Initial trials
The Plain Numbers version sought to communicate the same information in a way that was clearer and easier to understand.
We asked 5 comprehension questions to really prove whether customers understood the communication. We considered someone being able to answer 4 of these questions correctly an example of good understanding.
In this trial questions to participants included:
'What is the cost to transfer your debt to Card B?' and 'If you can only afford to pay £75 a month to pay off your debt, which card is best for you?
Clearscore:
balance transfer offer
We recruited 1,000 participants representative of the UK population for this trial.
500 people saw an existing communication and 500 saw the Plain Numbers version.
Research results:
Original version, answering
at least 4 questions correctly
Plain numbers version
The Plain Numbers Method in action
Numbers themselves
Doing the maths by converting a percentage fee to the specific cash amount and providing the total saving.
Numbers in context
Replaced the context-specific term ‘Balance transfer offer duration’ with the month the offer ends.
How we think
Enabled customers to make an informed choice by ensuring the key information for each card was presented in the same way.
Full research results for Clearscore here.
Left: The original version of the offer
Right: The Plain Numbers version of the payment options
Click on the image to view the detail.
