PROBLEM + RESEARCH
The Problem
This group prioritizes efficiency and has a low tolerance for unnecessary digital hurdles.
Where does the information you enter come from, one place, or many tools?
Have you ever left a submission incomplete? What made you stop?
When do you still reach for paper instead of Plan Manager?
Research Without A Lane
No formal UX research path. Product owners were on daily calls with FAs, sponsors, and TPAs, fielding call-center feedback. That was the signal. Getting access to it required earning trust first.
Gap I still carry
No formal UX research path. Product owners were on daily calls with FAs, sponsors, and TPAs, fielding call-center feedback. That was the signal. Getting access to it required earning trust first.
The reframe and interaction model
The brief asked to digitize the form, my reframe was to design for how people actually work.
Progressive disclosure
Adaptive field logic
Conditional branching
Real-time inline validation
Save-and-return
(1) the contact replacement modal, (2) the employer contributions form with conditional fields. (3) contact card toggle roles with error messaging.
V1 results + iteration V1 · August 2024
25%
Adoption in first four months
~10
Iteration: V2 and beyond
Every quarter, something new, without breaking what came before.
Integrated plan designs
Plan templates
Dealer and TPA restrictions, enforced contextually
Search, filter, sort; tablet; accessibility upgrades
Enhanced DocuSign: resend and cancel envelopes from the dashboard
LEADERSHIP + LESSONS
How I lead
Managed three designers across workstreams, two US-based and one overseas.
Designers owned problem spaces, not task lists, from discovery through handoff.
The system held the standard so I did not have to be in every room.
Six things this confirmed
The reframe is the work.
Disclosure is a strategy.
Product owners can serve as a research channel.
The system enables iteration.
Guardrails before interface.
Adoption as a UX metric.
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