C.A.R.P. & Brim Financial Financial Rewards Program

11 min read

C.A.R.P. is Canada’s largest advocacy association for older Canadians with 150,000 members, promoting healthcare access and financial security through exclusive member benefits.

Brim Financial is a Toronto-based credit card issuer (founded 2015) offering three Mastercard tiers tailored to diverse customer needs.

The partnership launched with critical unknowns:

• Would C.A.R.P. members adopt a new credit card when seniors typically show strong loyalty to existing financial products?

We needed to validate product-market fit and understand member perceptions before designing the digital experience.

Our Users

C.A.R.P.’s core demographic is 55+, retired, financially stable, and primarily Ontario-based—drawn to travel and health benefits.

We identified six user scenarios across two segments (members vs. non-members), each with three distinct conversion paths:

Members:

• Applying for card only
• Applying for card + renewing membership

Non-member:

• Applying for card + joining C.A.R.P.

Research

C.A.R.P.’s extensive member data provided a strong foundation for early decision-making, allowing us to focus research on validating user perceptions rather than building personas from scratch.

To address our core questions efficiently, I facilitated focus groups and deployed surveys—scalable methods that captured diverse member perspectives within project timelines.

Focus Groups & Survey

I facilitated a focus group with 15 C.A.R.P. chapter leads and deployed a survey to 9,955 members (437 responses) to validate product-market fit and identify potential dealbreakers.

Key Findings:

• General enthusiasm with requests for clearer Brim-C.A.R.P. benefit integration
• Transparency concerns around the partnership and data privacy
• App resistance among some seniors
• Top barriers to signup: lack of interest after learning details (41%) and credit card saturation
• Most valued rewards: cashback, easy redemption, travel credits, non-expiring points

Design Implications: These insights shaped our strategy: prominently feature high-value benefits, ensure content clarity around the partnership, and design frictionless flows that prevent cognitive overload and mid-funnel drop-off.

Brim Financial KYC Audit

I audited Brim’s existing KYC flow to understand handoff points, identify content misalignment with C.A.R.P.’s brand voice, and map the end-to-end user journey.

Key Outcomes:

• Split KYC collection: Moved personal data capture (name, address, DOB, membership status, card selection) to C.A.R.P.’s flow before Brim handoff—reducing friction and maintaining brand continuity
• Step count optimization: Quantified total application steps, revealing the need to minimize C.A.R.P.-side interactions to prevent abandonment

This audit informed our architectural decisions and ensured a seamless cross-platform experience.

User Flows

The core challenge: users had to become C.A.R.P. members before applying for the card—requiring us to merge two high-stakes conversion flows (membership + credit application) without introducing friction.

Happy Path Considerations: User type, membership tier, card selection, and seamless C.A.R.P.-to-Brim handoff

Unhappy Path Considerations: Exit point identification and retention strategies across both platforms

Design Goals:

• Capture membership and card preference data before KYC
• Chunk information into digestible steps to reduce cognitive load

I designed multiple flow variations using swimlane diagrams that mapped organizational ownership and API endpoints—clarifying cross-platform data architecture for stakeholders and developers.

Wireframes

I explored multiple solutions through sketches before wireframing, guided by one critical question: How do we minimize drop-off at each step?

Strategy:

• Front-load information on the landing page, then streamline subsequent screens
• Limit tasks per screen to one primary action
• Use senior-friendly, concise copy

I wireframed the most complex scenario (member renewal flow) to stress-test the information architecture and ensure every required task had a clear, intuitive home.

Mockups

Stakeholder pressure to launch required us to skip low-fidelity testing—I moved directly from wireframes to high-fidelity mockups for development, with user testing planned post-launch.

Phase I

I designed and launched the new member flow (reward.carp.ca). as an internal pilot to validate the platform before scaling.

Design Handoff and QA process

After stakeholder approval, I created a design system including typography, color tokens, button states, and input specifications. I onboarded developers via Zeplin and provided ongoing design support throughout implementation.

I conducted QA across desktop, tablet, and mobile to ensure visual and functional consistency at launch.

User Testing

I recruited 6 ZoomerMedia participants to test the new member conversion flow, focusing on friction points, content clarity, and navigation logic.

Key Finding: 67% of users missed alternative card options on the selection screen—they didn’t realize cards were stackable above the featured option.

Solution: I designed three layout variations to improve card visibility. After evaluating trade-offs with stakeholders, we implemented a side-by-side comparison view that surfaced all options equally at first glance.

All screens – Phase I

Phase II – Update Marketing Screens

Three months post-launch, conversion rates underperformed despite multi-channel marketing efforts. Without time for user research, I implemented a rapid content enhancement strategy to address potential clarity gaps and build trust.

Solutions Delivered:

• Refreshed landing page with updated messaging, imagery, and FAQ section
• New “About” page clarifying the C.A.R.P.-Brim partnership and benefits
• Individual card detail pages showcasing features and rewards
• Comprehensive FAQ page addressing common objections

These additions aimed to reduce information friction and increase application confidence within tight stakeholder timelines.

Phase III – Simplify User Flows

Six months of underwhelming performance prompted senior stakeholders to eliminate membership requirements and focus exclusively on credit card conversions. Call center data revealed high friction: members frequently couldn’t locate membership numbers or recall login credentials.

New Requirements: Remove sign-in gates, membership content, and conversion funnels—streamline to card applications only.

Technical Constraint: The backend required a membership number to trigger the co-branded C.A.R.P./Brim experience. Without it, users defaulted to Brim’s standard application. Solution: retrieve numbers from existing members and auto-generate C.A.R.P. identifiers for new users.

My Approach:

• Redesigned user flows and presented cross-functional implications to stakeholders
• Co-designed the landing page with Brim’s lead product designer to align brand experiences
• Explored “Personal Information” screen variations that balanced membership number collection with minimal friction
• Refreshed visual design to match Brim’s aesthetic, ensuring seamless brand transition

Measuring Success and What is Next