Direct Express
Redesign of the US Treasury’s Direct Express application, transforming federal benefits access for America’s most vulnerable citizens.
Client
U.S. Treasury & BNY & MoCaFi
Scope
0-1 digital experience design and rebranding
Role & Contributions
Brand, UX, UI, Design Systems
Timeline
Oct 2024 - August 2025
tl;dr
Direct Express is the only way unbanked federal benefit recipients can access their benefit money—via a digitally managed debit card—but often struggle due to difficulty using the app.
The Problem
- 70% of Direct Express cardholders are unbanked and cannot receive their benefit dollars via direct deposit. Many of these users have low technology literacy, so a poorly designed app led to a 61% customer service call-rate as well as a 57% attrition rate.
The Research
- Surveys and interviews of over 1,200 users revealed that only 31% of users regularly opened the app, as most expected functionality akin to modern banking apps like Venmo and CashApp.
The Solution
- Redesigned the app from the inside-out, focusing on high-priority functionality: mobile bill-pay, ATM locator, and multi-user support (rep payees managing others' funds).
Building Trust Through Transparency for Underserved Users
The Direct Express app design fosters user trust by providing transparent information and accessible features.
Inclusive Design
- ADA compliance across all touchpoints
- Spanish language support to serve diverse communities
- Large, accessible touch targets designed for ease of use
Progressive Disclosure
- Complex workflows like Rep Payee management divided into intuitive, manageable steps
- Intelligent defaults minimize decision fatigue and reduce user errors
- Strategic information layering prevents overwhelming first-time users
Financial Transparency
- Multi-step payment confirmations with clear summary screens
- Complete transaction history with detailed audit trails for user confidence
- Clear communication of processing times (electronic payments vs. 5-10 business days for checks) to set proper expectations
Audiences
Three distinct user types create a complex user ecosystem that requires flexible functionality and architecture.
Direct beneficiaries
Most users: they sign up and receive one or more benefits and can directly access their money via the app or physical debit card.
Representative Payees
Many beneficiaries require a handler to manage their funds for them. These handlers must also be able to access the app and manage their ward's funds.
Multiple card scenarios
Some beneficiaries have more complex benefit structures, managing more than one type of benefit, potentially with multiple debit cards.
Design Pillars
We identified three key design pillars to help maximize user-satisfaction, improve app adoption and curtail drop-off: Transparency, Autonomy and Accessibility.
Transparency—Transform fee anxiety into fee confidence.
Problem:
57% of users withdraw their funds immediately after registration due to fee anxiety.
Solution:
Improve fee visibility and communication, update and improve the ATM locator, and make paying bills as simple as possible.
Autonomy—Eliminate 40% of customer service calls through self-service.
Problem:
54% of users call customer services just to check their balance.
Solution:
We made checking your balance a snap, complete with real-time notifications and spending tracking.
Accessibility—Turn feature blindness into excitement and discovery.
Problem:
48% of users were completely unaware of the free ATMs that existed near them.
Solution:
In addition to an improved ATM locator, we revamped the entire onboarding and in-app education process.
Embedded Design-Development Partnership
The project progressed from brand strategy through user research and prototyping, ultimately reaching the development implementation phase. The experience highlighted the critical importance of designer-developer partnerships, particularly during the implementation phase where daily standups, shared component libraries, and real-time problem-solving enabled seamless translation of design concepts into functional code.
