YOUR STATE OF HEALTH
THE CHALLENGE
Design a simple and clear online application process for a state governed health insurance marketplace.
THE OUTCOME
Implement a streamlined navigation to guide applications through the necessary information needed to make an informed decision.
INTRODUCTION
At the time of this project, Open Enrollment was available and each state healthcare marketplace was accepting new applicants for health insurance.
I began by looking at the NY State of Health website when a classmate brought to my attention his personal experience applying for insurance.
"I was expecting a simple and clear process
to apply online" - USER INTERVIEW FEEDBACK
While this project was inspired from a regional specific governance, the research, process work, and proposed solutions are meant to address the greater need for an informative and simplified insurance online application - and in doing so creating one closer step towards true accessible healthcare.
"Something more straightforward would be better"
- USER INTERVIEW FEEDBACK
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I began my work researching existing state websites for health insurance enrollment to determine common attributes. Then I conducting initial user interviews with three individuals unfamiliar with applying for health insurance.
Interviewees were asked a set of questions as well as given a task to apply for insurance online. Each found the process confusing and frustrating. From their feedback I then synthesized the data to determine user pain points.
"How do I apply?"
"The application was hard to locate"
"I found the website confusing and difficult to navigate"
Many people saw the application process as intimidating and difficult. From research I learned that the core problem rests on the website’s
Navigation, Look/Feel/Function, and Organization of Information.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
People need to be able to locate relevant information and accurate resources quickly and efficiently so that they can confidently make the best informed decision when applying for health insurance.
How might we make applying for health insurance supportive, informative, and enjoyable for people?
Next I focused on the steps a user would take and created user flow charts.
In trying to solve a complex system, it was important to be sure the foundation was in good form before beginning design work.
I developed a primary persona who was someone looking to obtain health insurance on his own and in need of some guidance through the process. My goal was to make the application process supportive and intuitive.
From this point I was ready to begin sketching. I started with the Home Page and after a few iterations sketched out pages and steps that a user would follow. I considered the typical features that a user would be familiar with as well as the main objective for the design.
Users wanted a simple and supportive process, and the ability to have ownership in making their own decisions. The app would also need to be accessible to different users and the prototype will need to be understood without the aid of colorful graphics and fonts.
STEP 1 : SKETCHES
STEP 2 : WIRE FRAMES
DELIVERABLES
A first phase prototype was made to confirm that the navigation steps for the application process was simple and clear. Opportunities in further development include resolving content navigation for insurance plans, as well as the design of the user interface with a color palette, selected typeface, and improved hierarchy.
USABILITY TESTING
With a working prototype I enrolled three participants for a usability testing for the new design.
Overall participants agreed that the application process was simple to follow. With an application that was simple to understand, participants felt a more developed information section would be welcomed for their individual research and said they could take on additional information towards their insurance decision making.
I created user flow charts for each participants to map out their individual steps when using the prototype. This helped me learn that one of my next steps is to focus on the insurance resources information.
Other feedback included users wanting to see systems requirements to know their device is suitable for the app. One user pointed out that her father is elderly and is not consistent in updating his iPhone’s operating system.
CONCLUSION
Healthcare is something everyone needs but it's not acquired equally. Access and affordability to certain medical care is determined by the type of health insurance someone would be covered by. When steps to sign up for health insurance are not user friendly, the opportunity for providing people with access to healthcare is also affected.
This was a project that I connected with as I've experienced not having health insurance and know of the difficulties people without coverage will encounter.
Why is insurance universally frustrating?
How to make the steps and information accessible for people to understand?
RESEARCH INSIGHTS:
From the research gathered, users’ initial difficulties with applying for insurance is due to a complicated system and not the inability of users to understand a complicated issue. By simplifying the insurance application process, users feel more capable of making insurance decisions and willing to take on additional information to better understand the different plans and options.
CHALLENGES:
The most challenging thing about this project was to learn an adequate amount of information about insurance applications to better determine and apply the research gathered from the user interviews. By spending some time applying for insurance online, I was able to see the positive intentions and frustrating outcomes.
FAVORITE STEPS IN DESIGN PROCESS:
During the time spent on this project, the most enjoyable part of the design process was recognizing the solution and creating the sketches to communicate the idea. It was worth taking time to analyze and process the research.
“Health care is complicated. I know this is a prototype and it’s not fully done, but it seems it would be quick and simple to make a decision. It simplifies how much information you are looking at a given time.” - PARTICIPANT 1 FEEDBACK
WANT TO SEE MORE? CHECK OUT THE PROTOTYPE!