World Nomads — A UX Case Study
Or building a sense of trust and safety through transparency, simplicity, and clarity.
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”
World Nomads was a two week Waterfall project we did alongside our UX Design Transform course with Academy Xi.
Content
Introduction
The Challenge
Our Approach: Discovery — On-site Survey — User-Testing
Solution: Persona — Insights, Ideation, and Creation… and Testings
Trustworthiness and safety through digital — How we could have gone deeper and dirtier
Credits
Introduction
Over the last few years, the traveling lifestyle has spread across the world, and the “independent adventurer” mindset is becoming more and more mainstream. Traveling is no longer a leisure, it is becoming a concrete lifestyle. From backpackers exploring the four corners of the world, to individuals living and travelling in their self-built vans, driving across the Aussie desert from East to West as Priscilla Queen of The Desert once did — we all dream of leaving everything behind and taking the leap of faith.
There is no need to mention that when traveling solo — or even in a group — travel insurance is of the upmost importance to have that extra bit of reassurance that if something happens, you are covered.
Ya’ don’t want to be struck by dengue fever and not be able to get the adequate treatment now do ya’.
But what does it take for a user to feel like they can put their own protection into a travel insurance company’s hands ? How do you convey that sense of trust and safety through your product ?
Founded in 2001, World Nomads is a leading global travel insurance and lifestyle brand. Their purpose is to challenge travelers to harness their curiosity, be brave enough to find their own journey, and to gain a richer understanding of themselves, others, and the world.
They operate on different levels:
They provide travel insurance
They provide safety alerts and tips
They give back by giving their customers the option of making micro-donations to a charity of their choice
They allow travelers to share their stories
They create travel scholarship opportunities and assignments for creative travelers to learn new skills and turn a passion into a profession
To put it in their words:
“Our role is to be your expert, constant travel companion, providing you with all the tools and information you need to explore your boundaries.”
The Challenge
World Nomads travel insurance related traffic is increasing at 30% year on year, with 950k users per month, and 1.2 Million on their database.
That’s a lot.
However, mobile device usage is increasing rapidly at 98%, and as a consequence, 19% of their travel insurance is sold on-the-go. At the airport. In the plane. Minutes before take-off.
And I thought my organisational skills were bad.
The problem is this: 54% of their sessions are on mobile, but their conversion rate for mobile devices is 14% only, which is much lower than desktop.
How can we fix this ? How can we convey this sense of trust and safety that invites the user to go through and purchase their insurance on their mobiles rather than their desktop device.
How might we simplify the purchase experience for World Nomads users so that they can buy their travel insurance anywhere, quickly and easily, on-the-go from their mobile.
Jon Whitby, Head of UX & Performance at World Nomads, came to us to simplify the purchase path to increase mobile conversion through the two core conversion goals: session to quote, and quote to sale.
Our Approach
Client engagement wasn’t the most memorable aspect of the project. We engaged with them at different stages, but their returns were minimal. After listening and discussing with them on day 1, we came up with an approach plan that took us through a discovery process followed by a research process, that would enable us to gain key insights and identify friction points relevant to the usability and feasibility of the purchase path. Following the insights, we were able to ideate and design a relevant solution.
Discovery
Our client had previously conducted some user-testings and provided us with research deliverables that we were able to use to our benefit in terms of identifying the major drop-off points, and WHY they occurred at those specific points.
Screen recordings of previous user testings
Heatmaps
Scrollmaps
Analytics on identified drop-off points
Those research deliverables got us to identify the following insights:
The main drop-off points were located on the options page, and the details page.
Navigation and content were the main pain-points that led to the drop off: a LOT of scrolling was involved, and users found it difficult to locate relevant content and specific needs — there was a lot of confusion around the clarity of the information that was provided to them at those steps, decreasing the possibility of them completing the purchase via mobile.
Following up on our initial discoveries, a heuristic evaluation of the current purchase path as well as competitor’s purchase paths enabled us to understand the process mechanism of our product and thus understand pain-points from a user perspective. It also gave us an insight into what might usability testing uncover, as well as an insight into what sort of content competitors displayed and how they displayed it, as opposed to what World Nomads did.
We wanted to understand what sort of content was missing and what content could be made clearer. In order to re-design a usable, desirable, and feasible purchase path, we needed to convey a feeling of trust that the information was clear and transparent enough so that they would go through with the purchase process.
On-site survey
As part of our primary research, we needed to know WHY users dropped-off at those points in order to implement relevant changes. We figured, the simplest of ways to do so was by asking them. So we did. The very much valued Qual data.
…We asked ‘em.
We got the developers to implement an on-site survey on the identified drop-off points. The questions were simple:
“Are there any questions that you are not finding the answers to?” — displayed after 7 seconds on the Options page.
