Disability insurance · UX strategy · Journey mapping
Uncovering why disability insurance was difficult to explain and sell
Research and journey mapping to identify barriers across awareness, policy complexity, and advisor workflows
Insurance brokers and advisors struggle to sell disability insurance: policy options are complex, customer awareness is low, and sales processes are inefficient — resulting in lower adoption and missed opportunities to protect people who would benefit. I led research and journey mapping to reshape how disability insurance is explained and sold.
Approached with the Double Diamond
Overview
The brief was to improve how effectively disability insurance is sold — but the research showed the barrier wasn't sales technique. It was awareness, complexity, and process friction, all at once. The work was weighted toward the Discover and Define halves of the Double Diamond, with the solution framed as a three-track direction.
Why the problem exists
Three interlocking barriers
Interviews with brokers and RBCI advisors, plus empathy workshops, traced the low adoption back to three causes that reinforce each other — none solvable in isolation.
Lack of awareness
Many individuals and businesses know little about the importance and benefits of disability insurance, keeping demand low.
Policy complexity
Intricate terms, conditions, and coverage options make plans hard to explain and hard to recommend with confidence.
Inefficient sales processes
Manual paperwork, lengthy underwriting, and limited digital tools slow the cycle and push clients elsewhere.
Journey mapping & KPIs
Dual-perspective journeys, measurable goals
I mapped key touchpoints across awareness, consideration, purchase, and post-purchase — from both broker and advisor perspectives — aligned to the target audience's price concerns, exclusions, and income-support goals. Success was framed up front with concrete KPIs: website traffic, conversion, satisfaction, retention, and claims-processing time.
Solution direction
Three tracks, addressed together
Because the barriers were interlocking, the strategy addressed all three at once rather than optimizing any one in isolation.
Education & awareness
Comprehensive materials, seminars, webinars, and workshops for individuals, businesses, and professional networks.
Simplified policy information
Plain-language guides and interactive presentations that visually demonstrate coverage, benefits, and scenarios — plus advisor training.
Streamlined sales process
Online application portals, e-document submission, real-time quotes, automated underwriting, and better broker-underwriter channels.
Reflection
Addressing awareness, simplification, and process friction together — rather than any one in isolation — is what moves adoption. The dual-perspective journey maps became a shared reference for prioritizing the digital roadmap, and the KPI framework meant we could argue about evidence rather than opinion.
Outcome
Journey maps
Broker and advisor journeys mapped and validated with stakeholders.
KPI framework
A measurable definition of success adopted by the team.
Solution roadmap
A three-track strategy for education, clarity, and process.