INCREASE USER SATISFACTION

challenge

Imagine trying to find specific information on a website, but the menu options just don’t make sense. This was the experience for our users. They weren’t hopelessly lost, but the disconnect between where they expected to find things and where they were created a stumbling block. My task was to understand precisely where and why users were getting stuck.

Users struggled had trouble finding what they were looking for the Blue Shield of California Medicare subsite. My goal? Pinpoint where the nav went wrong and find a solution.

APPROACH

Find out what users want and then compare that to the existing navigation. , which was tricky because this subsite had two different audiences: Medicare subscribers and people shopping for Medicare plans. Put users first. Users were confused while trying to find information on the site, indicating a mismatch between their expectations and the current navigation structure.

User testing process

I conducted 24 user research studies in six weeks with the online testing platform UserZoom. Through six study types — prioritization, surveys, card sorts, click tests, tree tests, and think-aloud studies — I learned about user thinking, users' mental map of the content, and where they found friction while navigating our site.

WHAT WENT WRONG

WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS

WHAT I LEARNED

The website content needed to work for two different user groups: those shopping for Medicare, and those who already have Medicare. Users shopping for Medicare could find what they needed. My primary finding was that members consistently demonstrated a desire for easily accessible information about their plan. coverage, and benefits.

SOLUTIONS

Plan information in one place
My testing showed that users, regardless of where they are in their Medicare journey, find it easiest to find plan details when everything's in one spot. My top recommendation was to put all plan information together under a tab clearly labeled “Medicare plans.”

Change the L1 navigation
Existing gave users one tab labeled “explore” and another labeled “learn.” Testing showed that users don’t understand how the content under each would differ. To eliminate confusion, I recommended merging content and using only one as a bucket.

Clarify the path for members
Though the site does not require users to sign in, and much of the content is aimed at users shopping for Medicare, we know Medicare users visit the site too. We added an L1 navigation tab called “My Medicare” explicitly for these users.