UX Design Case Study
Security Health Plan: Designing Left Navigation for Portal
In short
Security Health Plan is an insurance provider dedicated to serving its members and catering to the health insurance needs of diverse businesses extending coverage to their employees. They achieve this through a suite of portals tailored to meet the distinct needs of users, offering both a member portal and an employer portal. These platforms enable close monitoring and management of health coverage.
We wanted to revamp the left-hand navigation to make it easier for users to understand. This was prompted by existing feature names and descriptions causing confusion among current users.
Timeline & Platform
3 months for web based portal
Discovery & beyond
The current navigation offers users a range of features, including paying bills, viewing past and current statements, managing members, adding or removing dependents, and user portal settings, among others. The most significant source of confusion among current users appeared to be locating billing statements and managing member status. We tackled the task at hand by conducting interviews to determine specific user pain points and gather information to establish a general consensus and a baseline usability study of the current navigation.
Quantitative metrics
Early on, we pinpointed key metrics for measuring success, which included usability testing focused on task completion rates throughout the portal navigation. We zeroed in on the main features related to billing and member management, as these seemed to be the areas causing the most trouble for users.
Qualitative metrics
Another vital aspect of our discovery process involved qualitative research. To achieve this, I conducted both internal and external interviews, asking specific questions regarding navigation titles and features. We wanted insight from both experienced portal users and new users to gain an overall perspective of how intuitive the navigation was in its present state. We specifically wanted to know:
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Did the titles accurately represent the associated features?
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Did the organization of features make sense, including how they were grouped together?
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Did the overall hierarchy of titles and their relative importance seem fitting?
We later compiled this data to develop two distinct navigational layouts, which were then used in series of A/B testing to determine the most effective arrangement based on user feedback.
A/B Testing
From research to design
From the interviews conducted, it became evident that users prioritized features related to member and plan management, as that is the primary reason for their portal usage. Billing, while still important, was utilized less frequently, given its monthly nature. Our initial assessment of portal usability also revealed that successful completion rates for certain tasks were as low as 55 percent. With the research analysis complete and a clear goal and focus defined, we immersed ourselves in designing a solution.
Implementation
We took direction of our users and chose the navigation that resonated most with them through our A/B testing. Additionally, we incorporated their feedback from our user interviews, refining titles to make them more intuitive and less technical.
A significant design update involved consolidating features into two primary categories: one centered on member management and the other on general portal and settings management. This adjustment addressed a common misconception identified during usability testing.
Final Navigation
Results
The implementation of the new design led to a remarkable improvement in usability testing, soaring from as low as 55% to now consistently reaching 90-100%.
Users appreciated how common tasks were now readily available to them, and the renaming and regrouping of titles resulted in fewer clicks and less searching for desired features overall. As a result, they were able to complete tasks more quickly and with greater confidence.
Overall, the thorough redesign of the portal navigation had a positive impact on both users and stakeholders, saving both parties time and enhancing the overall portal experience for users.