Nonprofit Financial Services Organization

A large nonprofit credit counseling organization had a significant traffic problem — not too little, too much. Tens of thousands of visitors came to the site each month, but fewer than 3% completed enrollment. The organization assumed the dropout was happening at a specific point in the form process. The reality was more nuanced.

Highdive conducted usability studies with current and prospective clients representative of the organization’s actual demographic, walking them through scripted enrollment scenarios. What emerged wasn’t a form problem — it was a trust problem. Concerns about security, unclear information hierarchy, and confusing calls to action were causing potential clients to abandon before they ever reached the form.

Focus groups added another layer: participants showed us how they would organize the organization’s content if given the choice — which categories made sense to them, what they were actually looking for, and what language resonated. Their input directly shaped a reorganized content architecture and clearer pathways to enrollment.

The organization subsequently merged with another major nonprofit to become one of the largest credit counseling agencies in the country.