Overview
Providers consistently provided feedback regarding the overwhelming length and complexity of our finance application process. This feedback, coupled with the need to refresh our design to align with new branding guidelines and to incorporate additional data collection for underwriting purposes, prompted a comprehensive overhaul of our finance application experience.
Objective
The project aimed to accomplish three primary goals:
Simplify the Application Process: Reducing the perceived complexity and length of the finance application to improve user satisfaction and completion rates.
Refresh the Design: Updating the application’s design to reflect our new branding, enhancing the visual appeal and user experience.
Enhance Underwriting Capabilities: Introducing a new screen to gather information about the applicant's housing situation and payment amount, aiming to refine our understanding of the applicant's financial situation and borrowing capacity.
Challenge
The main challenge was to balance the simplification of the application process with the need for detailed information necessary for accurate underwriting. Additionally, implementing a design refresh that encompasses new branding elements without sacrificing usability was critical. Integrating a new screen for collecting specific financial information required thoughtful consideration of user experience to prevent increasing the perceived burden of the application process.
Solution
User Experience Optimization: We conducted a thorough analysis of the existing application process to identify areas of redundancy and potential simplification. This led to the reorganization of questions and the introduction of a more intuitive, step-by-step flow that reduced the cognitive load on applicants.
Design Refresh: The application interface was redesigned to incorporate new branding elements, including updated color schemes, fonts, and visual elements. This refresh aimed to create a more engaging, modern, and cohesive user experience that resonated with our brand identity.
New Screen for Financial Information: A new screen was carefully designed and integrated into the application flow, soliciting information about the applicant's housing situation and payment amount. This screen was optimized for user friendliness, with clear explanations as to why the information was needed and how it would be used, ensuring applicants felt comfortable providing these details.
Challenge
The implementation of these changes followed a structured approach:
Prototyping & User Testing: Early versions of the redesigned application process were developed and subjected to user testing. This allowed us to gather feedback on the new flow, the design refresh, and the additional financial information screen, making iterative improvements based on this feedback.
Technical Development: Once the design and flow were finalized, our development team worked to implement the changes, ensuring the new application process was integrated seamlessly with our backend systems for real-time underwriting.
Rollout and Monitoring: The updated application was rolled out to a controlled group of users initially, allowing us to monitor the impact on application completion rates and gather further feedback. Following this successful pilot, the new process was launched to all users.
Outcome
Post-implementation, the feedback from patients was overwhelmingly positive. The streamlined application process and design refresh significantly improved the user experience, as evidenced by increased completion rates and positive user feedback. The additional data collected from the new financial information screen enhanced our underwriting process, allowing for more accurate assessments of borrowing capacity.
Reflection
This project underscored the importance of aligning operational requirements with user needs. By listening to our users and reevaluating our application process, we were able to simplify the user experience without compromising the quality of information collected for underwriting purposes. The success of this project has highlighted the value of continuous improvement and has set a precedent for future user-centered design initiatives within our organization.
