BT Financial Group
GEMINI INSURANCE
This project had been languishing for some time so I was asked to jump on and help deliver it. I helped reset the project and refine exactly what it could and should be.
The very nature of the project required sensitivity as the people I wanted to talk to who had claimed on their super insurance in the past had been through very tough times so it was a learning curve for me and how to approach those sessions. I engaged professional claim requesters to help me with those sessions.
They turned out to be very successful in informing our project and design direction. I shared these sessions with our squad and the effect they had were immense. They were also shared through other teams in the super business as a tool to bring improvement across the end-to-end process.
I used those sessions to bring the project back on track, working closely with the PM and BA we delivered the first iteration on time. I handed over the project before my contract expired providing a solid foundation and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes in the future.
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in these case studies. The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of BT Financial Group.
Understand the problem
One of the first things I try to do is understand the problem we are trying to solve. There are a few techniques to do this but all involve good old fashioned research and asking questions.
You need to research who your users are. Observe them either trying to solve the problem or interacting with the product. These observations should happen in lab conditions and also in the users day-to-day life if possible. What devices are people to use to access your product (people behave very differently on their phone compared to their laptop)? What time are they going to access your product (on the train, at home, at work etc)?
Gemini Insurance
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What type of product are we designing?
An extension/improvement of an existing B2C product
Who are the main users?
People who need to make a claim on their super insurance
Where is the product being used?
Anywhere the user wants - probably most likely to be used in a private situation, not in public (bus/train etc) -
Why do they need it to exist?
It is a long and involved process to make a claim - we need to make it easier and quicker and make sure people are more informed throughout the process
How will it be used?
Within the web app and native Android and iOS apps - could be used across multiple screens (started on one device - continued on another device)
Conduct interviews and surveys, whatever is necessary to build a robust picture of your potential users.
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I use many techniques to define the problem including empathy maps, journeys, storyboards, workshops, paper cut-outs and even role playing!
Discovery
There had already been lots of deep thinking and work on this project. There was a huge team involved and one of my tasks was to bring that team together and make sure we all know the problem we are trying to solve and to make sure we are all travelling in the same direction.
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Simply storyboarding the current experience and the aspirational experience can help immensely. It allows your team to visualise the future and clarify the destination. It doesn't need to take long and shouldn't contain all the nitty gritty detail (that comes later) it simply needs to unify everybody.
User Flows
It's good to map out the flows involved to get a real grip and understanding of every element and touchpoint of the journey the customer has to go through.
This will allow you to see the intricacies of each process and you'll be surprised how much is involved. It's like pulling a thread on a jersey, it will continue to unravel and just when you think you've found everything a new bit will come along! This is a good thing though, it's good to discover this sooner rather than later.
Interviews
Interviews
The set of interviews I organised and facilitated went on to become the most rewarding part of my engagement with BT.
The interviews I wanted to organise were not easy. I wanted to speak to real customers who had gone through the process of the service and capture their experience. People generally claim on their super insurance when either they or a loved one, has been through a traumatic experience. Because of this, it was the first time I had done customer interviews where I received training beforehand and a trained support person in the room as well.
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With this in mind, I set out and created the interview structure with a clear idea of what we were going to speak about and how I might navigate the sessions.
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For obvious reasons, I can't include any details here but the interviews were an incredible success and unspeakably valuable in designing the future of the product.
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One session in particular stuck with me. This customer was telling me her husband had passed recently and organising the insurance on top of everything else going on at the time was overwhelming. She simply needed the easiest, most frictionless way of being able to claim. She was so eloquent in how she described the process and also gave me her unique insight. She also went on to say how grateful she was that we cared, that someone wanted to hear her experience and how it might help others.
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Later, I gathered the scrum team together and played back the session to them. It was truly moving and a couple welled up. This is the power of including everyone in customer interviews and usability sessions. It really does focus what we're trying to achieve and why and the humans involved in the centre of these interactions. The session was also picked up by other teams and played as part of onboarding to provide a customer insight as to why we're all here.