Participate as a Consumer

Consumer Reports is hosting the Fairness by Design Tech Sprint to help improve how digital financial tools are designed – and consumer voices are central to this work.

We’re inviting consumers with lived experience using financial apps, services, or platforms to participate as consumer consultants. You don’t need technical expertise — we’re looking for people who can share where systems feel confusing, unfair, or hard to navigate.

About participant selection
Consumer participants are selected to reflect a range of lived experiences with digital financial tools. There’s no “right” background or level of expertise — we’re focused on hearing from people with different perspectives and experiences.

What consumer participants will do
As a Consumer Consultant (selected participants):
✅ Share experiences and reactions
✅ Participate in structured consultation sessions
✅ Evaluate final concepts from a consumer perspective
As a Public Observer:
✅ Attend Demo Day (virtually or in person) and observe team presentations
✅ Hear directly from builders and consumer consultants
✅ Participate in post-demo discussion and Q&A

Time commitment
Pre-event: One hour-long virtual session
During the sprint: Scheduled consultation windows, Demo Day voting
1.First & Last Name(Required.)
2.Email(Required.)
3.Which digital financial tools have you used? (Please select all that apply)(Required.)
4.Have you ever experienced confusion, unfairness, or stress using a financial app or service?(Required.)
5.Briefly describe a moment that felt frustrating, confusing, or unfair (optional – a few sentences is fine):
6.Are you interested in participating as a Consultant, Public Observer, or both?(Required.)
7.What is your expected availability April 29th and 30th (mid-afternoon)?(Required.)
8.Any accessibility needs or accommodations we should be aware of? (optional)