COVID Relief Roadmap

14M members reached · 80% satisfaction score · 2-week launch

Overview

Led rapid launch of a COVID-19 relief resource center helping 14 million members navigate financial relief during the pandemic. Shipped in 2 weeks from concept to launch, then iterated continuously — reaching 80% satisfaction and a 32% member action rate.

Problem + Insight

The problem

As the pandemic hit, members were still filing for unemployment and running low on cash — 23% of Credit Karma members had filed for unemployment benefits, and 22% had less than three weeks of readily available funds before running out of money. 18% said their top need was simply finding cash to cover day-to-day essentials.

The insight

Members weren't looking for a comprehensive pandemic guide — they needed simple, actionable answers to "Am I eligible?" and "What do I do next?" The design was built on three behavioral principles: certainty over chance, agency for users, and a focus on preventing losses rather than promising gains.

What I Did

Research: understanding what people actually needed

Participant questions from usability testing were sorted by cohort (all / slipping backwards / staying afloat / building momentum) and mapped into use-case journeys — the raw material behind the roadmap's cognitive design principles.

Systems: member-first information architecture

• Designed an IA organizing programs by member need ("I need help with rent") instead of government nomenclature ("CARES Act Section 2201")
• Created a plain-language content framework for complex government programs, making eligibility criteria immediately clear
• Built step-by-step application guides to reduce barriers to access for each relief program
• Built answers into the content system contextually — rather than cataloging questions externally in an FAQ page, which assumes a stable, known set of "frequently asked" questions that didn't exist yet in a new, fast-changing product

Content architecture connected entry points to a 400+ card relief database via a central hub and topic-level routing.

Decision: Launched an MVP in 2 weeks with core programs, then iterated to add newly announced relief options as legislation changed — speed was critical to member impact during a fast-moving crisis.

Execution: rapid research and cross-functional coordination

• Researched federal, state, and local relief programs across stimulus payments, unemployment, loan forbearance, and utility assistance
• Held a standing weekly review with product counsel to clear claims and UI
• Kept content accurate through recurring working sessions with internal subject-matter experts
• Partnered with a data science team and an analyst to personalize the system based on member credit data and known financial conditions
• Built a faster feedback loop through the in-product chatbot: member answers updated eligibility and propensity models in real time, and chat conversations were evaluated with NLP during design cycles to catch and respond to member confusion or complaints faster than standard support channels could process them

Product Experience

Relief Roadmap product surfaces showing personalized recommendations, navigation flow, employment and income resources, and credit impact guidance.

Outcomes

• 14 million members driven to the experience
• 13.9M unique visitors accessed Relief Roadmap (up from a 9.6M baseline)
• 80% satisfaction score (up from 64% at launch) — members trusted Credit Karma as a relief resource
• 32% took action on relief programs after using the roadmap
• 8.2% of active members took action on Relief Roadmap, beating the 7% quarterly goal
• Personalized recommendations drove click rates up to 42% higher by vertical (mortgage and auto assistance saw the largest lift)
• 24% increase in traffic over a 3-week window as engagement campaigns scaled, averaging ~235K daily visits
• Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award, honorable mention, Pandemic Response category

Go Deeper

Relief Roadmap commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sPwH0Jlo5E

Full research board: https://whimsical.com/jon-s-workspace852/covid-relief-roadmap-HGi7ERxeqMy6pkNJVdT3yF@6HYTAunKLgTW6wXmt8akhzhC5exPtmXHgkGziMJY26idoCz

Related Blog Article: COVID Relief Roadmap: Meeting Members in Crisis — https://jonathanbosworth.com/blog/relief-roadmap