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Summary
Please join us at the next Civic Design Community call where you'll hear from Alan Williams, VP Design at Propel and Rose Deeb, Senior Content Designer. They'll walk us through their Providers application and share how they deliver essential financial services and tools to over 5 million families living with limited income who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits (SNAP) program. The Providers application provides participants in any state with timely, localized updates about changes to benefit allocations, and details about benefits that users may be eligible for but not yet aware of, all in plain language. https://www.joinpropel.com/
Key Insights
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The Benefits Hub began as a hackathon project and now serves 3 million users monthly with vital benefits information.
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Propel's app provides a centralized platform for managing multiple government benefits including SNAP, WIC, cash aid, and disability.
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User engagement includes frequent visits, averaging four times a month per Benefit Hub user.
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The Benefits Hub content evolved from a dense info banner to a structured portal with carousel banners and pillar pages for better usability.
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A small, part-time cross-functional team manages content creation, policy analysis, product management, and data insights to sustain the project.
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Direct tracking of benefit uptake from users is limited; instead, Propel tracks click-throughs and uses population-level survey data.
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Marketplace offers integrated in the app must demonstrably save users money, aligning with Propel's social enterprise mission.
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Categorical eligibility rules allow the app to recommend benefits without requiring intrusive personal data from users.
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Maintaining up-to-date content requires active relationships with advocacy groups and government insiders to anticipate policy changes.
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A clear content strategy, measurement of user sentiment, and realistic incremental goals are key to the Hub’s continuing improvements.
Notable Quotes
"The Benefits Hub was created in just a few days during a hackathon."
"We serve over three million users monthly who visit the Benefits Hub about four times a month."
"It takes a village to maintain the Benefits Hub with clear roles for each team member."
"We don't ask for personal information that the government doesn’t require, to respect user privacy."
"Marketplace partners have to demonstrably save people money to be included in our app."
"We rely heavily on active advocacy and government relationships to stay ahead of policy changes."
"User feedback shows demand for specificity around timing, benefit amounts, and timely updates."
"We started small to get something out the door and then iterated based on user data and needs."
"We're balancing answering urgent questions and guiding users to explore other benefit programs."
"Realistic goals help us stay focused and continue investing in the Benefits Hub incrementally."
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