In 2020, the team of one of the largest insurance companies in CIS approached Markswebb with a request to evaluate the UX of their mobile application, market conditions, and competitive position.
The client wanted to identify strengths and growth areas, receive recommendations for further development, and evaluate the dynamics in the future.
We developed a methodology and conducted two waves of comparative research on the effectiveness of mobile applications of insurance companies over two years.
Contents
Together with the client, we defined the scope of the research, which included mobile applications of seven leading insurance companies on the market and the six most popular insurance products.
We studied the specific needs of users by surveying current clients of insurance companies. As part of the research, we covered 20+ of the most demanded tasks that a user may encounter on the path from non-client to client and vice versa. That is, from the process of selecting and purchasing a product to making a claim and canceling a contract.
These tasks were formulated into separate criteria for a checklist that allows for an objective comparison of different applications. In total, we collected 597 criteria for evaluating mobile services. For each one, we assessed the degree of impact on the user's task performance, coverage, and frequency of use, and formed the evaluation system.
We calculated an assessment for each application and determined the client's competitive position, gathered digital practices of insurance companies, and evaluated market dynamics by comparing data from 2020 and 2021 waves.
In total, the client received over 120 recommendations with references. Rare and unique solutions were used to describe the differences between the client's service and their competitors, including strengths and growth areas.
The niche of mobile applications for insurance companies in terms of digitalization can be considered a developing one. Users have access to a lot of information, such as the characteristics of insurance products, purchasing methods, and contacts. But the volume of opportunities for functional interaction with insurance companies remains low.
The main areas for growth are in tasks related to preliminary calculation, product purchase, claims processing, and policy renewal. Some user scenarios are not available in the application at all, for example, policy reinstatement or termination.
From 2020 to 2021, digital services of insurance companies were actively developing. New products and solutions appeared in applications, such as the ability to save preliminary calculations or pre-filled fields in the repurchase form.
Some apps added document scanning to speed up the application process, while the others focused on expanding its product line within the application, so that users could view information on car insurance and health insurance and immediately purchase them.
There is a noticeable gap in the pace of development between leaders and laggards. The former actively expand their interaction with customers through the application, while the latter are stagnating or even reducing functionality.
Most market applications aim to make purchasing insurance products as quick as possible, often at the expense of providing detailed product information. For mandatory insurance, such as auto liability insurance, this might be justified as conditions are well-known to car owners. However, for comprehensive auto insurance, clients likely want to compare terms and prices.
In one example, users can access both "Description" and "Application" sections on a single page. They can switch to the "Description" section at any stage of the cost calculation without losing previously entered data in the "Application" section.
The ability to review and purchase insurance products within the application varies by policy type. Some options, such as travel insurance, are widely available. However, health and accident insurance, as well as auto liability and comprehensive auto insurance, are less commonly offered.
One implementation allows users to upload documents for comprehensive auto insurance and either request an expert vehicle inspection or conduct it themselves. The app guides users through the necessary steps and sets a time limit, including uploading photos and describing any damages, with a timer to manage time effectively.
Many mobile insurance apps provide information on the claims process, with increasing options to attach documents and photos. This approach aims to simplify the user journey and reduce the need for office visits.
An example includes an app where users can file a claim from the main screen or policy information page, complete with detailed instructions, clickable emergency contact numbers, and downloadable forms and templates.
Managing existing policies, such as modifying, renewing, obtaining originals, or canceling agreements, often requires an office visit. Therefore, making the office search function user-friendly is crucial.
Many insurance apps feature maps showing office locations. One service includes filters and real-time office status information, enhancing usability.
Despite user-friendly maps, visiting an office can be time-consuming and inconvenient for routine tasks. One app uniquely allows users to modify existing policies directly, recalculating costs and refunding any balance to the user’s card immediately.
In 2021, only three companies offered policy renewal via app. One app uses a progress bar that turns red a month before policy expiration, with a renewal button appearing. Another app sends automatic push notifications before the policy expires, pre-loading previous policy data to streamline the renewal process.
Push notifications are sent twice: for comprehensive auto insurance 25 days before expiration, for auto liability insurance 30 days before, and for property insurance 14 days before. A second push is sent two days before expiration if the client has not yet renewed.
Victoria,
Product Owner of the mobile app
One app demonstrated the best UX solution for consultations, offering a chat feature with tags for common issues, saved chat history, read message statuses, and a callback request option. Another app has recently introduced a chat feature, currently limited but expected to expand.
Over the year, during the break between waves of research, the mobile app has grown significantly in volume and quality of functionality above the market.
Working on recommendations allowed for digitizing all the most popular products and user scenarios. The gap from the nearest competitor increased by 4.5 times, from 1.9 to 8.7 points.
In 2021, the focus of recommendations was on specific improvements and optimizations. Working on the recommendations of the second wave of research in full will allow the app to increase its rating from 60.1 to 82.5 points.
Every year we conduct up to 15 studies of digital services. These are industry benchmarks that reflect the state of the market and trends.
