Across the United States, millions of people are now eligible to get a Covid vaccine. However, the signup process is often unnecessarily complex. New York City’s NYC Healthy sign-up portal, for example, included as many as 51 questions and a request to upload a scanned health insurance card. As a result, many people, especially the elderly, poor, and less digitally literate, struggled or failed to make an appointment when they were first eligible. It doesn’t have to be this way. Nudges can be used to simplify and streamline sign up to require only a few clicks, or even make the vaccination process more automatic. To make the process more automatic, second-dose appointments can be scheduled by default and individuals can be told that a vaccine dose has been automatically set aside specifically for them, both of which can increase the likelihood that they get vaccinated.
Design Systems with Your Most Vulnerable Users in Mind
Thoughtfully designed enrollment processes can reduce unequal outcomes in anything from vaccinations to retirement plans.
April 26, 2021
Summary.
There are massive gaps between low-SES and high-SES Americans in retirement savings, COVID-19 vaccine uptake, and many other outcomes. Nudges can reduce gaps like these if used well, because they typically impact low-SES individuals most, according to recent research. Nudges are also inexpensive and get more bang for the buck compared to other techniques that firms use to reduce inequities, such as offering financial education or discounts for the poor. Nudges are therefore a win-win for managers and employees.