CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION

Pre‑Enrollment User Journey

Designing a Clear, Trust‑Building Path Before Enrollment Begins

Overview

Enrollment success depends on what happens before someone begins the official process. Early feedback and analytics showed that many potential participants disengaged long before reaching the enrollment flow itself. The root issue wasn’t just enrollment friction — it was pre‑enrollment uncertainty.

I led a redesign of the pre‑enrollment journey to reduce confusion, build trust, and help people understand exactly what participation entails before committing their time and information.

The Problem

The pre‑enrollment experience lacked clarity and consistency. Prospective participants reported:

Unclear expectations about what the program required
Difficulty finding information that matched their circumstances
Confusing entry points that changed by channel or community partner
Limited understanding of time commitment, data use, or benefits

This uncertainty caused significant drop‑off at the very first touchpoints. People weren’t opting out because they didn’t want to participate — they were opting out because they didn’t know what they were opting into.

The program needed a more predictable, transparent introduction that supported informed decision‑making.

Client

NIH

Service

All of Us Research Program

Industry

Technology

Year

2022

Approach

I partnered with community engagement teams, UX research, and clinical operations to map the full pre‑enrollment landscape across digital entry points, partner events, and referral pathways.

Several insights emerged:

There was no unified narrative explaining what enrollment involved.
Different channels created different expectations, leading to confusion.
Participants lacked transparent, concise explanations of data use and time commitment.
Motivations varied by community, but the experience did not reflect that diversity.

These findings shaped the design principles for a clearer, more supportive pre‑enrollment experience.

The Solution

We redesigned the pre‑enrollment journey to give participants the clarity and confidence they needed before they started enrollment.

Key improvements included:

A consistent pre‑enrollment flow that aligned information across all channels
Clear, plain‑language explanations of what participants can expect
Straightforward guidance on time commitment, requirements, and next steps
Transparent descriptions of data use and privacy to build trust early
Tailored messaging to support the unique motivations of different communities
A simplified decision point, making it easy to understand whether enrollment was right for them

The new experience served as a stable foundation for the formal enrollment process, reducing cognitive load and eliminating early uncertainty.

Impact

The redesigned pre‑enrollment journey improved clarity, confidence, and conversion:

Higher completion of early steps due to clearer expectations
Reduced drop‑off at the transition from awareness to enrollment
More informed participants arriving at the main enrollment flow
Stronger alignment between digital channels, partners, and community outreach
Improved trust signals, especially around privacy and time commitment

By simplifying the experience and setting realistic expectations upfront, participants were better prepared and more motivated to complete enrollment.