The first step in the design research process was to gather as much information as possible about people and health insurance. To achieve this, a survey was created with seven questions aimed at the target audience of people aged 18-50. This survey was conducted using surveymonkey, and 11 individuals participated.
1. Recommended Plans
2. Side-by-side Comparison
3. Definition for Jargon
4. Plan Explain
A survey was conducted targeting 50 young adults, low to moderate-income individuals, individuals with low health literacy, and uninsured individuals. I also interviewed some individuals who participated in the survey.
The survey and interviews aimed to understand participants’ experiences with purchasing health insurance, their challenges, and their expectations for a mobile app designed to simplify the process.
Participants reported difficulty in understanding health insurance terminology and concepts, leading to confusion during the purchasing process.
A majority of the participants expressed the need for a more streamlined and user-friendly way to compare health insurance plans.
Many participants experienced information overload when searching for health insurance plans, resulting in decision paralysis.
Some participants reported mistrust in insurance agents or brokers, preferring unbiased recommendations.
Participants indicated a strong preference for personalized recommendations based on their specific needs and circumstances.
To resolve the identified issues, the mobile app will incorporate features that cater to the needs of its users. These features will enable users to compare plans across multiple insurance companies, easily understand coverage policies, and directly purchase health insurance through the app. In addition, the app will provide greater convenience by allowing users to schedule appointments with doctors, view and pay bills, and keep track of their scheduled appointments directly through the app.
Possible Flow of the app
Possible Features of the app
Exploring Additional Features of the app
Different layout of the features
Task scenarios were created to assess the usability of the app and ensure it meets the needs of its users.
During the initial round of user testing, five participants were asked to test various tasks within the app, such as signing up and searching for health insurance plans. Valuable feedback was provided by User 1, who suggested moving important buttons for better visibility, User 2, who recommended streamlining the learning process for insurance terms, User 3, who suggested simplifying the sign-up process, and User 4, who suggested adding help center or chat support feature.
In the second round of testing, User 1 suggested adding individual buttons for each jargon term, while User 2 recommended adding accessibility settings for text size and a notification for the slide-out feature. User 3 recommended a clear explanation of insurance features in the plan review section, and User 4 suggested a navigation bar and changing the color of the chat text box. These feedbacks lead to the following changes.
The big takeaway from this project is that ongoing iteration and user-centered design are super important. By listening to user feedback and continuously improving, I made the healthcare purchasing app even better for our target audience.
The next steps would be to expand the user base and conduct user testing with a larger and more diverse group of participants to gather a wider range of perspectives and feedback. Continuously gather user feedback and make further adjustments to enhance the app's usability and functionality.