Underwriting Editor
As a digital insurance provider, our aim is to automate the underwriting creation process, from design and testing to execution. This initiative is deemed as one of the most difficult design and developmental tasks within our organization due to the project's broad scale.
Role
Product Designer
Co-led the design of the product. Worked with 1 Product Designer (Vincy), 1 UX Researcher (Nick) and 5 Engineers
Key Methods
Design Sprint, Crazy 8s, Storyboarding, Affinity Mapping, User Flows, Sketching, Prototyping
Usability Tests
Results
Reduced the number of parties working on the system by 70%
Duration
2 months
PROBLEM STATEMENT
How might underwriters conduct simple quality tests efficiently on sets of health questionnaires?
context
Creating health questionnaires were heavily manual and time-consuming
When customers purchase an insurance product, they must complete health questionnaires online, which are critical for risk assessment. Bowtie faced the challenge of re-creating four sets of these questionnaires for its VHIS products by January 1, 2022, a strict regulatory deadline.
The process was entirely manual, relying on draw.io, an outdated flowchart tool. Two underwriters, Jean and Holly, manually mapped the questionnaires, while Kelly spent nearly one month proofreading each one. This inefficiency created significant bottlenecks, making it difficult to meet the deadline and increasing the risk of errors.
The manual system was not just slow—it was a major obstacle to scalability, accuracy, and timely delivery, highlighting the urgent need for automation.
discovery
Conducting a condensed design sprint
To uncover user pain points within the tight project timeline, Nick conducted a condensed 5-day design sprint. With the help of methods like Crazy 8s and Storyboarding, Vincy and I managed to develop a paper prototype in just two days.
Followed by the usability test, I took the initiative to organize the feedback into common themes using affinity maps and translated them into How Might We (HMW) statements. This helped set clear, actionable directions for the team.
To further refine our ideation, I created more specific HMW statements and sample use cases. This approach broke down the system’s requirements into manageable components, ensuring our solutions were both user-centered and aligned with project goals.
HMW enable users to write & edit large chunks of data while reducing manual workload?
HMW enable users to easily extend the drafted test suite?
ideation
Ensuring a seamless engineering handover
To ensure a smooth and productive engineering handover, I adopted a structured approach by documenting key details for each design task. This included the task description, component scope, and links to relevant documentation. For a complex project like this, such clarity was critical to align the team and avoid miscommunication.
This practice not only streamlined the handover process but also provided engineers with a clear roadmap, reducing ambiguity and ensuring efficient implementation of the testing system.
solution
Transforming Health Questionnaire Creation into a Fully Automated Process
What was once a lengthy, manual process has been transformed into a fully automated testing system within our internal platform. This eliminated the need for Kelly to proofread the entire system from scratch using draw.io. Our solution now simplifies testing into just two intuitive steps, saving time and reducing errors.
Step 1: Pick Questions to Test
Display properties of test suites for quick, at-a-glance understanding.
Use badges to show the number of cases passed, helping users track progress and identify remaining tests
Step 2: Run Tests and Compare Results
A sticky right-sidebar simplifies cross-checking across test cases.
Icons differentiate between Expected Decisions and Statuses for clarity.
Checkboxes enable bulk selection of test cases for efficient testing.
Clear success and error messages indicate the status of bulk test runs.
Filters make navigating through test cases faster and more intuitive.
IMPACT
✦ Reduced Testing Time from 1 Month to 1 Hour
Underwriters no longer rely on draw.io to proofread question logic. The system automatically identifies errors and tests questionnaires against various scenarios, eliminating the need for manual input. Users can now define expected results without navigating complex mind maps, making the process faster and more intuitive.
✦ Streamlined a 4-Step Solution in 2 Steps
We initially adopted a semi-manual approach, requiring users to switch between our internal system and Google Sheets for testing. While this seemed feasible due to time and technical constraints, usability testing revealed it overwhelmed users.
Fortunately, I had already sketched multiple workflow methods during the ideation phase, allowing us to pivot quickly.
Eventually, we arrived at an automated approach where the user no longer needs to switch platforms to conduct tests. This also reduced the number of steps needed.
✦ Usability Testing Became a Team Standard
Before this project, engineers underestimated the value of usability testing. However, this experience highlighted its importance—it prevented us from building a system that would have frustrated users. Testing helped us challenge assumptions early, avoiding costly revisions later in the cycle. Now, usability testing is a standard practice in our team, ensuring user-centered design from the start.