USAA: Umbrella Insurance
Product Design
Long-time members frequently complained about the redundancy of re-entering policy information they already provided to USAA. We solved this friction point by pairing a modernized design system with a new back-end that automatically provided this data, significantly streamlining the quote and improving user success.
60% reduction in manual data entry
by agregating user's existing policy information within their umbrella quote
9 out of 10 users left feeling confident and satisfied.
by Reusing existing policy data eliminated the need for repetitive entry, while clearer visual hierarchy and policy snapshots
27% in Reduction Task Time
50% reduction in manual tasks by combining grading, feedback, and scheduling into one streamlined flow.
THE PROBLEM
THE TEAM
My role was to collaborate with interpreters and stakeholders to reduce friction, stabilize the experience, and evolve the product based on what users truly needed.
UX Design & Research
RESEARCH
Familiarizing myself in user's workflows
I started by watching how people actually used the system in their day-to-day work. With the legacy product only available in production—and no usage data, documentation, or test environment—observation was the only way to understand what was really happening.
By following users through their workflows, I was able to map where things broke down and where improvements would matter most. Given the tight timeline, the focus was on changes that could make an immediate difference while still supporting a longer-term vision.
I then worked with stakeholders to establish a consistent feedback loop, engaging with roughly 45 insurance users.
We analyzed existing interviews and re-ran surveys to validate pain points and gain deeper insight into user behavior from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Here are the most impactful findings:
70%
Complained that data re-entry made them abandon flow
84%
DESIGN
Enabling Full Digital Enrollment and Leveraging Data Pre-fill
User feedback analysis and pre-existing heuristic review findings made it clear that the most significant pain points in the Legacy Umbrella Insurance platform centered on the inability to complete the acquisition process digitally. Once the backend capabilities were successfully updated, the primary design initiative was to drastically reduce the user effort required for enrollment.
17% of users abandon forms when they due to perception it's too long or too complicated
This conversion drop-off was amplified by the legacy system's shortcomings, which the primary design initiative was built to address.
To remedy this user's would rely upon calling into our agents. While this solved the issue it was a timely process, the annoyance of rehashing their item's covered by USAA in addition to properties not included hindered the ability to have this as frictionless as possible.
Designing for speed without sacrificing details
For many people, re-entering their personal belongings that they already know are covered by separate USAA felt extremely tedious. Makes sense, right? We needed to remove this step while maintaining the natural flow of necessary data entry.
Along with keeping this in mind, ensuring that we adapted this experience for both mobile devices, & desktop. We needed allow both members & agents equal autonomy.a
Providing the information disclosure form ensure that we're letting users know that we're using data already gathered from previous & existing USAA insurance policies.
When interacting with the umbrella flow design kept in mind what key information to provided in order to best inform what and whom will be covered under their policy. This ensures that relevant information is centralized and not spread across the screen for both desktop and mobile displays.
Establishing focus on manually property additions
The policy modernization design team already had established patterns that could be reused to support these product acquisitions.
The property card uses clear visual cues to show which items were already covered by USAA and which ones were added by the member. This distinction helps users quickly understand what coverage existed before and what has changed, reducing confusion and making policy details easier to review.
Stakeholders are keen on gather relevant user data
Additional information screens were needed to determine whether members qualified for umbrella coverage. These screens collected only what was necessary, keeping the process clear while ensuring eligibility could be assessed accurately.
Suggesting coverage amount based on info provided
To make it easier for members to choose a coverage amount, the design team and I introduced a full-screen overlay that clearly explains minimum coverage details.
Presenting this information in a focused, distraction-free view helped users make more confident decisions without adding complexity.
Quote Summary and Coverage Details
The quote snapshot gives users a clear overview of what’s included in their policy, showing coverage details alongside any additional items so they can easily understand what they’re getting before moving forward.
TESTING
95% of participants were able to complete the product acquisition without difficulty,
We balanced stakeholder input with existing research that showed users were frustrated by re-entering data and unclear about what their policy included. To address this, we streamlined underwriting questions to make eligibility clearer for users while still meeting backend requirements.
Research was conducted through three rounds of remote testing using Zoom, with 15 participants per round. Testing covered both desktop and mobile experiences to ensure the solution worked consistently across platforms.
Effortless Task Completion
Users completed core acquisition steps with minimal friction, demonstrating the interface supported clear decision-making and reliable progress through critical flows.
“Everything flowed smoothly without second guessing.”
Reduced Cognitive Burden
Pre-filled data and clear information hierarchy eliminated redundant input, helping users move faster while maintaining confidence in policy details and next steps.
“I didn’t have to re-enter anything.”
Clear Coverage Understanding
Improved visual hierarchy and policy snapshots helped users quickly understand what was included, reducing uncertainty and supporting confident coverage decisions.
“I finally understood what was covered.”
RESULTS
We’re continuing to iterate toward the larger vision
After tackling some of the larger pain points (excessive clicking, cognitive load, and scattered actions) and with the data showing that we’re on the right path - the team is building on this momentum, shipping improvements and tracking as we go.
60% reduction in manual data entry
by agregating user's existing policy information within their umbrella quote
9 out of 10 users left feeling confident and satisfied.
by Reusing existing policy data eliminated the need for repetitive entry, while clearer visual hierarchy and policy snapshots
27% in Reduction Task Time
50% reduction in manual tasks by combining grading, feedback, and scheduling into one streamlined flow.
REFLECTION
The product launched across five states—Arizona, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida.
Usability testing confirmed the design was strong, with remaining issues largely technical rather than experiential. Once rendering issues were resolved, task completion was expected to reach 95–98%. In production, real-world performance was projected to exceed test results, as motivated users tend to engage more carefully than test participants.