I led the design and product project to create a new experience for customers who are returned to underwriting during our term life application process. The goal was to increase the number of purchases from customers whose applications require underwriting review. I collaborated with engineering and customer service to develop and prioritize features based on user research.
My work encompassed all aspects of this feature set, beginning with the rerouting page and extending to the new My Account features. Notably, I spearheaded the creation of the interactive task manager and activity trackers, which significantly improved underwriting efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction.
The problem we aimed to solve was how to re-engage high-intent customers and encourage them to complete additional steps in our process. Our research indicated that keeping users engaged through communications or site features increased their likelihood of purchasing, even if they were returned to underwriting.
Additionally, we sought to alleviate the burden on underwriters. High volume periods often resulted in backlogs filled with low-intent cases, leading to inefficiency and wasted effort.
Our solution needed to educate, engage, and fully prepare cases before underwriting review. This approach ensures that underwriters focus on well-prepared, high-intent cases, improving overall efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Given the significant impact of this project on both the product and the business, we prioritized research. This perspective was crucial for identifying successful aspects and areas needing improvement. These insights guided our design direction for the new iteration.
Our research strategy comprised four methods to comprehensively understand our users, validate our personas, and confirm our hypotheses.
By analyzing our ability to track users via each question, we could identify our highest drop-off points and points of frustration, enabling us to tailor our user experience and address specific pain points, ultimately improving overall satisfaction and engagement.
We established two set days for user interviews, we sent out emails to customers who had purchased and to those who did not. We talked to them for 15 minutes and talked about what worked vs what didn’t. If they didn’t purchase we asked them what prevented them and vice versa.
Our approach to watching these sessions mirrors data mining. We meticulously pinpoint key points and areas for improvement during our analysis. This method guides us in refining our strategies for more effective future presentations.
We validated our hypotheses by creating small prototypes for testing on usertesting.com before moving to engineering. This approach helped us gather early user insights and refine our designs iteratively for optimal usability and product success.
One of the major challenges we encountered in this project was finding the balance between creating engaging and informative content. We needed to inform users about the process without overwhelming them with all the intricate steps involved in underwriting. Additionally, we faced the challenge of addressing a subset of users who now have more options due to no longer being automatically approved. This meant that providing a non-answer could prompt them to seek alternatives from other companies.
Dealing with these challenges required transforming a seemingly simple page like our My Account screen into a dynamic, interactive feature that customers could actively engage with.
Explore our upgraded My Account section, designed to track updates, inform about applications, and manage tasks seamlessly. This intuitive solution caters to all user types, enhancing the waiting experience through education and engagement with notifications, tasks, and learning tools. The interface consists of three main parts: landing, activity, and tasks, offering transparent insights, detailed activity logs, and simplified task management for a smoother underwriting journey.
Our marketing emphasizes instant approvals, so when delays occur, it can lead to mistrust among our users and potential customers. To rebuild this trust, we must educate users on why delays happen and outline the next steps. Our research revealed that when users are prepared to take action, it leads to quicker results and higher purchase rates.
To address this, I reworked the interface for users entering the RTU flow, incorporating educational content and clear next steps. This initiative complements the newly introduced "My Account" features detailed below.
Given the unpredictable timeline for returning to underwriting, underwriters might take days to reach out to a customer, negatively impacting user experience and conversion rates. To address this, we implemented an activity tracker. This tool enables customers to monitor their application status without needing to contact customer support.
The tracker is divided into two parts: status and tasks. As the application progresses through various stages, the activity tracker updates, allowing customers to see real-time progress. It also indicates when the customer needs to take specific actions.
Overall, this feature ensures that customers are informed about the status of their application and know when to act, helping to expedite the process.
The task center serves as a one-stop shop for our customers, providing clear guidance on what is needed to complete the underwriting process. Previously, users received texts, emails, or secured links to upload documents, answer questions, or schedule health exams. This approach led to confusion and made it difficult for customer service and underwriting teams to track progress.
By consolidating all notifications and updates in one place, the task center enhances efficiency in our process. Users can easily reference their required tasks as they navigate the underwriting process, improving clarity and streamlining communication.
This project demanded a significant amount of effort, as it marked the first time I spearheaded a project from ideation through product development, research, and design phases. Although the final version is still in development, we eagerly anticipate the quantitative results.
Reflecting on the project, I appreciated the opportunity to contribute extensively to both the product and design aspects. It gave me a deep respect for the workload that product managers shoulder, and being able to alleviate some of that burden for my product manager was a significant achievement for me.