This playbook draws on three evidence bases. Together they make the case that good hardship UX is simultaneously trauma-informed, well-designed, and regulatorily sound.
Trauma-informed principles
-
Blue Knot Foundation — Australia's leading authority on trauma-informed practice, establishing the safety, trustworthiness, empowerment, and collaboration principles that underpin the R→O→A framework.
-
Trauma-informed UX/content design — applies trauma-informed principles specifically to digital content and experience design.
Modern UX principles
-
Andy Budd's modern web heuristics — establishes the case for designing around user expectations, minimising cognitive load, and supporting confident decision-making through clear content hierarchy.
Australian regulatory & industry guidance
-
ASIC REP 783 + expectations for vulnerable customers — establishes the regulatory case for customer-centred hardship design, proactive identification, and removing barriers to help-seeking.
-
ABA Customer Vulnerability Guideline 2024 — sets industry expectations for accessible, flexible, multi-channel communication with customers experiencing vulnerability.
References
Trigger-based early engagement
Trauma-informed
Timely, personalised outreach to customers showing early signs of difficulty meets them before shame and avoidance set in — early contact protects options.
Modern UX
Contextual prompts based on account behaviour or customer status reduce friction by reaching customers where they already are, rather than expecting them to seek help independently.
Copy guideline
"We noticed your payment didn't go through. Before things escalate, let's talk — we can work out a plan."
Channel examples: online banking notifications, in-app messaging, SMS for missed payments, personalised statements, and collections notices.
Implementation tip: The two-pronged approach — broad awareness plus targeted early intervention — ensures you're both reducing stigma at scale and supporting individuals showing early signs of difficulty, in line with ASIC's expectations for proactive hardship identification.
On-ramps and channel strategy
Customers won't seek help they don't know is available. This section covers how to surface financial assistance support at the moments that matter — before a customer reaches the primary page.
Building awareness across channels
Trauma-informed
Normalise financial difficulty at a population level — consistent, low-pressure messaging across everyday communications reduces stigma before a customer is in crisis.
Modern UX
Every commonly used touchpoint should either carry a brief hardship support message or provide a clear, low-friction path into the Reassure → Orientate → Act journey.
Copy guideline
Keep awareness messaging brief and non-alarmist. Example: "If your financial situation changes, support is available. [Link]"
Channel examples: website pages, account statements, rate-rise notifications, social media, customer newsletters, and resource/blog sections.
Asset example: The "Are you at risk?" asset works as a standalone awareness on-ramp across website pages, statements, and social channels. It uses self-reflection to help customers recognise their own situation — reframing financial difficulty as common and help-seeking as proactive rather than reactive, reducing the stigma barrier before a customer reaches the primary page.
Quick Exit - a safety feature for vulnerable customers
A prominent button that instantly navigates away from the page (typically to Google or weather site) to protect users from technology-facilitated abuse or monitoring.
Trauma-informed
A MANDATORY safety feature that protects customers from technology-facilitated abuse or monitoring — financial difficulty frequently intersects with family violence.
Modern UX
Persistent, unobtrusive placement ensures it's always accessible without disrupting the primary experience.
Design note: Label clearly as "Quick exit" or "Exit this page". Desktop: top-right corner. Mobile: bottom of page to avoid overlap with navigation. Must be keyboard accessible (Shift × 3 or Ctrl+W / Command+W).
Signposting beyond your service
Trauma-informed
Acknowledge that external, independent support is valuable — your organisation is not the only resource available.
Modern UX
Clear signposting to trusted services builds credibility and ensures no customer leaves without a path forward.
Copy guideline
"If you'd like support beyond what we can offer, here are trusted, independent services." Follow with brief descriptions and links.
Design note: Include National Debt Helpline, financial counselling services, government hardship support guides, and community support organisations.
Stage 3: Act
Customers who have been reassured and oriented are ready to move — this stage removes the final barriers to first contact and ensures no one is left without a path forward
Lowering barriers to first contact
Trauma-informed
Empowerment through choice — multiple channels so customers decide how and when to disclose, with copy that emphasises collaboration over interrogation.
Modern UX
Intention-based button labels, a short purposeful form, and clear expectations about what happens after contact is made.
Copy guideline
-
Button labels: action-verb framing ("Get in touch", "Book a call", "Message us now")
-
Form intro: "Choose how you'd like to talk to us. The more we understand about your situation, the better we can help."
-
After form: "You'll hear back within X business days with next steps."
Consistent CTA throughout
Using the same "Get in touch" CTA across the entire page reduces cognitive load and lowers the barrier to action wherever a customer is ready to move.
Channel choice
Offering phone, online form, and chat directly aligns with ABA guidelines on flexibility in communication methods for vulnerable customers.
Urgency guidance
Set clear expectations about response times — for example: "If your payment is due within X days, contact us by phone for a timely response."
Pre-emptive reassurance - FAQs
Trauma-informed
Pre-emptive answers to the most anxiety-provoking questions build safety and predictability before a customer commits to contact.
Modern UX
Just-in-time information delivered via low-friction accordions — customers access detail only when they want it.
Copy guideline
Plain language, 2–3 sentences per answer. If a clause applies (e.g. "unless your circumstances change"), explain it simply — don't hide it in jargon.
FAQs do specific work that earlier sections can't — they address the detail, edge cases, and unspoken concerns that might otherwise prevent contact. Where earlier sections establish what help is and how it works, FAQs remove the final friction points so customers arrive at the Act stage with confidence.
