AXA'S EMERGENCY SERVICE REDESIGN
In order to reduce their customer service call overflow, the insurance company AXA wanted to rework their emergency service pages to provide a simple, fast and positive experience for users.
MY ROLE
I had to rework one part of the site, in order to be used as a template for the rest
of the emergency services redesign. The following demonstration spotlights a very specific example : the two-wheel vehicle breakdown and the easiest way to declare it online. The service needed a strong focus on the mobile version since the phone is the first device used on the spot when an issue is encountered on the road.
THE CHALLENGE
The reasons of the customer service call overflow started to be quite evident after full analysis of the existing site:
The first impression delivered is not reassuring. The whole design does not provide a very friendly and trustworthy feeling.
The user has to dig for information when he is obviously already affected by the situation. The environment, the lack of time and stress add difficulties and participate to a bad evaluation of the service offered. Let's not forget that a service is provided which means that theoretically the user should smoothly follow through helpful instructions and not find out by himself what is supposedly the correct procedure.
The lack of progression strongly pushes the user to call the customer service directly. There is no real improvement from one page to another when the architecture must be in favour of a real A to Z support with a successful conclusion.
The mobile version is not really practicle in an emergency situation when it is actually the first and most practical option the user often has on the side of the road.
Overview of the initial website :
THE PSYCHOLOGY
The psychology behind the emergency situation is a real asset to take in consideration. The user is genuinely in stress as his/her activities have been suddenly interrupted by an emotional event. There is no time to dig for information. The procedure to set up must be simple, fast and intuitive. Ideally the user should be smoothly guided through the procedure without any hiccough. Information comes to the client, not the other way around. At the end the user should find clear and positive results.
COLLECTING
All the necessary information is already on the existing version of the website but the main issue is the redundancy of it from one page to another. This increases the sensation of non-progression during the procedure. The quantity of information and the display of it on screen confuses the user who does not know where to look at first. By collecting only the necessary, the experience will be smoother and the message clearer.
PUZZLING UP
Once the collection of the necessary information only is made, it is time to puzzle up and hierarchy the major steps the user has to go through in order to find support. From the appearance of the problem to the solution it is crucial to get a great understanding of the main actions the user has to face. Prioritise one from another in order to create an intuitive flow.
SYNTHESISING
Synthesising helped to split the experience on four different levels. First the problem in which the user ends up finding help and opening the main website. Secondly the definition of the problem, the nature of the emergency, the vehicle type and the specific issue encountered with the vehicle. Then begins the procedure helping step-by-step to set the environment security around the user, define the environment type, judge if an emergency call is necessary in case of injury. The fourth and final stage is a resolved problem.
GIVING THE CHOICE
The previous version of the website was only offering a landline number to get the emergency services directly over the phone. In order to avoid too much traffic on these lines it is crucial for the user to also find help online. This would not only participate to a major gain in time, but it also implements to self-resolution of one’s problems. In reason of previous experience with the helpline in addition to less experimented users with technologies, it remains beneficial to keep both options available : online (step-by-step self service) and offline (over the phone).
A TWO-PHASE REDESIGN
I decided to split the online experience in two phases : the first one consisting on the analysis of the problem succeeded by a second one fixing the actual issue.
WIREFRAMING
The below wireframing is the closest version of the final prototype :
INTEGRATION IN EXISTING
Since the work done is a partial redesign of a more extensive service, it is important to stick to the original brand guideline set originally by Axa. The toughest part has been to provide a more modern look while using the same graphic codes in order to look consistent with the remaining site. Here is an overview of a few random site pages; they must be able to offer a feel of the expected work.
THE HOMEPAGE
The Axa homepage contains loads of information as anyone landing on this page could either be a new client, an existing client looking for specific information or someone in an emergency situation.
The "ASSISTANCE" button has been made noticeable and in red within the header in order to be found quickly in case of emergency.
This is the button for the user to start the procedure.
ASSISTANCE
Two options are then offered to the user : on the first hand a phone number to reach directly the emergency services ( this phone number has to remain for legal reasons ), and on the other hand an online emergency service to avoid the straight phone call.
The online assistance displays different options : issues encountered with a vehicle, housing, health, banking or even savings.
In this demonstration the user will proceed with a vehicle; the orange button made distinctively visible to declare an incident.
THE VEHICLE FILES
To allow access to user files, a log-in step is requested.
Once logged in, access is granted to all the vehicle files registered with Axa. The user has then to select the damaged vehicle from the list.
In this case, the user will select the motorcycle registered
with the insurer.
THE NATURE OF THE ISSUE
When the damaged vehicle is chosen from the user files, numerous emergency types are then listed
in a second step.
Regarding the problem faced in this scenario, the user will then choose the breakdown option.
DECLARATION
Once the breakdown option is selected, more information is provided to the user in order to insure the right issue has been chosen. If the definition of the problem matches the user’s situation, the orange
‘Declare the Breakdown’ button appears to allow the user to continue to the next step.
