Redesigning Grad Path to improve completion rates
Paying for college is one of the biggest financial decisions many people face. The Grad Path tool is the only government tool that helps students and their families understand the total cost of their college decision—including both federal and private loans.
Challenge
The tool was a popular CFPB resource, but less than 4% of users reached its final page.
Despite high engagement and average sessions lasting 5–10 minutes, people left the tool after 3 pages. (There were over 20!)
From interviews, we learned that the amount of data entry and the volume of information overwhelmed students. Even guidance counselors felt it was too complex and required too much financial knowledge to use.
Action
Led and managed the project including project kick-offs, stakeholder workshops, team collaboration sessions, research and recommendation presentations to key stakeholders and senior leadership.
Identified areas for improvement through user interviews, clickstream analysis and analytics.
Created an interactive prototype for usability testing and to communicate requirements and functionality.
Result
Through collaboration and user testing feedback, we:
Streamlined data entry by pulling in public datasets to provide quick and easy estimates for students. This way, students see useful insights after a page, rather than after 12.
Simplified language and improved charts and visuals so students understand costs without wordy explanations and complex terms
Significantly improved usability and completion rates.
Before: Students faced 8 pages of data entry — manageable on a desktop, overwhelming on mobile.
After: Data entry was minimized by pulling in public data to quickly display estimated costs. Charts and graphs were improved, so students understand costs without complex terms.