Design Research, Service Design & Strategy
2019 - present l Austin, TX
Vouch
The Problem: People say you should never loan money to family and friends. And yet we do. A 2018 Finder survey showed that 88 million Americans borrow money from family and friends. Why aren’t we supporting people in their current financial behaviors?
The Solution: Vouch facilitates lending between family and friends through clear terms, repayment and gratitude strategies, and simple reminders.
Collaborators: Allison Kissell, Laura Carroll, Michelle Trame
* This project is ongoing and we are currently piloting the service with beta testers. Please visit our website for more details.
JTBD: Wireframes from lo-fi to high-res
caption: usability testing drove clarity and focus around which features we would develop
Why Vouch?
Vouch exists because we reject the narrative that borrowing from friends and family is wrong or shameful or irresponsible. And we reject the narrative that these financial arrangements are doomed to fail.
The Seed
Vouch emerged through research conducted in partnership with Austin Center for Design and JUST. JUST is a micro finance lender, investing in low-income, female entrepreneurs. The research project was centered on identifying groups that experience financial exclusion. Research insights were helpful for furthering JUST’s mission and helped to determine where JUST might extend financing to other demographics.
Our team conducted research with people working in the on-demand gig economy. We were interested in this population because it’s inherently unstable and workers are reliant on variable income. While this work provides autonomy and flexibility, it offers no social safety net and none of the trappings of a more traditional workforce.
“I want to know how to break into the middle class. How do I do that? It should be really easy. People transact business over years. I just don't have a clue. How can I build that rapport, so that I can have those opportunities made available to me? Maybe I would be a little further along in life than I am.”
— Tracy