“What is stopping you from completing your purchase today?” — displayed on the Details page. In order to determine the time frame within which we wanted the message to appear, we each filled out the entire details page and timed ourselves. We came to the conclusion that 45 seconds suited best.
“Quick question: what nearly stopped you from buying with us today” — immediately displayed on the receipt page.
To our lovely surprise, the survey was up the following day. They only implemented one on the customization page but hey.. better than nothing. They also only implemented the survey for 1 day as opposed to the 3+ days days requested by us but hey… better than nothing.
User Testing
We interviewed and user tested participants to understand their needs. Their reactions and behaviors indicated clear pain points, and by letting them voice their expectations, we were able to identify points of opportunity and points to ideate.
We kicked off by asking them a few questions about their traveling habits in terms of frequency, location, insurance, booking, and their experiences.We followed up by giving them two tasks to complete: an easy one, and one that required a little more interaction with the different features.
Easy task
Location: Japan
Duration: 1 week
Dates: April 1st to 8th
Age: 29
Birth date: 5/5/1989
Iphone $1000
Camera $1500
Difficult Task
You and your friend
Location: Switzerland (climbing MontBlanc (height: 4809m)), Austria
Activity: Skiing, ice climbing, sight-seeing
Duration: 3 week
Dates: April 1st to 22nd
Age: 29, 31
Birth date: 5/5/1989
Iphone $1000
Go Pro $500
Our objective was to get our users to interact with all the features along the booking path in a scenario that didn’t require many extra additions, and one where it did. We wanted to observe in which scenario did users show the most pain points, and listen to the “why”.
From these testings and interviews came out clear insights that allowed us to ideate our solutions.
Solution
Persona
As briefed by Jon, World Nomads doesn’t have a persona, they are a mindset. The independent traveller. And World Nomads reaches out to anyone with that mindset. However, no matter the mindset, if you want travel insurance… well ya’ want travel insurance.
Since their brand logo is called Sanchez, our persona was Sanchez. He was characterized by that main statement that identified our users needs in terms of solving our problem:
“As a World Nomad user, I want to be able to buy travel insurance quickly and easily on the go from my mobile and know exactly what I am covered for.”
Insights, Ideation, and Creation… and Testing
The insights that we were able to uncover during our research process as we observed user behaviors and listened to their needs, frustrations, and expectations, enabled us to move forward in our ideation and solution process. We wireframed and sketched those solutions, before designing a high-fidelity prototype, and user-testing them for Round 2.
The insights we ideated from were the following:
INSIGHT 1
There is a lack of clarity around the website’s purpose.
“As a travel insurance seeker, I need to know I am in the right place so that I can buy travel insurance.”
Our objective here was to improve the clarity of the value proposition.
This was achieved with a little tweak in copy-writing on the landing page, as well as a “get a price” button at the beginning at the page.
In order for us to determine if the value proposition had more clarity, we started off by asking them about their first impressions on the page, and what they thought the website was about. We let them express their feelings, impressions and expectations.
RESULTS
The new value proposition was clear, although an AB test would have been valuable
The “get a price” button was well received
We then got them to complete 1 task, that required them to interact with every adjusted and implemented feature.
You and your friend → this got them to interact with the added text field for an extra traveller
To Switzerland & Austria
Activities: Hiking Mont Blanc (height: 4809m), skiing, and ice climbing → this got them to interact with the extra activities that are and are not covered
For 3 weeks
From April 1st to 22nd
Ages: 29, 31
DOB: 05/05/1989
Friend’s DOB: 05/05/1987
Iphone: $1000
Camera: $500 → these got them to interact with the “extra item” single step
INSIGHT 2
The mobile platform is un-intuitive, and doesn’t conform to standard prototypicality.
“As a travel insurance seeker, I need to add extra travelers simply and intuitively so that I can quickly proceed to the next step.”
Our objective here was to re-design the “extra traveler” option.
This was achieved along with a simpler design of the quote form.
The new design of the get a quote form worked, although users expressed the expectation to have a field for pre-existing conditions
The “traveler 2” field addition made much more sense
INSIGHT 3
The navigation and layout need improvement. The quote process is confusing to users, and the content and policy information is not sufficiently clear.
“As a travel insurance seeker, I need to understand the differences between policies so that I can understand what I am covered for.”
The objective here was to improve the clarity and simplicity of the quote page.
This was achieved by:
- Making the layout of both plans clear and simple on one step, with a “more info” drop-down that included a full detailed description of the relevant insurance plan. From that point on, users could either immediately select their plan, or choose to “compare plans” for a clear comparison table of both plans, side by side, that we designed and implemented as an extra page.
