and the admissions process.
Testing Methods: Observational Inquiry, Usability Testing, NPS Scoring, Satisfaction Scoring
Technology required to create solution was low-touch, and the State of Texas had the necessary teams to create this product.
Feasible
Because the technology was low-touch and low-cost, the State of Texas was able to procure the funds necessary to create the website.
Viable
Observational Inquiry and Usability Testing were both positive, leading to an NPS score of 9, and a satisfaction rating of 8 making this product desirable.
Desirable
Future-State Service Blueprint
Once we had validated our solutions, we created a plan for deployment and implementation.
Outcome-Based Roadmap
OKRs
Strategy
Now
Near
Future
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80% FAFSA completion rate for high school seniors
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90% FAFSA completion rates for minority & economically disadvantaged student groups
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75% of students that complete a FAFSA go on to appeal for additional financial aid, and receive it
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80% of students have completed a financial literacy course
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80% of students not eligible for FAFSA fill out TASFA
Guidance Counselor Review
School Checklist Program
Financial Literacy Courses
Centralized Resource Hub
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Agenda for seniors
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Meeting timeline
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Create initial checklist
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Printed handouts for schools
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Require elective financial literacy course for graduation
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Implement feedback system for students
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Repository site
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Multi-lingual pamphlets for parents
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Agenda for juniors
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Standardized printed packet
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Checklist available on the Texas Education Agency website
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Hallway posters for schools
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Standardize course syllabus
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Implement feedback system for teachers
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Centralized source of information
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Hallway posters for schools
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Agenda for sophomores
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Agenda for freshman
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Interactive online checklist
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Checklist for parents
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Educate parents on financial literacy
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Iterate on course content based on feedback
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Link shared in school websites
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Multi-lingual video content
Opportunity Map: Final Solutions Mapped
Previous Clients