Implementation tip: Work with your Customer Hardship team to identify the questions customers most commonly raise at first contact. Frontline insights ensure FAQs address real anxieties, not assumed ones.
Showing flexibility & choice
Trauma-informed
Show a range of support options so customers can see assistance is tailored, not one-size-fits-all.
Copy guideline
Each arrangement card: label + one-sentence plain-language explanation. Example: “Payment pause — Take a break from regular payments while you stabilise your situation
Modern UX
High-level labels with short plain-language descriptions — let customers scan and self-select without reading dense text.
Addressing key fears
Trauma-informed
Directly address the fear that seeking help will damage future borrowing prospects — name it, then reframe it.
Modern UX
Targeted myth-busting content placed at the point where a customer considering action is most likely to hesitate.
Copy guideline
“Seeking help protects your options. Here’s how.”
Stage 2: Orientate
Customers who feel safe will look for reasons to act. This stage meets them with progressively more detail — process transparency first, then barrier removal, then options, then anticipatory answers — so they can move forward on their own terms.
Transparent process overview
Trauma-informed
Build trust by describing the process in plain language — emphasise non-judgmental listening and that nothing changes without the customer's say-so.
Modern UX
Use progressive disclosure and simple narrative flow to reduce uncertainty about what happens next.
Copy guideline
-
Use “we listen, we don’t judge” language explicitly. Use active, human verbs — avoid procedural jargon.
-
Language principle: Use "Financial Assistance" not "Financial Hardship" — customers are seeking assistance in response to difficulty, not defining themselves by it. Avoid "application" — use "Get in touch", "Request assistance", or "Tell us about your situation" instead.
Reassurance tiles - what is financial difficulty?
Trauma-informed
Remove eligibility myths — reduce the fear of "not qualifying" by normalising financial difficulty and reframing early contact as protective.
Modern UX
Chunk complex policy into three simple, benefit-framed statements using progressive disclosure — one idea per tile, no jargon.
Copy guideline
Frame each tile as a permission (not a requirement): “You can reach out if…” rather than “You must have…"
Stage 1: Reassure
Address psychological barriers before asking anything of the customer.
Trauma-informed
Lead with safety and normalisation — reduce shame, establish trust, and make clear that help is available and seeking it is the right move.
Modern UX
Set expectations immediately — headlines explain why the page exists and what happens next, using simple human language and visible primary actions.
Hero section & opening messaging
Copy guideline
“You’re not alone. Help is available and we’re ready to talk about what that looks like for you.”
1. Secondary CTA (“Explore assistance options”)
Provides a direct jump to the "Evaluating your needs" section for returning visitors who want to review options without re-reading introductory reassurance. Respects customer choice and control — not everyone needs the same level of orientation on repeat visits.
2. “It’s never too early to reach out” module
Reinforces the hero message “You’re not alone” by explicitly addressing timing concerns and normalising early help-seeking. This further builds safety (trauma-informed principle) and trustworthiness by framing early contact as protective, not premature. The messaging underscores that reaching out before a crisis is both welcomed and beneficial.
Mapping your messaging hierarchy
Trauma-informed messaging
Modern web UX
messaging
1. Reassure
2. Orientate
3. Act
Normalise stress, reduce shame
Explain options; support choice and control
Frame CTAs as invitations, not demands
Headlines set expectations: why this page exists, what happens next
Scannable options; one idea per content block
CTAs with clear next-step expectations
Australian
regulatory angle
Addresses ASIC's "inadequate customer focus" by leading with the customer's emotional state
Responds to ASIC: promote help across all channels
Supports accessible, multi-channel hardship notices (ASIC/ABA)
Additional Considerations
The following considerations apply across all stages and channels.
Accessibility: All hardship pages must meet WCAG 2.2 AA minimum — clear focus states, screen reader compatible labels and ARIA attributes, and sufficient colour contrast throughout.
Privacy and data collection: Collect only what's needed upfront — name, contact method, and a brief description. Explain clearly what happens with customer information and offer the option for someone else to contact on the customer's behalf.
Multi-channel consistency: Every principle in this playbook applies across all channels — website, app, email, statements, and phone scripts. The experience a customer has on the page should be consistent with every other touchpoint.
3. Act
Empowerment
Enable easy, supported action
2. Orientate
Choice, collaboration
Explain options and pathways
1. Reassure
Safety, trustworthiness
Address psychological barriers first
Guiding principles for customer-centred hardship UX
The problem
ASIC identified “an inadequate focus on customers” as the core issue in hardship processes, with complex procedures creating barriers to help-seeking.
The solution
Our framework reverses this by starting with customer needs and psychological barriers (Reassure) before moving to process (Orientate) and action (Act).
On this page
Digital UX Playbook for Financial Assistance
A guide to the Reassure → Orientate → Act messaging model for financial assistance pages, grounded in trauma-informed principles, modern UX practice, and Australian regulatory expectations - designed to create psychological safety and support early customer engagement.
Crisis support access
Trauma-informed
Financial difficulty often intersects with mental health crises and family violence — immediate access to crisis services is both a duty of care and trauma-informed best practice.
Modern UX
Persistent, visible placement in a side menu or dedicated panel ensures support is findable without interrupting the primary page experience.
Design note: Include Lifeline 13 11 14, 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, and National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007. Place in a persistent location visible across all pages, such as a side menu.