Summary
Financially vulnerable Americans rarely get to tell their own stories. Often when decision makers, even the best-intentioned, talk about Americans who are financially stressed, stereotypes riddled with paternalistic judgements frame the conversation. Some researchers are even reluctant to visit people in what they deem “rough neighborhoods”. In the absence of real people telling their own stories, biased judgements take root. Yasmine will speak about best practices for conducting fruitful unbiased studies with people who are financially vulnerable. She’ll also share key insights gained over 4 years that debunk stereotypes about financially vulnerable Americans and the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.”
Key Insights
-
•
Financial struggles of the majority stem from lack of money, not poor money management skills.
-
•
People living paycheck to paycheck spend hours weekly tracking every dollar to avoid cascading financial failures.
-
•
Wage stagnation for low-income workers has lasted 30 years while costs of essentials rise rapidly.
-
•
Paternalistic judgments by policymakers about spending choices deepen harm by reducing support and empathy.
-
•
Predatory and opaque lending practices trap vulnerable borrowers despite regulatory efforts like CFPB.
-
•
Qualitative research reveals the emotional and cognitive toll of financial insecurity often invisible in quantitative data.
-
•
Research with financially vulnerable people demands cultural sensitivity, non-leading questioning, and logistical flexibility.
-
•
Financial health scores are often a better measure than income alone for understanding money challenges.
-
•
Emotional stigma and social taboos around money conceal important details and complicate honest research.
-
•
Organizations using insights from lived experiences can shift towards effective financial education and resource access.
Notable Quotes
"You can’t manage something that’s just not there."
"What might look like laziness from 10,000 feet is often an earnest everyday battle up close."
"People struggling financially are constantly battling an unstable financial situation with high cognitive and emotional energy cost."
"Revolving credit is full of smoke and mirrors; interest is charged every single day, every hour of every day."
"Financial insecurity is not about them, it’s about us."
"A poor neighborhood does not mean it’s dangerous; a rich neighborhood does not mean it’s safe."
"Talking about your feelings with money is okay; money is a very emotional topic."
"Surveys aren’t great for capturing stress-inducing topics like money; showing and observing is better."
"Culture impacts how families treat money and whom they financially support."
"Being extra flexible with scheduling is important when working with hourly wage workers."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"Join the design ops Slack channels to interact closely with speakers and peers as if you were sitting next to them in person."
Bria Alexander Louis RosenfeldWelcome
September 8, 2022
"Business leaders identified elimination of redundant processes as the number one value of design."
Mike OrenWhy Pharmaceutical's Research Model Should Replace Design Thinking
March 28, 2023
"Moderately good AI can add real value, like voicemail transcription that doesn't have to be perfect to be useful."
Jodi ForlizziDesign and AI innovation
June 5, 2024
"If you ever feel uncomfortable or subjected to bullying, please let us know. It’s very important to keep the vibes positive."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
"If CTAs and tasks are easy to perform, people are much more likely to do them."
Michael WeirMixed Methods and Behavioural Science (Videoconference)
May 26, 2023
"UX research marketing is the strategy behind and implementation of intentional effective promotion and communication of who UX research is and what UX research does."
Molly FargotsteinMultipurpose Communication & UX Research Marketing (Videoconference)
September 12, 2019
"We were educated to minimize the value of our own practice."
Verónica Urzúa Jorge MontielThe B-side of the Research Impact
March 12, 2021
"Information architecture is the art and science of organizing information to make it usable, accessible, and meaningful."
Husani OakleyTheme Two Intro
June 6, 2023
"This approach gives you a nearly pixel-perfect one-to-one match between design and the compiled app."
George Abraham Stefan IvanovDesign Systems To-Go: Reimagining Developer Handoff, and Introducing App Builder (Part 2)
October 1, 2021
