For over four years, we’ve been the development team behind our client’s project, working as part of their broader organization. This long-term collaboration has given us a deep understanding of their system and product, allowing us develop an agent portal, designed to optimize their operations and positioned as a potential standalone product.

In England, insurance is a big part of life, but the process to get it, or even make small changes was outdated. Surprisingly, it still relied heavily on agents handling everything for clients. While it no longer required face-to-face meetings, most of the work was still done over the phone. Initially, we developed a long, single-screen form based on the client’s requirements. However, through analysis of its usability and analysis based on competitor solutions, it became clear that this approach overwhelmed users. Our clients system was extensive, with complicated steps not just for creating a policy but also for updating it, renewing it, or even accessing documents.

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Simplifying checkout processes can reduce cart abandonment rates by up to 31%, a significant improvement for an industry where nearly 8 out of 10 customers fail to complete their transactions.   This led us to propose a redesigned process, breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps that made even the most complex tasks feel straightforward. The challenge was simple and rooted in simplicity: making the process user-friendly, giving people the confidence and trust to navigate it on their own. We aimed for a clear, step-by-step approach that avoided overwhelming users or forcing them to rely on support for help.

We built custom web applications for each type of insurance and a centralized customer portal, ensuring users could access all important information, review documents, renew policies, and make changes entirely online. The goal was to reduce the workload for agents by streamlining processes, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks rather than spending time on lengthy, unnecessary steps. Only in rare, high-value cases requiring physical assessments is in-person involvement still necessary. This ensured the entire process was continuously modernized, streamlined, and accessible for everyone.

While focusing on simplification of a complex process, we were addressing a common issue: lengthy, single-screen forms that often led to agitation. Dividing the process into clear and intuitive steps allowed users to get a pre-calculated quote after answering just a few initial questions. With this approach we fight users' tendency to abandon the process by making it user-friendly and less overwhelming. By allowing users to feel comfortable and in control, the process reduces frustration and encourages them to complete the remaining steps at their own pace.

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At the core of the design is the centralized customer portal. It allows users to access all their policies, saved quotes, and relevant documents in one place. Progress can be saved mid-process, enabling users to return within 30 days to complete their purchase without starting over. Design flow aims to minimize the chances of losing important information or experiencing confusion about multiple policies.

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By digitalizing tasks like updating customer information, which can now be done entirely online, we the need for direct client interactions was reduced, allowing both users and agents to focus on more meaningful tasks. For older users or those who still prefer agent support, we still implemented a hybrid approach. Agents can assist clients by setting them up in the customer portal, ensuring they have access to everything they need while briefly explaining the process.

With constraints of using legally mandated third-party services accessed via APIs in mind, we built the solutions that accounted for these limitations from the outset. While some API functionalities were incomplete or prone to issues, we developed strategies to ensure seamless operation for end users. By addressing potential limitations upfront and planning around them, we ensured the final product functioned seamlessly and met all client expectations.

​​The insurance purchasing process is known to feel overwhelming, leading many users to abandon it before completion. Maintaining a cohesive visual identity across all insurance products was our primary design goal, ensuring a consistent look and feel, which helped us build confidence in users and make navigation straightforward.

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Legal requirements meant that all necessary policy information had to be displayed throughout the form. To avoid cluttering the screen and overwhelming users, two design flows were created: one for desktop and one for mobile. On the desktop version, important information is placed in a sidebar for easy reference, while on mobile, the same information is accessible through clickable question marks. This way, users have all the details they need without feeling overloaded, helping them stay focused on the forms they are filling out.

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User feedback also highlighted issues with unclear questions and forms that were difficult to complete, especially on different devices. These problems often led to incorrectly completed forms or users abandoning the process altogether. To improve this, every question was redesigned to be intuitive and simple, ensuring a smoother experience. For instance, a price slider was added with values set at increments of 1000, making it clear and easy for users to select the appropriate value while also creating a more satisfying interaction.

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A centralized customer portal was also designed to provide users with a single point of access for managing their policies. From tracking policy updates to reviewing documents and reporting claims, the portal consolidates all necessary actions in one place. Built to be scalable, it allows Insync to expand and adapt their services without overhauling the system, all while easing the workload on customer support teams.