1ST CENTRAL
Quote Journey Redesign
Role
UI/UX Designer @ Conversion
Responsibilities
Branding
Research, UX Design
Visual Design
Year
2021
In 2021, 1st CENTRAL was having a bit of an identity crisis.
Their brand was outdated, and they were a small fish in the big pond of car insurance. Other brands like AXA and Admiral had name brand recognition that drew users to their products.
As they had worked with us on small scale experiments, in October 2021, they came to us looking for a redesign of their quote journey. The goal: create a modern and functional UI, while also consolidating the different product journeys into one, seamless experience.
Because of the sheer scope of the project + short time frame, we had to split up the work and tackle it asynchronously. I worked with Aaron from our sister agency, Bunnyfoot, to develop a mid fidelity prototype, while I worked on research, visual explorations, and high fidelity mockups.
Project Phases
One of the biggest challenges with the old design was that the journeys were completely different depending on the selected product. This made it much more difficult to update, as well as to run experiments. The old design also looked very outdated. Not only was the UI in need of reworking, there was also a ton of content that was difficult to digest, meaning users would skim through or skip entire sections instead of interacting with them.
This in mind, our main goals were to:
- Establish a brand identity; ensure users were confident in purchasing insurance with us even if they haven’t heard of the name before
- Create an extensible platform that was easy to add content onto, and also easy to modify for different products
- Make information about products and upgrades clear and accessible without impeding the user journey
Hotjar - exit intent survey responses
Hotjar - exit intent survey responses
I reviewed survey responses of users who landed on the quote page but left before purchasing a policy. This way, I could identify common blockers to purchase.
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
I analyzed a number of popular car insurance brands to identify key themes around usability, UI patterns, and other differentiators. I wanted to see what trends we could repurpose, or which patterns were frustrating to interact with.
Past experiment analysis
Past experiment analysis
As we had conducted a number of past experiments on 1st Central as well as other clients, there was a wealth of information on how customers were likely to respond to certain user flows, content, or UI patterns.
Hotjar - exit intent survey responses
Hotjar - exit intent survey responses
I reviewed survey responses of users who landed on the quote page but left before purchasing a policy. This way, I could identify common blockers to purchase.
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
I analyzed a number of popular car insurance brands to identify key themes around usability, UI patterns, and other differentiators. I wanted to see what trends we could repurpose, or which patterns were frustrating to interact with.
Past experiment analysis
Past experiment analysis
As we had conducted a number of past experiments on 1st Central as well as other clients, there was a wealth of information on how customers were likely to respond to certain user flows, content, or UI patterns.
Single or multi-page?
Competitor analysis
Simplified, single page quote journeys were optimal for policies with minimal options for add-ons or upgrades, while multi-page sites offered more user-clarity for brands with complex product tiers.
Peace of mind
Competitor analysis
hotjar surveys
past experiments
Insurance can be stressful. Pages with paragraphs of text made journeys feel “busy” with lots of context to pore over, thereby adding to the sense of stress. Using simple visuals and generous whitespace streamlined the journey and minimized user discomfort.
overcoming obstacles
past experiments
hotjar surveys
Users abandoned their quote because they were unable to progress. Clear error messaging and built-in information could help mitigate quote abandonment.
building trust
Competitor analysis
past experiments
While users weren’t aware of First Central, they responded well to trust signifiers (e.g. Trustpilot, Defacto). Cognitive biases related to trust and social proof could be leveraged to compensate for lack of name recognition.
Simple illustrative styles were explored, aiming to instill a sense of peace and adventure to mitigate the potentially stressful experience of purchasing car insurance.
Geometric shapes were explored as they would be easy to scale, and were commonly applied in other modern finance brands.
hero explorations
This was initially the client’s favourite as the dark purple created a bold contrast with the information content, but was ultimately decided against given the short timeframes and the desire to be conservative.
Although our primary stakeholders preferred the more expressive designs, I was quickly reminded that the insurance industry is inherently risk averse. Animated discussions around illustratons, scenery, personalization, soon converged into the simplest possible hero to maximize internal compliance and hasten delivery.
page flows, value journey
final designs
clarity
The original journey had multiple nested containers which made it difficult for users to digest the content and what actions were needed. By using a card style layout, we were able to minimize ambiguity and clarify the necessary actions. Having stacked containers also greatly minimized developer time in building out the journey as well as creating variations for future experiments.
ancillary pages
After passing the landing page, the primary business goals were to:
- Sustain user attention
- Clarify differences between product tiers
- Guide them to higher tiers of add-ons/ancillaries
In order to do this, we provided bullets with visual cues, award-style ribbons for popular upgrades, as well as scenarios in which a customer might benefit from a higher level of cover. By doing this, users were able to quickly compare options to their personal needs.
outcomes
+35 Million in Projected Revenue
We rolled out the new journey to 50% of customers to A/B test it, and have already seen huge upticks in sales. The client estimated +£35 million in projected revenue (over 5 years),
New business (Home Journey)
Because of the success of the motor journey redesign, we were also asked to design V1 of a new product, their home insurance line.
Design of the Year
During our end of year Quarterly Business Review, we send in nominations for project of the year, design of the year, build of the year, etc. I was lucky enough to have this project chosen as Design of the year, due to the scope and complexity, as well as the client’s response.
client response
Despite the short turnaround, the client was incredibly happy with the final outcome and the process of working together. In addition to asking us to design the new home journey, they also doubled their experimentation budget with us.
