| Experience design – Cigna, 2021 – 2022

Challenge

Intake analysts, brokers, and underwriters often struggled with disconnected tools, leading to delays of up to two months in delivering personalized packages. This process caused confusion, stress, and increased errors as they navigated role changes and unclear timelines, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and risking business losses.

 

 

My role

As the Lead UX Designer, I crafted an experience that empowers experts to work smarter, stay proactive, and genuinely enjoy their tasks. By identifying essential needs and unifying critical capabilities, I developed a seamless, all-in-one solution that centralizes information from multiple sources (providers, benefits, accounts, etc.), guiding users intuitively through each role, journey, and stage. The outcome? Enhanced visibility, effortless collaboration, reduced stress, and a remarkable 300% increase in task completion, allowing users to feel confident and achieve more daily.

Shedding light…

Discovery

I was fortunate to work with product owners and managers who recruited users for research and testing. We discovered that experts were duplicating efforts due to siloed workflows, confusion over data labels caused delays, and low motivation to use the new solution stemmed from unfamiliarity and training concerns. This research provided insights into current user operations, key obstacles to address, and ways to reduce cognitive load.

 

 

Define

Once the insights were clear and potential hypothetical solutions (design concepts) were defined, I leveraged the IBM Enterprise Garage framework to invite experts to develop a feasible strategy and incremental approach with the product, business, and engineering teams to align on the approach. As a champion for the customer experience, I attended and contributed to planning meetings, prepared to assert what was necessary to execute the best achievable design.

Desig & test

We then created use-case scenarios that centered on key enablers for the product and how it would fit seamlessly into users’ lives. Our goal was to design and test solutions that would de-risk our assumptions and create an experience that truly enhances people’s lives. To achieve this, we involved users early on by rapidly prototyping with tools like Adobe XD and Figma, listening to their feedback and understanding their reactions, so we could thoughtfully refine our designs to meet their needs.

Execute 

To conclude the process, I polished the visuals and carefully documented the process flows and UI components before finalizing everything. The modern look and feel, scalable architecture, and intuitive data visualization transformed how businesses and SMEs managed RFPs and benefit proposals. This solution not only streamlined their operations and resolved their challenges but also changed how they engaged with data and products, creating an experience that was both powerful and enjoyable. It was rewarding to see how these changes made their work easier and more fulfilling.

Intake analyst 

Underwriter 

Broker