- We added a sticky heading to enable them to select their plan at any point during the browsing of the comparison table.
- We also added more clarity to the progress bar — text instead of numbers, so that they could easily locate themselves along the purchase path.
RESULTS
The amended progress bar enabled users to situate themselves much more easily, although it needs adjustment in terms of colour. Users expressed a bit of confusion around locating themselves along the path: it was not clear if the highlighted step was the one they were one, or the one they had completed.
The “more info” drop-down was well received, although user behavior indicated that this step was un-necessary, as they immediately expected a detailed comparison of both plans as opposed to being given the choice of immediately choosing a plan OR comparing both.
The comparison table was extremely well received along with the sticky heading, although users expressed the interest in having first the differences compared, and then the similarities. They wanted more organisation of the comparison.
INSIGHT 4
The layout and Information Architecture needs revisiting: lack of clarity leads to confusion.
“As a travel insurance seeker, I need to customize my policy quickly and easily so that I know what extras I am and am not covered for.”
The objective here was to improve the speed, clarity, and simplicity of the page.
This was achieved through two elements:
- By breaking down the option to add extra items and extra activities into 2 separate steps. That gave each step more clarity, simplicity, and speed in terms of the user’s interaction with it.
- By adding more clarity for users to identify what is and is not covered.
RESULTS
“Add Items”
Breaking down “extra items” and “extra activities” into 2 different steps was very well received. It decreased scrolling and made the overall information much more clear and simple for users.
However they expressed the need to have more clarity around what a “high value item” is, as some of them assumed that something as common as a phone would be automatically covered without having to add it as an extra.
In terms of UI, users would have wanted the item icons to be blue, as they are for the activities icons.
“Add Activities”
The overall re-design of the page was well received, especially the iconography that was designed along the same lines as the “extra items”.
The improved clarity around the activities that are and aren’t covered was well received too — the darker red shading made much more sense for the users, although users judged it best to remove that ability of adding activities that aren’t covered, and replace it with an instant notifying message.
A big opportunity that stood out here was the ability to instantly upgrade to a higher plan, instead of going back to the beginning of the process.
Overall our solutions worked well and were well received. We clearly improved the value proposition of the product, as well as improved the clarity, simplicity, and speed of the purchase path. Of course, this prototype needs adjusting and further user-testing in order to validate the further findings.
In the meantime, we handed over all of our research and deliverables to our client, who said “we will implement some of the changes.”
Up to this day, the only change we observed is the implementation of the comparison table on the website platform. We hope they will do further testing and iteration and put our research to good use.
Trustworthiness and safety through digital — how we could have gone deeper and dirtier
Trustworthiness in digital products is not a given. As Humans, we all have a great deal of trust issues with each other, let alone with something we cannot directly interact with as we would with another human (putting aside the topic of AI — that is a whole other matter of discussion). In any product, it is the clarity of the information, the simplicity of the journey, and the transparency of the information that are the key elements for conveying a sense of safety and trust to the user whilst interacting with the product.
It is clear that through our research, we were able to gain enough insights to re-design the product’s purchase path; we reduced a considerable amount of frustrations, therefore conveying enough sense of trust, safety, and effortlessness for the users. This enabled them to go through the purchase without indicating they would drop-off at any point.
Although we delivered a considerable amount of relevant and usable insights, as well as a full working high-fidelity prototype, more time around this would have been extremely insightful in terms of getting an even deeper understanding of what people value most. I would have loved to take this entire project to a whole new, much deeper level to understand the core origins behind what, as a Human, makes me feel safe.
What and whom, as a Human, do I trust, and more importantly why.
This would have enabled us to identify a completely different area of insights to design around, focusing more on the rawer level of things, and delivering an even deeper product. As Humans, we have such a vast range of emotions and feelings, and I find it fascinating that by uncovering the deep “Whys”, we can design a product that suits them and creates feelings of satisfaction, happiness, trust, safety… I could go on as the list of beautiful emotions is endless, but I would rather save this for another topic of discussion.
CREDITS
I would like to thank our instructor and mentor Robert Williams along with the Academy Xi for giving us the opportunity to work on real world client projects like this one.
Many thanks to Jon Whitby, head of UX & performance at World Nomads, for coming towards us and trusting our student expertise to solve the problem.
I would also like to thank all of our participants that agreed to be interviewed and user-tested, you guys are the reason why we want to solve problems like these !
And of course, I would like to thank my three lovely and talented team members: Leah Bayndrian, Akshati Shah and Doug Rotherham. As a group we worked so well together, merging our ideas and supporting each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Not a single idea was left behind and every opinion was voiced. That was the beauty of us working so well as a team.
I would jump on another project with you guys in a heartbeat. Much love for you three, and thank you !
