Driving Clear User Action to Reduce Processing Delays

Overview

During the policy onboarding process, users were required to complete optional but important tasks during a waiting period, such as submitting pet medical records or enrolling in ACH. However, many users failed to take necessary actions, resulting in delayed claim processing and increased customer support inquiries.

To achieve this, we set out to transform passive information into clear, actionable tasks that customers could complete confidently before their first claim submission.

Impact

• 📈 Top-tier task completion rates increased by 38.4%
• 💵 ACH(Direct Deposit) enrollment rates increased by 24.1%
• 📉 Claim processing time reduced by 5.1%
• 📞 Customer case reduced by 1.5%

Project Details

• Role: Lead UX Researcher & Designer
• Platform: Customer Portal
• Duration: 36 days (July 25 – August 30, 2023)
• Tools: Axure RP, UserTesting.com, Optimizely
• Test Area: Customer Portal
• Platform: Web Application
• Device: Desktop
• Audience: Newly enrolled policyholders in a mandatory waiting period (conditional 50:50)

My Role & Ownership

I led the project end-to-end, from problem validation through experimentation and measurement.

Responsibilities

• Analyzed behavioral drop-offs using Google Analytics and Salesforce
• Identified friction points within the onboarding process in the customer portal
• Designed interactive prototypes in Axure
• Planned and moderated qualitative usability tests via UserTesting.com
• Designed and evaluated quantitative experiments using Optimizely
• Synthesized insights into actionable UX principles used across the dashboard

The Challenge

The conditional call-to-action was not driving user behavior.

During the waiting period, customers were technically unable to submit claims, but they could still submit their existing pet medical records (with an SOPE note) to expedite future claim processing.

To encourage preparation, a message was placed in the dashboard hero area. However, it failed to produce meaningful engagement.

Research & Discovery

Measuring Discovery Cost

I designed and moderated usability tests through UserTesting.com, focusing on Time-to-Action:

How long does it take users to recognize what they need to do during the waiting period?

The tasks themselves were simple.

The friction came from how the information was presented.

Users were forced to read and interpret rather than scan and decide.

Key Insights

• 100% of participants could technically complete the tasks
• 60% did not understand what “enrollment exam” meant
• 40% believed they needed to complete a multi-step process rather than independent tasks

Core insight: Users were not confused by complexity — they were confused by presentation.

Business Impact

• Direct deposit setup was frequently missed because it was not surfaced in the onboarding flow or clearly tied to a benefit→ This increased address verification costs when mailed payments failed.
• Medical records were submitted late or incorrectly, increasing claim review time and error rates.

“I don’t understand the meaning of the enrollment exam.”

This was not primarily a UI issue.

Customers did not understand insurance terms, resulting in customer support cases.

Users were willing to act — they just didn’t know what action mattered.

Strategy

From “Information” → “Actionable Tasks.”

To reduce hesitation and increase confidence, I reframed the experience around a simple execution model:

The goal was to help users answer one question instantly:

“What should I do next?”

Key Design Interventions

1. Radical Simplification

I replaced the long, policy-heavy message with a short list of clearly defined tasks, each with a single action.

Conditional logic was added so completed tasks automatically disappeared.

Before

• Long explanations
• Unclear whether action was required
• No obvious click target

After

• 2–3 explicit tasks displayed at once
• One clear CTA per task
• Completed tasks removed from view

ResultShifted the user mindset from“Where do I start?” → “Here’s what’s next.”

2. Priority-Based Task Signaling

I introduced a standardized priority system optimized for scan behavior.

The interface was designed under the assumption that users would spend less than 5 seconds deciding what to do.

Design decisions

• Increased section title size for immediate comprehension
• Primary CTA style for time-sensitive actions
• Secondary CTA style for optional or dependent tasks
• Increased spacing to visually separate decisions

ImpactUsers could triage tasks instantly without having to read supporting text.

3. Direct Paths to Action

I reorganized the dashboard based on downstream business value rather than completion order.

High-impact actions—such as medical record submission and direct deposit setup—were surfaced immediately.

Lower-priority profile and vet information were hidden until primary tasks were completed.

This prevented early cognitive overload and reduced decision fatigue.

Results

• 38.4% increase in top-tier onboarding task completion within 36 days
• 24.1% increase in ACH enrollment within the same period
• Direct deposit setup was completed on enrollment day.
• Significant drop in reported confusion in post-launch surveys
• 5.1% reduction in overall claim processing time
• Customer support case reduced by 1.5%

The redesign demonstrated that onboarding succeeds when users can finish quickly — and confidently exit.

Reflection: UX for Productivity

In consumer products, we want users to stay.

In operational and retention UX, success means users complete their tasks and leave — because the work is done.

Key takeaway: Clarity builds confidence. When expectations are explicit, and actions are visible, users trust the system and feel prepared long before their first claim.

What’s Next

Strategic Impact

This task-based framework can serve as the control model for future onboarding experiments during the first 90 days of enrollment.

Future Opportunities

• Contextual education triggered by task state
• Proactive reminders tied to claim readiness
• Coach-mark guidance for first-time policyholders
• Collaborate with the legal department to come up with consumer-facing language instead of insurance terms

Together, these enhancements can further build early trust and support retention.

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