The document summarizes findings from a user experience review of 6 health insurance company websites conducted for young adults ages 18-34. Key findings include: users want easy access to quotes, multiple paths to goals, helpful content presented clearly, guided selection processes, mobile experiences beyond just mobile websites, and inspiration to choose health insurance and the Blue brand in particular. The review found the sites usable but not persuasive or engaging enough for the target audience.

1. UX Design Review
FEB 2011 | SCOTTSDALE, AZ
DIGITAL BLUE CONFERENCE
Monday, February 14, 2011

2. CONTENTS
ABOUT USER EXPERIENCE 3
BACKGROUND 5
(TOP 10) FINDINGS 9
INSPIRATION 22
Monday, February 14, 2011

3. The User Experience Goal
Monday, February 14, 2011

4. About User Experience
Psychology Design
Psychology Design
Monday, February 14, 2011

5. Background
APPROACH
• Conducted 6 Stakeholder Interviews
• Reviewed 6 Blue Sites from usability perspective
• With the target audience:
• Conducted two focus groups (n=12) to
understand what they know, want and need
• Conducted 1:1 Interviews (n=10) to assess
usability of Blue sites
• “Persuaded” 18 college students to conduct
surveys, focus groups and usability testing to
validate findings
Monday, February 14, 2011

6. Background
SCOPE
• Focused on 6 Blue sites for the research
• Approached it with one scenario: a person 18-34
(33) that is looking for individual health insurance.
• Very high level review of UX across the Blue Sites
• Not individual reviews of each site
• Not a direct comparison of who is the winner
• Focused on what we can learn, not who does it
best
• Findings and recommendations are meant to be
high-level; would need research using each
site’s demographic for concrete
recommendations
Monday, February 14, 2011

7. Background
CURRENT STATE PER STAKEHOLDERS
Average Grade across all sites: Health Insurance Idols: Mobile and Social Media Strategy:
C None TBD
Monday, February 14, 2011

8. Background
CURRENT STATE
What We Know: What We Learned:
★ Need easy
★ Want to feel informed
★ Are very impatient
★ Are very judgmental
18-22 23-27 28-34 ★ Don’t want to be talked down to
★ Don’t want to be stereotyped
• Don’t think they need health insurance.
★ Willing (and likely) to go with what is
• Don’t know enough about health insurance to buy it recommended, even if it is not the cheapest
★ Need to trust
• May not go to the website if they do want to buy it
★ Need to be convinced
• Decision factors: cost
★ Demand good user experiences
Monday, February 14, 2011

9. Findings
MAKE IT EASY RIGHT FROM THE START
1
Most sites have a
prominent link to
obtaining a quote
on the homepage
“Seems like it would be
easy. Just click.”
“Shows that they want my
business.”
Monday, February 14, 2011

10. Findings
PROVIDE MULTIPLE PATHS TO THE END GOAL
2
Users need clear direction on where to go when they need help
choosing a health plan vs. wanting to quickly get a quote and buy
Monday, February 14, 2011

11. Findings
CONTENT IS VALUED
3
Guidance and
support is helpful...
“They have a lot of
information here. Good in
case I need it.”
“There’s stuff here in case I
don’t know what words
mean...that’s helpful”
“Health Plan 101--I guess
that’s for the dummies like
me...”
Monday, February 14, 2011

12. Findings
CONTENT IS VALUED WHEN PRESENTED RIGHT
...if they understand it.
Unclear what users would be
losing if between the options
(High vs. Medium--coverages
do I lose?)
Scale markers are objective:
whats high to one person may
not be high to another.
Monday, February 14, 2011

13. Findings
GATED, GUIDED, PATHS WORK
4
Plan Selectors
very well received
“If I knew what I
wanted, this would be
great. If I didn’t know
what I wanted, this is
even better.”
Some navigational
improvements can only
help refine this beautiful
design (ex: an “i don’t
know” option and a more
obvious back/start over)
Monday, February 14, 2011

14. Findings
LOOKS MATTER
5
They didn’t relate
to the look and feel
on some sites
United Healthcare scored the
worst. Sites with stock photos
were next.
“Designed for old
people...generic”
“Designed for families...it
shows even health insurance
companies don’t think health
insurance is for me.”
Monday, February 14, 2011

15. Findings
LOOKS MATTER
And loved
others...
“So friendly!”
“Looks like facebook”
They liked sites with
white space,
“The lower case is
nice--I’m not sure if I
like it, but I did
notice that at least
they are trying to be
younger.”
Monday, February 14, 2011

