Kaus Insurance
UX research
Interaction Design
Ui design
Usability testing
Branding
Overview
MY ROLE
UX RESEARCH
INTERACTION DESIGN
UI DESIGN
USABILITY TESTING
NOTE: I am not employed by adidas. This case study showcases a theoretical project using adidas products as content examples.
BACKGROUND
Kaus is a large insurance company that has been in business for 30 years. They sell insurance plans as prepared packages through regional agents offering property, motor, liability, marine, aviation, and protection. With the rise of the internet and personal devices, Kaus is losing ground to competitors who sell insurance directly to customers instead of through regional agents.
OPPORTUNITY
Starting in 2022, Kaus will sell insurance plans directly to consumers through an eCommerce site to attract a broader and younger consumer base. With this pivot away from B2B, Kaus also asked for a consumer-facing rebrand.
Solution
I designed a responsive eCommerce site with an automated quote process.
- how many meals are included in their day
- errors made when adding food to the diary
- multiple nutrition goals for different days
- the exact increment of water to track
How did I land on this solution?
RESEARCH GOAL
I wanted to know how consumers choose insurance plans and purchase them to expand Kaus's consumer base and remove added costs of the B2B model.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
USER SURVEY
USER INTERVIEWS
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
constraints
- My biggest constraint was working primarily within a single community. I do not know how much the problem exists for other powerlifters and strength athletes outside this local community.
- I did not have the chance to consult with a developer to see if all the features included in my solution are feasible.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
- Identify competitors and their strategy for selling insurance packages.
- Establish Kaus’s positioning in the market.
- Identify the target consumer base of Kaus’s B2C model.
- Establish factors that contribute to the target consumer base choosing their insurance company.
- Identify pain points for consumers choosing insurance plans
Research
The Challenge
With the rise of the internet and personal devices, Kaus is losing ground to competitors who sell insurance directly to customers instead of through regional agents. Kaus is particularly losing out among young digital-savvy customers.
Customers look for brand recognition, an easy process, and price value.
Richard, 38 Construction Plumber who lives with roommates
Nick, 36 Co-Owner of a HVAC Test and Balance Company who lives with his girlfriend and a housemate
Katie, 37 Graphic designer and yoga teacher who lives alone
“I wish companies provided more education around what kind of coverage you might need”
“I just want the best rate for the coverage”
“I like convenience”
user interviews
I interviewed three users over Zoom and found some common themes between them. When shopping for insurance in the past, all three users started by researching brands they had already heard of. They all wanted an easy process, and getting a good deal for the product's value was a top priority.
motivations
- Auto insurance is the most common insurance to shop for online
- One participant was particularly budget conscious and has used a pay-per-mile insurance plan in the past
- Price is the most important factor for choosing a plan
- Every participant said that brand recognition was a factor when asking for initial quotes
- One participant said that the ease of use of the app and an autofill feature using a QR code was the key motivating factor in choosing his company and plan (because it was so easy)
- All participants tend to stick with their plans once they have it (only look when they have a new car, new house or their rates change for other circumstances)
- All users mentioned liking their auto insurance app (after purchasing)
GOALS
Shopping for insurance should be as convenient and painless as possible
Users value their time and don’t want to spend too long researching options on the internet
Finding the best price is a top priority
NEEDS
Users prefer to get quotes from brands that they recognize
Receiving quotes should be quick and painless
Users prefer to get multiple quotes and compare before they buy
FRUSTRATIONS
One participant mentioned that he prefers to not speak on the phone and another said that he received telemarketing calls after he purchased his plan
Filling out information on multiple companies website’s is time-consuming
One participant mentioned that insurance companies should provide more education about what plans cover and the terminology used
Once the plan is purchased, users tend to prefer to pay their bill or update their account (address, etc) on the desktop website to fill in the information properly
Meet Brian, a busy 35-year-old motivated by getting the best deal.
Competitive Analysis
Digging into the online insurance market, I found that it is a competitive field full of big names. Creating a recognizable brand with a simplified and smooth process may help Kaus stand out.
