Superset
Redesigning Unite Us’ referral system, used to connect over 10 million people to food, housing and social services.
Social Care
B2B/SaaS
Redesign
Unite Us is a social tech company that connects individuals to social care by partnering with governments, businesses, and community organizations. After acquiring competitor NowPow in 2021, the company was left with multiple referral platforms, each with their own user base. In order to unify its customers under one platform, Unite Us launched a multi-year effort to consolidate and redesign its referral system, codenamed Superset.
Company
Unite Us, a social tech company
Team
Designers x2
Researcher x1
Product Manager x4
Engineer Teams x4
Contributions
Research, userflow mapping, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes
Design Impact
66%
Faster user completion times to send referrals
37%
Reduction in clicks needed to send referrals
500k
Resource lists shared after feature launch
Research Findings
I partnered with our Lead Researcher and PM to conduct multiple user studies to identify the needs and painpoints of both Unite Us and NowPow users. Through in-person observations, zoom interviews, surveys and shadowing sessions, we uncovered the following themes:
⛔️
Key workflows for NowPow users (creating/sending resource lists) did not exist in the Unite Us referral platform.
☁️
Poor visibility into program and eligibility details resulted in inappropriate referrals and high rejection rates.
🛑
Lack of adequate error prevention and guidance led to workflow dead ends.
📑
Multiple external workflows were required in addition to sending a referral.
Planning
Information architecture and entry points
It was important that the new features be seamlessly integrated into the existing referral system. This included making sure that there were solid connections from each entry point, whether it be from the platform itself or via the EHR integration. This was also an opportunity to integrate other essential workflows from across the platform directly into the referral flow, such as payments authorization and patient consent.
Phased release
Phase 1
Limited release to new customers
Automated Resource List generation
Resource List editing
Phase 2
Full release to all customers
Resource List features
Search Page
Checkout flow
The scope and scale of features were overwhelming, and with limited time and resources, we needed to strategically release features. Weighing business and user needs, we decided to prioritize developing the Resource list features for the NowPow users, with redesigns for the main Unite Us referral flow coming in a later phase.
Design System
For this new platform, we utilized our recently implemented UU Design System which was being rolled out across the main customer platform. This took care of roughly 80% of components needed for the new features, with the remaining 20% needing to be designed and approved through the design system governance process.
Solutions
Boosting relevant resources with revamped search page
The existing Unite Us referral system consisted of a single form where users had to select resources from a series of dropdowns without being able to see any program info. This poor discoverability often led users to refer clients to programs they weren't eligible for, resulting in rejected referrals.
To address this, I helped design a more intuitive, search-driven experience modeled after familiar shopping interfaces. Users could now browse a dynamic list of results shaped by our search algorithm, apply filters, and view critical details upfront, such as eligibility based on demographics, location, or citizenship status.
Supporting adopted users' workflow with Resource List functionality
NowPow’s platform centered around the creation of resource lists that users could send to clients. To retain these users, we needed to ensure our platform supported their core workflows.
We prioritized releasing this feature set first, and I collaborated with my co-designer to make sure they were properly connected to the main referral experience and that the lists could seamlessly be converted into referrals.
Reducing confusion with simplified checkout flow
The Unite Us referral system involves strict rules about which referrals can be grouped together. Because these rules were poorly communicated, users often made invalid groupings, which forced them to restart from the beginning.
To remedy this, I designed a checkout flow that automatically grouped programs so that the user didn't have to worry about them. This allowed users to focus on selecting the best programs for their clients, and prevented them from making any invalid selections.
Consolidating workflows with cross-domain integration
In order for a user to get their client the help they need, not only do they have to submit a referral, they must also complete separate workflows for payment authorization, consent, and more. We designed the checkout process to consolidate all necessary workflows, which enabled other domain teams to insert their own layer into the referral process. This reduced necessary workflows by 60 percent.
Would've dones: Supercharging power users with favorites tab
Among the many features we designed, one that did not make the final release was the Favorites tab, a place where users could easily access all of their bookmarked resources. It performed strongly in user testing, received enthusiastic feedback, and we advocated hard for its inclusion. However, with limited resources, it was ultimately shelved in favor of boosting favorited programs’ visibility within search results.
Closing Thoughts
Superset was the first project I worked on at Unite Us and by far the largest. It was a privilege being able to work on such an important project and with so many talented individuals, and the work we did laid a strong foundation for future products. Although my time at Unite Us came to an end just over a week after Superset launched, I’m hopeful that my contributions will ultimately result in more people getting the care they need.
