As part of a 10-week UX/UI design immersive mentorship program at San Francisco State University, our team undertook the challenge of redesigning the Delta Dental Insurance Provider Search Tool. Our goal was to improve the user experience and make it more efficient and effective for users to find dental providers within their insurance network.
The original Delta Dental Insurance Provider Search Tool had several usability issues, making it difficult for users to find providers quickly and easily. Users were often frustrated due to the tool's lack of advanced search options, poor information architecture, and a cluttered interface.
To address the identified problems, our team conducted user interviews, user research, affinity diagramming, feature ideation, and feature prioritization. We used the insights gained from these activities to develop a redesigned search tool that effectively addressed user pain points and goals.
To address the identified problems, our team conducted user interviews, user research, affinity diagramming, feature ideation, and feature prioritization. We used the insights gained from these activities to develop a redesigned search tool that effectively addressed user pain points and goals.
Our user interviews helped us identify the following goals:
A recent study revealed significant dissatisfaction among users searching for a dentist online, with 70% of respondents reporting they could not find the information they sought. In addition, the study found that users spent an average of 5 minutes and 47 seconds attempting to locate a suitable dentist, indicating room for improvement in the search process.
Several factors contributed to this dissatisfaction. First, users needed more trust in both the search function and the results provided. Instances of "nothing available" messages and incomplete dentist information further compounded the issue. Additionally, the search function required users to enter their dental network, yet most respondents admitted not knowing this information.
Despite many visits to the search function (approximately 700,000), only 20% (150,000) of users utilized the refine search feature. This research shows the need for a more user-friendly and efficient search function to better serve those seeking dental care.
The next phase of are research we used affinity diagramming to group the insights and feedback we gathered from the user interviews and research. This helped us identify patterns, themes, and common pain points among the users. The affinity diagramming allowed them to narrow down the most important features that the new tool should have.
After identifying the pain points and needs of the users, Delta Dental started the feature ideation process to create a list of features for the new tool. They brainstormed features that would help users find dental providers more easily, such as a search bar, filters for insurance plans, location, and services offered. They also included features that would provide users with more information about the providers, such as reviews and ratings, provider specialties, and images.
Delta Dental used feature prioritization to decide which features to include in the new search tool. They used a scoring system to rate the features based on how important they were to users and how feasible they were to implement. This helped them identify the most critical features to include in the initial release.
I’ve analyzed two dental insurance companies - looking both at the search filter tools and negative though web apps to find patterns
Pros: Intuitive interface, multiple filtering options, clear provider profiles.
Cons: Limited information on provider ratings, no option to save preferred providers.
Pros: Extensive filtering options, provider reviews and ratings, option to save preferred providers.
Cons: Cluttered interface, slow loading times, not dental-specific.
The 10 heuristics are general principles for interaction design. These heuristics evaluates the usability of a website or product. To begin collecting initial problems on the current state of the provider search tool, our team conducted the 10 heuristic evaluations on the website.
Through our initial user surveys and data findings, we then created our user personas. The first persona is Aaron Lua, a college student who just moved to their college town in need of a new dentist. The second persona is Tara Harris, a pianist with a disability in need of a new dentist as well.
We figured out the user journey from the initial provider search tool to the more information pages.
Before creating our first set of wireframes for redesigning the provider search tool, we wanted to follow the design guidelines in the design system used by Delta Dental. Therefore, our team chose the components needed to complete the digital wireframes on Figma within the Emerald Design System based on our sketches, such as the drop-down menus, radio buttons, and sliders.
From the research and ideation process, our team further tackled our design challenge by creating wireframes for the 3 main vital problems we wanted to solve for the user: a refined map feature, an efficient filter feature, and a dentist preview feature with better informational hierarchy.
Upon finalizing the mid-fidelity wireframes, our team embarked on a usability evaluation to meticulously examine diverse user journeys in collaboration with our target audience. In pursuit of the most precise and valuable insights, we crafted uniform testing scripts for all team members to utilize during the evaluation process. Subsequently, we engaged five users in a dynamic testing experience, presenting them with three distinct scenarios, and inviting them to execute tasks and navigate through each user flow.
We tested with five users, gave them three scenarios, and asked them to perform tasks and flows for each.
They cracked their tooth and need an emergency appointment! We asked them to find the closest dentist within a range of 10 miles.
They are in the Delta Dental PPO network and want to find a new dentist in the same network with an internet connection. We asked them to find two dentists that fit these requirements who are currently accepting new patients.
Continuing from the previous scenario, they want to find the best-reviewed dentist from these results and are also curious to see who the worst-reviewed dentist is. We asked them to locate both.
The Delta Dental Insurance Provider Search Tool redesign project offered a valuable opportunity to develop my leadership skills. Throughout the project, I learned the importance of fostering open communication and collaboration within the team. By actively listening to team members and incorporating their ideas, we were able to create a more effective solution that addressed user needs.
Moreover, the project emphasized the value of a user-centered approach in designing digital products. By focusing on the user's pain points and goals, we were able to develop a more impactful and satisfying solution. This experience has made me a better leader by reinforcing the importance of empathy, adaptability, and a user-centered mindset in solving design challenges.