Brand Strategy & Identity Development
- Brand audit and competitive analysis
- Define new brand positioning, values, and messaging
- Create visual identity system (logo, colors, typography, iconography)
- Brand guidelines and style standards
Brand Strategy & Identity Development
- Brand audit and competitive analysis
- Define new brand positioning, values, and messaging
- Create visual identity system (logo, colors, typography, iconography)
- Brand guidelines and style standards
User Research & App Strategy
- User research and persona development
- Define app objectives, core features, and user journeys
- Information architecture and feature prioritization
- Develop technical requirements and platform strategy (iOS/Android/Web)
- Align app functionality with rebrand goals and user needs
User Research & App Strategy
- User research and persona development
- Define app objectives, core features, and user journeys
- Information architecture and feature prioritization
- Develop technical requirements and platform strategy (iOS/Android/Web)
- Align app functionality with rebrand goals and user needs
Design & Prototyping
- Apply new brand identity to app design system
- Low and high fidelity wireframes
- Build interactive prototypes for user testing
- Conduct usability testing and iterate designs
- Finalize UI/UX specifications and design handoff documentation
Design & Prototyping
- Apply new brand identity to app design system
- Low and high fidelity wireframes
- Build interactive prototypes for user testing
- Conduct usability testing and iterate designs
- Finalize UI/UX specifications and design handoff documentation
Development & Iteration
- Conduct quality assurance testing and bug fixes
- Documented design system
- Created detailed specification documents, interaction flows, and edge case scenarios
- Iterated on designs based on technical limitations discovered during development
Development & Iteration
- Conduct quality assurance testing and bug fixes
- Documented design system
- Created detailed specification documents, interaction flows, and edge case scenarios
- Iterated on designs based on technical limitations discovered during development
Accessibility Through Visual Identity Principles
We created a trustworthy identity that balanced government authority with human warmth. The visual system needed to work across digital platforms, printed materials, and physical card design.
- Reassuring
We developed a warm, but neutral, color palette to reduce anxiety around financial management.
- Accessible
- Clear Communication for All
Mapping a Complex Financial Ecosystem
Detailed functionality and flow-mapping allowed us to identify the MVP features that laid the groundwork for the whole app: Bill Pay, ATM Locator, ACH Transfer, Notifications, Chatbot, and Transaction Management.
Bill Pay Made Easy
A flexible form system allows Direct Express cardholders to seamlessly pay even complex bills across 20,000 different payees right from their phone.
Streamlined Bill Management
View all billers in one place with access to manage each one.An ATM Locator with Interactive Maps and Smart Filtering
Direct Express’s previous ATM search was a disjointed experience that took users completely out of the app. As we identified this functionality as a core need, we brought it in-app, creating a comprehensive, mobile-friendly solution that helps cardholders efficiently find in-network, surcharge-free ATMs using Mastercard Services data with enhanced UX/UI and integrated navigation support.
Map & List View
Dual-mode ATM discovery with searchable map pins that supports location-based auto-detection.Satisfaction Scores Are Not the End-all Be-all
Although the old Direct Express app experienced high drop-off rates, low adoption, and long customer-service queues, users often claimed 'high satisfaction' with the app. User research can transform seemingly high satisfaction scores into actionable insights, revealing hidden friction and informing a comprehensive digital transformation that truly serves user needs.
High satisfaction can hide critical usability issues.
User interviews revealing "Cash App envy" directly informed our bill pay strategy, while quantitative data on customer service calls shaped our notification system.
Complexity vs. Simplicity: Supporting edge cases without compromising core experience.
Progressive Disclosure became increasingly important when it comes to supporting multiple user types and card scenarios while maintaining simplicity.
Unbanked users need different mental models than traditional fintech.
Designing for users with lower tech-literacy required rethinking traditional fintech patterns, focusing on immediate utility over advanced financial features.
Trust is earned through transparency, not simply hidden behind good intentions.
Clear communication became a critical design requirement, not just a nice-to-have.
Trust can be earned progressively through micro-interactions.
We learned to design "trust signals" into micro-interactions: immediate visual feedback for transactions, clear confirmation states, and redundant ways to verify account information.
Future Opportunities
Perhaps the most impactful fast-follow would be implementing a metrics dashboard: measuring KPIs against our research-backed goals of reducing customer service calls by 40% and increasing digital engagement from 31% to 50%.
Personalization
Customizable interfaces based on individual accessibility needs.
Financial Wellness Education
Content integration for financial literacy.
Predictive Features
Proactive notifications for benefit deposit patterns.