Skip Allums: Usability Analysis of Insurance Brands

Skip Allums Usability Consulting

[email protected]@skippr

(Competitive Analysisof insurance brands)


• Accessibility & Interactivity

• Criteria• The Playing Field• What can you

learn from this?

Overview


Accessibility & Interactivity


• “Seniors fear technology” is a stereotype.

• “The fastest growing group of new U.S. users on Facebook are 55-to-65 years old. Up 175% from Sept 30 2008 to Feb 1, 2009 – Fortune”

• Similar growth can be found in recent years for Skype, Flickr, Twitter, etc.

• Even AARP.org has zooming, mouse-guided carousel interactions.

• There is a happy medium between the utilitarian and the abstract.

Criteria

• Placement of insurance products

• “Products” vs. “Solutions”

• Functionality

• Language

• User segmentation

• Branding

• Calls to Action

• Visual Design


Overall Findings


• Trends toward image heavy designs as opposed to text-based.

• The best sites funnel the user by offering clear self identification opportunities e.g. “I own a small business, I’m looking for commercial grade insurance”

• The worst sites offer no direction or user path. Users aren’t sure where to start the process, or how to contact the company.

Allstate


The Good• Quote process is given the

most real estate• Accordion interaction

allows users to quickly find an agent or access account

• Carousel of solutions callouts, based on life stages

The Bad• Copy is somewhat wordy.

Gray text on white is hard to read.

Esurance


The Good• Get A Quote is given

highest priority, offering quotes for multiple products in one interaction

The Bad• Tab labels are

crowded. • Tabs aren’t actually

“tabs” – each landing page has a different visual treatment & layout.

• Dry. Very little brand voice, when compared to media campaigns

Geico


The Good

• Users can quickly get quotes for 13 different insurance products from the upper banner

• Rotating lower banner tells brand story, calls out Geico solutions

• Multiple account login options

The Bad

• Rollover menu is unwieldy

• Visual treatment is busy – there’s a lot going on here

MetLife


The Good• Offers two product

recommender applications based on two ways that users look for insurance. Fits users’ mental model.

• Highly functional accordion module, walks user through detailed tasks

• Visual treatments for product offerings and audience groupings is consistent.

The Bad• Products and Service

module could be more interactive. Current treatment is bland.

Nationwide


The Good• User conversion

applications are given high priority

• Modular. Callouts below the fold are interchangeable, to push timely initiatives

• Offers a module of most frequent user tasks

The Bad• Visual treatment makes

tabs look like utilities, rather than site navigation

• Business landing page does not reflect the same mood or tone.

Progressive


The Good• Banner is simple, but

multifunctional: get a quote, real-time customer quotes, find an agent.

• Navigation labeled well, and is broken down by product type

• Site branding is quirky & friendly -- copacetic with media campaigns

• Social media efforts are highlighted

The Bad• Text size is generally too

small

State Farm


The Good• Banner makes the

homepage feel inviting and fun, but could be more functional. Auto quote is defaulted in the Quote module

• Users are channeled quickly with enticing callouts to get quotes, find an agent, and contact the claim center

The Bad• Business and banking

offerings have completely unrelated treatments

Virgin Money


The Good• Copy is straightforward,

assuring, despite Virgin's “rock n roll” image

• Callout trays slide up to reveal more content about each product offering

• Translates well to Internet Explorer 6

The Bad• Landing pages for

Insurance, Mortgages, etc is much less dynamic

• Login/Register module is almost hidden

• Global navs that employ pulldown interactions give users a preview of what lies under each category.

• Quote modules can be maximized for different insurance products.

• “Achievement” life goal metaphor can help the user self-identify and find appropriate solutions.

• Opportunity for personalization, and guided processes.

• Presence of brand voice. What can you offer, and what is your brand’s story?

15

What can you learn from this?


Technology

Skip Allums: Usability Analysis of Insurance Brands