Striving for Deeper Member Engagement

Enhancing Healthcare Experiences Through User-Centered Design

The healthcare industry, particularly organizations focused on insurance and member services, continuously strives to effectively engage with its diverse users. From assisting individuals in managing their health benefits and prescriptions to providing clear and accessible information, the user experience is crucial for achieving positive outcomes.

Recognizing the vital need to understand and address the needs of their members, a prominent health insurance provider partnered with Concrete to leverage user-centered insights and design principles. This case example demonstrates the profound impact of prioritizing the member perspective in creating more effective and impactful healthcare solutions, specifically in areas like prescription management and overall engagement with their health plan.

A Health Insurance Provider Striving for Deeper Member Engagement

A large health insurance provider recognized that despite offering a range of digital tools and communication channels, their member engagement remained lower than desired. Members often expressed frustration with navigating their benefits, managing prescriptions, and understanding healthcare costs. The provider suspected a disconnect between their internal understanding of member needs and the actual experiences of their diverse user base. To bridge this gap, they engaged the consultancy to conduct in-depth user research focused on understanding member behaviors, motivations, and pain points across key areas like managing prescriptions, finding care, and planning expenses.

Uncovering Deep Emotional Drivers and Guiding Principles:

The user research undertaken by the consultancy went beyond surface-level inquiries. Through careful analysis, they identified deep emotional drivers influencing how members interacted with the health insurance provider. This analysis revealed three key principles that should guide every digital touchpoint and behavioral intervention to foster positive emotional engagement:

• Approaching people at the right time: Understanding moments of transition in members' health or healthcare journeys when they are actively seeking help is crucial.

• Taking on the right roles in the relationship: Members responded positively to the provider acting as a connector (reassuring those feeling lonely and confused), an assistant (freeing up time for more important things), or an insider (sharing privileged information and access). Importantly, the research highlighted the need to even out the power dynamic in the relationship, moving away from a top-down communication style.

• Communicating in a way that allows members to talk back: Turning communication into a genuine two-way conversation was essential. Members expressed a desire for opportunities to answer questions and provide information back to the provider to better meet their needs.

Leveraging "Interception Points" for Behavior Change:

The research further identified ten distinct "interception points" in the member journey where targeted interventions could encourage positive behavior change. These points spanned various scenarios, including starting a new plan, planning a procedure, experiencing a lot of claims, choosing care, managing prescription effects, and stopping medication. User feedback was crucial in shaping how these interception points could be most effective. For example, when informing members about new tools and features, leading with a question (e.g., "Are you having trouble affording your prescriptions?") resonated strongly, as members wanted a way to respond and provide their own context. Similarly, when a question wasn't appropriate, members appreciated an admission of past shortcomings followed by a clear offer of improvement (e.g., acknowledging website search difficulties and highlighting user-driven improvements). This emphasized the importance of transparency and clear articulation of the "gives" and "gets" in the relationship.

Benefits of User-Centered Insights:

By adopting a user-centered approach, the health insurance provider gained invaluable insights that led to several key benefits:

• Improved Member Engagement: Understanding the emotional drivers and preferred communication styles allowed the provider to craft more resonant and engaging interactions.

• Increased Trust and Positive Perception: By demonstrating a willingness to listen and respond to member needs, the provider fostered greater trust and a more positive perception of their role.

• Enhanced Digital Tool Adoption: Insights into member expectations for digital tools informed the redesign of their app and website, making them more user-friendly and valuable for managing prescriptions and benefits.

• Better Support for Member Decision-Making: Providing clear information on costs, coverage, and alternative options empowered members to make more informed healthcare decisions.

• Potential for Improved Health Outcomes: By addressing barriers to medication adherence and access to care, the user-centered approach had the potential to contribute to better health outcomes for members.

• Streamlined Processes and Reduced Confusion: Clearer language, intuitive navigation, and well-defined processes reduced member confusion and the need for them to contact customer support, ultimately leading to more efficient operations.

Elevate Member Engagement and Build Lasting Trust

Are you looking to strengthen member relationships, foster positive behavior change, and enhance trust with your members? Contact Concrete today in the form below to discover how our proven, member-centric research and design strategies can transform your member experience and drive meaningful impact.