Making Income Verification Work for the Gig Economy

Audited and redesigned Steady's income verification flow for gig workers — cutting drop-offs and getting more users through to the benefits they qualified for.

Client
SteadyIQ
Industry
FinTech
B2C
Product type
Mobile App
Web app
Role
Lead designer
Making Income Verification Work for the Gig Economy

Project description

The Income Passport project was initiated to address the intricate challenges faced by gig and 1099 workers in verifying their income. The aim was to audit and enhance the existing web app, ensuring that it effectively serves its purpose of simplifying the income verification process for non-standard workers, thereby allowing them easier access to vital public benefits and financial services.

Problems

  • Complex Verification: Gig and 1099 workers faced cumbersome paperwork and lengthy processing times to prove eligibility for benefits, leading to potential underfunding or ineligibility.
  • Administrative Burden: The manual verification process was not only time-consuming for the workers but also resulted in significant administrative costs for states, increasing the risk of benefits fraud.

Research and analysis

In-depth collaboration with stakeholders, including gig workers and government officials, provided valuable insights into the challenges and requirements. This collaborative approach ensured that the solution was built with the end-user in mind, leading to a more effective and user-centric design.

Design process

The project involved a comprehensive audit of the existing app, followed by a strategic redesign to enhance its functionality and user experience. Key tasks included creating user personas, designing user flows, wireframing, and prototyping, all aimed at making the app more intuitive and accessible.

Implementation and results

The optimizations to the Income Passport has had a profound impact, enabling gig and 1099 workers to seamlessly prove eligibility for government benefits. The app has facilitated a more efficient and accurate income verification process, benefiting both workers and government agencies.

Solution

Various optimizations made to Steady's Income Passport generated smoother user flow and better user engagement significanlty diminishing drop offs.

Conlusion

The Income Passport project by Steady represents a significant leap forward in supporting the gig economy workforce. By leveraging technology to address the unique challenges faced by non-standard workers, Steady has contributed to creating a more inclusive and equitable system for income verification and access to public benefits.

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"We've worked with Gytis Mark across a number of projects and what stands out every time is the genuine care they bring to the work. They put real time and research into each brief, considering every angle before settling on a direction, and he never approaches a project on autopilot. They listen properly, get under the skin of what the client actually needs, and delivers great design that does the strategic job it's meant to. I'd recommend Gytis Mark without hesitation to anyone looking for a designers who treat their work like it's their own."

Roxy Crouch

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Co-founder

Growthmode

"Gytis Mark consistently demonstrated strong design skills, professionalism, and a great ability to collaborate smoothly with both the team and customer. Their work left a very positive impression on our customers, and communication throughout the projects was always easy and constructive. I’d recommend them as a reliable and experienced designers."

Renata Šulekauskė

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General Manager

Miles Lithuania

"It was an absolute pleasure working with the Gytis Mark on our web and mobile application analysis and design. The team displayed great talents in the user experience field while they worked with us. It's not just their technical skills that impress me, however. It is also their amazingly positive attitude that made it a joy to work together. I recommend working with the Gytis Mark without any doubt."

Diego Dal Cero

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CEO

Evenfi

"Gytis Mark has highly talented and motivated product designers. We worked together for a year with them collaborating on multiple projects during this time. Gytis Mark consistently built visually stunning designs while also paying attention to the user experience. Their attention to detail and intuitive designs resonated positively with our clients. They were open to feedback and incorporated them into his designs rapidly, which helped us to refine our product experience."

Kensen John

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Engineering Lead

Tailwind App

"I came to Gytis Mark looking for web designers. What I quickly realized is that Gytis Mark' approach to design is to thoroughly immerse theselves in the study of a client's company and then construct an information architecture which accurately and directly accomplishes the most important goals for the business. I have worked with all kinds of designers and creatives in the past, and Gytis Mark stands head and shoulders above them all.”

Clay Spence

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CEO

Nimbus Health

“Gytis Mark worked with my startup, Lifeplanner, for over a year focusing on product design, UX design and communication. Their team is extremely professional in what they do. They researched our industry, building a true understanding of the business, its customers, competitors and stakeholders. They are also open-minded and likable - a true team players who know when to lean back and listen and when to challenge. We are very satisfied with our collaboration and with Gytis Mark team's deliveries.”

Kathleen Meling

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CTO

Lifeplanner

"The earliest stage of company building is absolutely foundational to ensure long-term success -- despite technically being an external contactors, Gytis Mark team was deep in the trenches with us, driving impact, understanding complex issues, and creating elegant UX solutions. We are extremely grateful for his thoughtfulness, positive attitude, and care, and we know they can drive organizational impact."

Eric Heimark

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CEO

Fast-Growing Stealth Startup

"Gytis Mark joined the project at a very early stage with no previous knowledge of the industry. They were able to grasp complex ideas quickly and provide valuable product development ideas from the get go. They had a clear and transparent process and kept us well informed. He took full ownership of the project taking in from idea to product from 0 - 1.”

Lorenzo Foglianti

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CTO

Private equity startup

"We cannot recommend Gytis Mark more highly. Their designs for our LPGA Tournament turned out better than we could have asked for and our client said it's the best-looking site on the Professional Tour. Their attention to detail, ability to hit deadlines and wonderful communication made them a pleasure to work with. We would be lucky to work with them again!"

Heather Lynch

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Project Manager

DyrectLync

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