Allstate Protection Plans
Revamping Allstate’s warranty pathways to increase user and business value.
ROLE
UI/UX Design Intern
TIMELINE
2023 - 10 Weeks
TEAM
Consumer Applications UX Team
TOOLS
Figma
Project Overview
WHAT IS “ALLSTATE PROTECTION PLANS”?
Allstate Protection Plans — also known as SquareTrade — is a warranty service provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
PROJECT IMPACT
For my final project, I redesigned the problem selection flow for furniture insurance claims to help customers more accurately describe their situation. I also led the brand direction of a new sustainability initiative called Plant-a-Tree. My designs established a blueprint for future sustainability work by Allstate, ensuring consistency in illustrations and components.
Context
INSURANCE CLAIM SUBMISSION AND MANAGEMENT IN ONE PORTAL
One of the steps when filing an insurance claim is problem selection, where customers describe what happened to their item. Their selection determines what solution Allstate will offer.
Project Goal
HIGH FRICTION PROBLEM SELECTION FLOWS WERE COSTING CUSTOMER’S TIME AND TRUST
With Allstate expanding their coverage plans across more items, they were concerned that it would get increasingly difficult for customers to choose from a large number of problems. They tasked me with redesigning the selection flow to reduce this friction, with the following goals in mind:
Optimize the way that problem codes can be displayed, found, and selected
Apply Allstate’s new Echo Design System
Collaborate with UX Research to conduct rapid iterative tests observing customer behavior
SO THEN,
How can we improve problem selection in the insurance claims process so customers can more confidently and accurately express their needs?
Process
Before diving in, I created a plan for how to budget my time over 10 weeks. I started off with smaller projects, then gradually built my way up during later sprints.
Final Designs
Streamlining problem selection in Allstate's File-a-Claim portal to mitigate hiccups in the insurance claims process.
REORDERED QUESTIONS & CHECKPOINTS
Important questions serve as checkpoints throughout the flow to reduce friction and reroute customers to alternative pathways if necessary.
NEW PROBLEM CODE CATEGORIES
Improved categorization helps ensure that customers only see the most relevant options for their case.
CLEARER WAYS TO SELECT & DESELECT
Increased visibility supports customers in making well-informed decisions without extensive effort.
CUSTOMIZABLE SHOPIFY WIDGET
Enables customers to purchase protection plans directly from Shopify sites.
SUSTAINABILITY BRAND ELEMENTS
Led to a 6% increase in repair rates, representing 1,200+ devices and 27,000+ trees grown.
NATIVE APP UPDATES
Restructuring the layout and hierarchy of screens to suit new Echo design system.
Research
DISCOVERING USER PAIN POINTS IN THE FLOW
From conducting a web audit of the flow, I found that current selection channels were long-winded and overcomplicated, risking feelings of confusion amongst customers.
⚠️ CONFUSING QUESTION ORDER
Important checkpoint questions were scattered throughout the form, making it difficult for users to gauge progress.
⚠️ POOR VISIBILITY OF SELECTIONS
Some problem codes were several layers deep, requiring 5 clicks minimum just to select. Deselection was also tedious.
User Interviews
By reviewing previous customer satisfaction surveys, I validated concerns from my web audit and also uncovered that problem categories were unclear to many users.
24%
Of users felt confident that their selection accurately reflected their situation.
⚠️ VAGUE & OVERLAPPING CATEGORIES
“I don’t know the difference between a functional and mechanical issue”
Synthesis
MAPPING OUT OPPORTUNITIES
Based on the pain points, I focused on corresponding opportunities to guide my ideation.
SIMPLIFY THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY WITH STRONGER CHECKPOINTS
The main concept that drove our designs was that checkpoints throughout problem selection had to be stronger. We should utilize the information collected at each step to ensure that customers only deal with what is relevant to their specific case.
Explorations & Challenges
With the design goals in mind, I started fleshing out my ideas, starting with the user flow and reworking individual components.
REVISITING USER FLOWS AND INTRODUCING PAGINATION
Going back to our first pain point, I isolated key questions earlier in the user journey to help reroute customers to different pathways if needed, rather than continuing to unnecessary steps.
NEW CATEGORIZATION SCHEME AIMED TO INCREASE SEARCH EFFICIENCY
I worked with a UX content writer to sort problem codes more objectively based on the type of damage they related to. This would also present the opportunity to hide entire categories that aren’t relevant to a product (e.g. “power/battery issues” for rugs”).
REFINING UI ELEMENTS TO REDUCE MENTAL WORKLOAD
I updated UI elements to be more congruent with standard UX infrastructure, and maximize visibility on a single page.
User Testing & Iterations
WE CONDUCTED 2 ROUNDS OF USER TESTING WITH 9 PARTICIPANTS
CUSTOMERS VALUE VISIBILITY OVER MINIMALISM WHEN MAKING IMPORTANT CHOICES
I collaborated with a UX Research Intern to conduct 2 rounds of user testing. Our first round was focused on examining user behavior with the new pages and categories, while the second round was an A/B test comparing layout options.
The feedback we received along with critiques helped us understand customer preferences, decide between UI layouts, and fine tune microinteractions.
Takeaways
CONTEXT MATTERS
When designing for a new industry, I often tried to fall back on broad UX rules of thumb. Instead, I realized that context can push user preferences in unexpected directions, and it was important to identify where my gaps in knowledge might lead me astray. My manager reminded me not to let my own assumptions take away from the potential of a design. We spent time refocusing on research findings from customers, which helped me understand how design lives in the insurance space specifically.
EXPERTISE COMES FROM EFFORT
I worked on multiple projects over 10 weeks, and this required me to be proactive in reaching out to better equip myself with the right background knowledge for each one. My team always pushed me to ask questions even when I didn’t think I had any, and this definitely helped me in the long run.
