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NOVEL BANK

Integrated Insurance Claims Experience

Novel Bank partnered with HUB Insurance to offer protection for electronic purchases. However, the claims experience required users to interact with a third-party system, creating friction at a critical moment in the customer journey. 

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I led the design of an end-to-end claims experience embedded within the Novel Bank App - ensuring users could file claims seamlessly without leaving the trusted bank environment.

Duration

8 Months      November 2023 - June  2024

My Role

Lead Product Designer

  • Led end-to-end design from concept to high-fidelity delivery

  • Defined UX approach and drove key design decisions

  • Facilitated collaboration across product, engineering, and insurance stakeholders

  • Conducted user research and usability testing

  • Translated complex insurance requirements into an intuitive user flow​

The Problem

Users filing insurance claims were redirected to a third-party experience that disrupted the bank's ecosystems. This created confusion, reduced trust, and increased friction during a high-stress moment.
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From a business perspective, this resulted in: 
  • Drop-offs during claims submission
  • Increased customer support inquires
  • A fragmented brand experience between Novel Bank and it's insurance partner

Constraints & Considerations

Designing this experience required balancing several real-world constraints:
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  • Third-party integration: Limited control over backend logic and data structures
  • Regulatory requirements: Insurance claims required legally compliant language and disclosures 
  • User mindset: Customers were often stressed and unfamiliar with the claims process
  • Brand trust: Maintaining a consistent Novel Bank experience while exposing external services

Approach

I focused on creating a fully integrated, guided claims experience that simplified complexity without compromising accuracy or compliance.
 
Key principles:
  • Keep users within the bank environment to maintain trust
  • Reduce cognitive load through structured, step-by-step flows.
  • Translate technical insurance language into user-friendly content
  • Provide transparency without disrupting the experience

Understanding the User

Through user research and early discovery, I identified that customers approaching the claims process were often in a high-stress state and lacked familiarity with how insurance claims work. 
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Users expected the experience to feel consistent with the Novel Bank ecosystem and were particularly sensitive to moments that introduced uncertainty or broke trust - such as unclear language, unexpected transitions, or lack of guidance.
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These insights informed a design approach focused on clarity, reassurance, and continuity - ensuring the experience provided step-by-step guidance, intuitive navigation, and a seamless integration of third-party services without disrupting the overall user journey. 

Key Decisions & Design Thinking

1. Embed vs. Redirect Experience

A core decision was whether to redirect users to the insurance provider or fully embed the experience.
  • Challenge: Compliance required transparency about the third-party provider 
  • Decision: I advocated for a fully embedded experience, introducing subtle disclosures and contextual messaging
  • Outcome: Maintained user trust while meeting legal requirements
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2. Simplifying Complex Claim Questions

Initial flows reflected underwriting logic, which was difficult for users to understand.
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  • Collaborated with underwriters to reinterpret technical questions​
  • Grouped related inputs to create a more natural progression
  • Introduced progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming users

3. Reducing User Error & Increasing Confidence

Users were unsure if they completed the claim correctly. 
 
  • Introduced a review step allowing users to verify answers before submission
  • Repositioned the sworn statement earlier in the process to set expectations upfront
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4. Structuring the flow for Clarity

The claims process involved multiple steps and dependencies.
 
  • ​​Designed a guided, step-by-step workflow aligned with user mental models
  • Ensured clear navigation and progress indicators
  • Maintained consistency with Novel Bank's design system
 
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Validation & Iteration

User Testing

Conducted usability testing using low-fidelity prototypes to validate early concepts. 
Key insights: 
  • Users struggled with insurance terminology  
  • Long question sequences increased cognitive fatigue​
  • Lack of visibility into progress created uncertainty

Iteration

Based on findings:: 
  • Simplified and restructured question flows  
  • Improved layout and grouping of information
  • Added confirmation and review mechanisms

Digital Wireframes

To explore and validate the structure of the claims experience, I developed low-fidelity wireframes in Figma, using Novel Bank's existing mobile patterns as a foundation to ensure consistency and user familiarity. 

This allowed me to map end-to-end user flows, identify friction points early, and iterate on the layout - particularly within complex claim question sequences. Focusing on clarity and progression, I refined the structure to support a more intuitive, step-by-step experience that reduced cognitive load and aligned with user expectations.
Novel Bank WF pop out menu
Novel Bank WF what is included
Novel Bank WF Homepage
Novel Bank WF confrimation
Novel Bank WF policies
Novel Bank WF bank Account

Solution

A fully integrated claims experience within the Novel Bank app that: 
  • Guides users through a structured, intuitive claims process
  • Maintains brand consistency while incorporating third-party services
  • Balances compliance requirements with usability
  • Reduces friction during a high-stress user journey
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Low-Fidelity

To validate the proposed experience early, I developed a low-fidelity interactive prototype that focused on the core claims journey and key user flows.

This validates the proposed experience early; I developed a low-fidelity interactive prototype that focused on the core claims journey and key user flows. 
This allowed me to test navigation, question sequencing, and overall flow with users and stakeholders, identifying usability challenges before committing to high-fidelity design. Through this process, I uncovered areas of confusion and friction, which informed iterations to simplify the experience and improve clarity. 

The prototypes also served as a shared reference point for product, engineering, and insurance stakeholders - helping align on functionality, flow, and expectations early in the process. 
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High-Fidelity Prototype

To finalize the experience, I developed a high-fidelity interactive prototype that incorporated Novel Bank's design system, detailed interactions, and refined content. 

This prootype was used to validate end-to-end flows, ensuring the experience felt cohesive, and aligned with the bank's brand standards. It also allowed for more realistic usability testing, helping identify final refinement in interaction patterns, content clarity, and visual hierarchy. 

Inaddition, the high-fidelity prototype served as a key deliverable or stakeholder alignment and developer handoff - providing claear guidance on functionality, edge cases, and expected user behavior prior to implementation. 

Solution

A fully integrated claims experience within the Novel Bank app that:
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  • Guides users through a structured, intuitive claims process
  • Maintains brand consistency while incorporating third-party services
  • Balances compliance requirements with usability
  • Reduces friction during a high-stress user journey

Outcome

The redesigned experience was successfully delivered and launched within the planned timeline.
Post-launch observations and early feedback indicated: 
  • Users struggled with insurance terminology  
  • Long question sequences increased cognitive fatigue​
  • Lack of visibility into progress created uncertainty

Conclusion

The final designs were delivered to engineering with clear specifications and supporting documentation, enabling a smooth handoff and implementation within the planned three-month timeline. 
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The experience was successfully launched, with early feedback indicating improved clarity and a more cohesive claims journey within the Novel Bank ecosystem.
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Post-launch, ongoing testing and iteration cotinue to refine the experience and identify opportunities for further improvement.
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