case study: social security advisors - website redesign & rebuild strategy (student project)

General Assembly . New York City . UXDi Winter 2014 | Student Project 4 : Javier Abanses, Hanah Choi, Angelynn Nakaguchi, Sandy Woodruff

Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors

“As much as $25 Billion remain unclaimed each year.”



CONTEXT

● 2728 rules

● 921 filling options

● By law, the Social Security Administration offers no advice.

● Most financial advisors seem unaware of this situation



SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISORS

● Create awareness of this situation

● Help prospective retirees navigate this maze of options and rules

● Get the most value for their customers


“The challenge is letting people know this is a need.”



THE BRIEF

● Increase conversion on the site

● Clarify content

● Unify brand message across the site


“...Turbotax for Social Security…”


Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors

FINDINGS + OPPORTUNITIES

• Useful info is there, just a matter of finding it - relevant content is buried

• Good Search engine visibility

• Tone of content, technical

• Inconsistent Calls to Action leading to Product Page

• No preview of what’s being purchased without submitting name, email, & phone number

Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors

DISCOVERY

DESIGN ITERATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS



DISCOVERY : existing site DESIGN ITERATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS


DISCOVERY : statement of work DESIGN ITERATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

WHAT SITE WANTS TO DO

● Develop UNDERSTANDING through clear navigation

● Demonstrate VALUE by offering only manageable content

● Establish TRUST

DISCOVERY : existing site


Easy. Few steps.Helps you find what’s right for YOU personally

“Sample reports”, free assessments, + navigation by marital status

Personal testimonials highlighting how much money was saved

Increased text size feature

DISCOVERY : competitor / complementor analysis


DESIGN ITERATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

Complex, not complicated

DISCOVERY : competitor / complementor analysis



DISCOVERY : user research


Their users don’t see themselves as old. “They think they’re young and hip and that they’re going to live forever.”

Social Security Advisors have insight into how their customers think


Recorded customer service call SurveyMonkey

“I don’t want to go into this blindfolded... You guys are the experts.”

DISCOVERY : user research



Email survey to past customer

“...you were gracious enough to redo and re-issue the report with the correct {information}. A very classy organization.”

BUSINESS GOALS

● Increase conversion● Serve the Baby Boomers● Be the go-to within the social security community

BRAND GOALS

● Trustworthy and secure

● Complex but not complicated

● Knowledgable, friendly, and personal

USER GOALS

● Understand my options

● Get personalized attention

● Make it easy

DISCOVERY : personas DESIGN ITERATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS DISCOVERY : goals


PROJECT GOALS

(UX lives here)

DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONSDESIGN ITERATIONS : sitemap . header



DESIGN ITERATIONS : sketches DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONS


DESIGN ITERATIONS : wireframes DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONS

BENEFIT MEsee what’s done for others in your situation}

}}}

ADD VALUEsee product details and a sample report

TRUSTsee our money back guarantee and press coverage of us

KNOWLEDGABLEwe’re here for you }

}}} BENEFIT ME - MARRIED

see what one satisfied customer has to say

ADD VALUEtry our calculator for married persons to see how much

COMPLEX NOT COMPLICATEDsee product details and levels of service

ADD VALUEsee a sample report

home married : product

DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONSDESIGN ITERATIONS : user flow .


James Lewis “The Curious Skeptic”

59, Married PC Laptop, SmartphoneKey Goals & Needs:

* To make educated choices* To know that his money is spent wisely


DESIGN ITERATIONS : prototype DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONS


DESIGN ITERATIONS : prototype DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONS

system flow : email


DESIGN ITERATIONS : style guide DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR DIGITAL PRESENCE...

WebsiteMobileEmails

...AND BEYOND

All Print Material


DISCOVERY DESIGN ITERATIONS : mockup


RECOMMENDATIONS

See prototype


DISCOVERY DESIGN ITERATIONS : mockup


RECOMMENDATIONS

http://invis.io/DJNCVIWP

http://invis.io/DJNCVIWP


DISCOVERY RECOMMENDATIONSDESIGN ITERATIONS : mockup . mobile

See mobile prototype

http://k850u6.axshare.com/iphone_frame_for_desktop_view.html

http://k850u6.axshare.com/iphone_frame_for_desktop_view.html


RECOMMENDATIONS

SHORT TO MID TERM RECOMMENDATIONS

Further curate the content and use it across channels and social media to engage prospective users. ie, daily tweet bits of Social Security Wisdom…

One primary call to action per page and keep the labels for these calls to action consistent

Content : keep short, precise, no lists longer than 7Tone of content : friendly and personable

Google Analytics : ● Enable Demographic Reports, which could clarify

or reveal more information about the user base● Test the new approach to content

RECOMMENDATIONS


DESIGN ITERATIONS DISCOVERY

LONG TERM RECOMMENDATIONS

Further develop the mobile and iPad presence.

Must Consider: ● Make site compliant with US Accessibility

Standards and accessible for screen readers ● Foreign language translation - Spanish

THANK YOU

Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors Student Project 4. Social Security Advisors

case study: social security advisors - website redesign & rebuild strategy (student project)

Design