The insurance market is a competitive field full of big names. Creating a recognizable brand with a smooth process with help Kaus stand out.
What content is needed, and how should it be organized?
After comparing my user research to the business and project goals, I determined my top priority was to provide customers with a seamless way to get a quote online.
Defining project goals
After compiling user research and competitive analysis results to the goals set out by the Kaus stakeholders I was able to distill the main objectives of the project, with the development of a responsive Ecommerce site at the center.
Interaction Design
Putting the quote process front and center.
Wireframe sketches
I wanted to make getting a quote as prominent as possible on the homepage, so I worked around layouts that made that the priority task to focus on initially.
Responsive wireframes
Starting from the homepage, I worked on wireframing the necessary pages and design patterns to provide users with a way to get a quote. From there, I made a few screens of the quote process.
Defining project goals
After compiling user research and competitive analysis results to the goals set out by the Kaus stakeholders I was able to distill the main objectives of the project, with the development of a responsive Ecommerce site at the center.
Standing out among other insurance companies.
After developing a brand look and feel for Kaus to stand out among other insurance companies, I designed a UI kit and built a high-fidelity prototype of the Homepage and the Quote task.
Kaus branding and UI concept
The name Qōs translates to bow. In the north Arabian pantheon, Qōs was identified with Quzah, "the archer", worshiped both as a mountain and a weather god. The similarity of the name would have permitted the assimilation of Qōs to the Arabian god of the rainbow, Qaws Quzaḥ.
The descriptor words STRENGTH, TRADITION, and PROTECTION connected the story of an Archer and insurance to build the look and feel of the brand. After exploring representative iconography related to STRENGTH, TRADITION, and PROTECTION, such as a mountain, a shield, and a bow and arrow, I landed on a greek pillar.
Shades of blue represent STRENGTH and TRADITION and are TRUSTWORTHY, while the pop of gold adds an extra element to help Kaus stand out in the field.
Testing and Iteration.
Using Figma to prototype and screen-sharing software (Zoom and Google), I tested how well the prototype guides users through getting a quote from Kaus. After collecting observations and organizing them into an affinity map, I made several priority revisions to improve the quote experience.
Prototype
I reviewed test observations with an affinity map.
form successes
choosing coverage
quote form frustrations
Priority Revisions.
edit drivers
PROBLEM:
I wanted to make getting a quote as prominent as possible on the homepage, so I worked around layouts that made that the priority task to focus on initially.
SOLUTION:
I removed the extra step of clicking “Edit” to add information for a driver, and simply showed the form that needed to be filled in right away.The “Edit” link is still included if the user needs to change the driver’s name during this step.
Choosing options coverage
PROBLEM:
One user wanted to specifically see what items were covered in the three different coverage options. The other two users commented that it was helpful that the three options were compared to their current insurance.
SOLUTION:
Because a minority of the users tested took issue with how the information was presented and in what order, this part of the design was primarily left alone. However, some clarifying copy was added, informing the user that they still had a chance to adjust the coverage after making a selection.
Adjusting coverage
PROBLEM:
Two users in the test brought up wanting to see more info about specific coverages and also wanted the possibility of changing it. One user also wanted additional education around the different coverage so she could make informed choices suitable for her.
SOLUTION:
I reorganized the Coverage section to be more clear that it can be edited by making “Coverage” a header within the table. I also took one user’s direct suggestion and added info icons to each coverage section.
Conclusion
What's next
As a single designer with a limited time, I focused on the most crucial elements of Kaus's eCommerce site: the quote process, a landing page, and the branding and UI to help stand out among the competition.
I built the complete prototype at the desktop size because I found in my interviews that people tend to enter that amount of sensitive information on a laptop instead of their phone.
My next steps are to test and iterate again and then make those changes down to the mobile size and test that. However, a fully functional insurance site needs more than a quote process and a landing page. If I had a larger team to work with, we would look at the rest of the roadmap and create a work-back schedule to tackle the rest of the site.