16. Findings
USERS DONʼT SPEAK “INSURANCE”
6
Although there should be a quick way to get to a list of all products (for returning users, brokers,
etc.), users will need context/reminders of the value of each product to help them pick one.
Charts work well...
Monday, February 14, 2011

17. Findings
WRITE AND DESIGN FOR THE WEB
7
They appreciate
easy to scan charts
that didn’t force
them to read, and
yet still conveyed
the message.
Icons made
scanning easy (and
reduced cognitive
and visual load).
Merged cells within
a table with
common elements is
brilliant.
Monday, February 14, 2011

18. Findings
FIRST QUOTE PAGE SETS EXPECTATIONS
8
Keep It
Simple.
Monday, February 14, 2011

19. Findings
THINK ABOUT STEPS TO GETTING A QUOTE
11 25
18 18
21 10
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20. Findings
INCONSISTENT PAGE DESIGNS ARE BARRIERS
9
We noticed
inconsistencies
in page design
(not just these
sites, but across
all 6 sites).
This will cause
users to pause,
lose trust, and/
or abandon the
quote process.
Monday, February 14, 2011

21. Findings
OVERALL, SITES ARE USABLE…
10
People found the sites usable. They understood they could get a quote, but they didn’t feel they were ready to purchase yet...
Website is easy to use
Website convinces me to buy health insurance with them
Website would allow me to get a quote
After visiting this site, I feel comfortable purchasing health insurance (Blue)
After visiting this site, I feel comfortable purchasing health insurance (Vimo)
0 1.75 3.5 5.25 7
n=22, Scale of 1-7 where 7 is strongly agree
Note: results may be different if using members within the target
geographic area exposed to radio ads, TV ads, etc.
Chart is presenting ratings across Blue sites, not individual
Monday, February 14, 2011

22. Inspiration
USABLE BUT NOT PERSUASIVE…
Does the site persuade
me to go with Blue?
Monday, February 14, 2011

23. Inspiration
BE ENGAGING, CONVERSATIONAL
Health 101 is talking “at” the audience. Consider approachable interaction.
http://www.healthcarelane.com/ http://healthreform.kff.org/the-animation.aspx
Monday, February 14, 2011

24. Inspiration
SPEAK MY LANGUAGE
This audience considers
themselves healthy, and Your Rewards
would benefit from
positive reinforcement Exercise 10
around staying healthy.
Regular Checkups 10
Yoga Retreat 20
Eating Healthy 50
Reward point total: 70 / 90
Mona, youʼre only 20 points away from a $20 gift card to Sports Authority!
Monday, February 14, 2011

25. Inspiration
MOBILE IS NOT JUST YOUR WEBSITE ON A PHONE
The mobile experience should compliment the web experience
What do users need when they are on the go?
Allow all users to download and use, but provide members with the most value
Additional Features:
Upcoming Doctor’s Appointments (and reminders)
SMS a nurse a medical question
(ex: new moms, I need immunization for travel to a certain country, etc.)
Integration with weight loss or exercise apps to track calories and present
week/month/year view to doctor during annual check-up
Push messaging for discounts and deals based on location
Directory for nearby medical services
(closest place to get a flu shot, emergency room, chiropractor)
Monday, February 14, 2011

26. Inspiration
JUST HAVING A FACEBOOK PAGE IS NOT ENOUGH
The Facebook page needs to give users a reason to join.
Example of compelling facebook content: contests, coupons, deals, reviews, discussions,
original games and content, insider events, a community, things to “like,” things that inspire
comments/interaction, new, interesting and a good frequency of status updates, etc.
Monday, February 14, 2011

27. Inspiration
EMPOWER AND ENCOURAGE
Parents were listed as the go-to resource when buying health insurance.
Most students and recent grads stated they would go with the company their parents
requested, unless something they encountered proposed that their needs were different.
Interestingly, parents
had low confidence they
could find the right plan
for their kids because
today health care is
different.
Empower parents to understand how technology impacts their kids’ ability to manage their health.
Empower the younger audience to know more about “today’s insurance.”
Encourage communication.
Monday, February 14, 2011

28. Inspiration
BLUE = PRESTIGE
Not only about explaining the rational reasons of having health insurance,
But creating a desire to have “Blue”
They are looking for cognitive shortcuts to trust that Blue is right for them.
Monday, February 14, 2011

29. Thank You.
Monday, February 14, 2011

30. Thank You.
Mona Patel
Principal UX Strategist
Motivate Design LLC
+1 201.433.3302 | Office
+1 201.923.9392 | Mobile
mona@motivatedesign.com
Monday, February 14, 2011