Three things I learned about seniors as a growth designer in healthcare
Starting with the realization that “seniors” might not be the best term
I recently took advantage of all the outdoor seating at coffee shops in New York and found myself sitting next to two elderly couples all masked up one evening. I was busy sketching on my iPad and listening to H.E.R when one of the elderly women complimented my work. This sparked a longer conversation and five minutes in, I found myself unexpectedly user researching how elderly people have been navigating the healthcare system, given a global pandemic and the approaching Open Enrollment Period. We discussed the new normal of a global pandemic, getting help from neighbors for basic life necessities, missing loved ones, and how we have all managed to find joy in the midst of calamity this year. In the end, I laughed to myself and messaged my team on our Slack channel & left the conversation grateful for being able to have such interactions in my neighborhood.
Over the next few weeks, I went ahead and had many such conversations with more elderly residents in my neighborhood (fortunately, I live in a very age-diverse part of Manhattan). I found that they all echoed one common thought: most did not understand why they had to be grouped into a “seniors segment”. They complained that digital products used stock pictures of old people doing “old people things” (drinking tea, sleeping/resting, or visiting a doctor) when they lived more exciting and healthy, active lifestyles (exercising, gathering with friends, exploring new places). This was one of my first “Ah-ha!” moments where I realized that I was failing to empathize with the users I was designing for.
This year, Franchise Help reported that the market size for senior healthcare, measured by revenue, was $300bn. Given the scope and size of this industry, it’s essential for us as designers and product thinkers to familiarize ourselves with their experiences on and off-screen. As a designer and manager for a growth team, I knew I had to delve into these nuances and bridge the gap between these users and technology. Starting with implementing these 3 approaches in our experimentation process:
1. Don’t underestimate your user
Early last year, I had the chance to attend ProductCon. The Head of Digital Products at Northwestern Mutual — Vivek Bedi — gave a talk about the growth of product for a 160-year-old company. He shared a story about his dad wanting to get an iPhone, “and we were like oh God, this is going to be a disaster!" he said. “He got a smartphone so he started texting with my son and Facetiming with my daughter but what I learned from this experience was”, he continued, “that all the data said that my dad would never do that but he decided to anyway because it enhanced his relationship with my kids”.
As it turns out, grandparents or “seniors”, as we often like to call this user segment in meetings, are a lot more tech-savvy than we give them credit for. They have adapted to what we consider “our world” in order to overcome the communication gap between their loved ones and combat the loneliness of being “out of the know”. In the midst of a global pandemic, this concept has rapidly grown for older people because the best (and safest) way to interact with your loved ones is over video calls, sharing screens to share experiences, and frequently sending videos/photos to one another.
Senior Living reported that the social media apps most used by seniors are Facebook Mobile, WhatsApp, Facetime, Skype, and Instagram. When we design for seniors, we should really understand how and what technology they’re using. Buying healthcare is an infrequent purchase as is, how can we make this infrequent experience feel more native and familiar? What are the common elements between these apps and our insure-tech experiences? Are there any common motivators?
On our growth team, we manifest this by empowering our senior users instead of underestimating their understanding of common UX trends.
We use and analyze apps that they are familiar with, to better understand how we can leverage common UX patterns to improve the experience of buying healthcare with us. This allows us to launch thoughtful tests that give us valuable insights into the range of consumer behavior.
2. “Bigger is better” and “less is more” still stands true
In order to effectively advocate for our consumers, we need to account for the realities of aging. The US Census Bureau estimates there are over 73 million baby boomers in the US, the youngest of which are turning 55 in 2020. The likelihood of them frequenting every website out there is high. People start experiencing presbyopia (farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye) as early as 40 years old which makes it harder to read small text and process smaller icons. Color vision also starts declining with age, making it harder for people to distinguish between similar colors. Limitations with dexterity is an added disadvantage that many people face as they get older.
Looking into the behaviors of consumers shopping for healthcare outlines the core nature of the 4 main persona types and shows us where the different generations land on that scale. The majority of elderly consumers shopping for healthcare fall into the “Bystanders” and “Homesteader” persona categories because they are newer to the internet generation and more so the habits of being able to make complex decisions with a few clicks.
When you combine all these hurdles with the deluge of information in a health insurance plan, it makes for a very unpleasant experience. As growth designers, there are simple ways to address these hurdles especially when we’re working on “testing quick and failing fast”.
- Accessibility: Create scalability in your design system that acknowledges aging experiences and addresses this by having meaningful interactions with bigger text and icon sizes. Pay particular attention to contrast ratios when evaluating your color palette.
- Balance: Be selective with the information you display. Between the healthcare and compliance jargon, the user barely digests more than a few lines of useful information.
- Education: Take advantage of progressive disclosure (especially for mobile users!) by gradually introducing the user to key information, allowing them to consume it at a slower pace.
- Exit Intents: Don’t be offended if your user exits your beautifully designed flow early. Instead, give them the best choice when exiting. Guide them to a health care advisor and let them know you understand their pain points in this daunting process.
3. “What will people say?” can sometimes be a good thing
Generally, older adults prefer connecting with smaller, more intimate groups of people as it resonates with the social practices of their lifestyle as young adults. Historically, they navigated life in a world where making connections and keeping in touch with these one-off connections was not as easy; there were fewer opportunities to consistently communicate. This approach translates into their behavior on social media. For example, they limit connections to people in their inner circles as opposed to younger users who welcome connecting with friends of friends, social media personalities they admire, or even people they met in a restroom line at a dive bar that one Friday night.
As designers, we can use these behavioral cues to empower older users by helping them create welcoming networks for their needs. While doing this in the health insurance space can be challenging due to the nature of the purchase, we can leverage data to help us improve virtual communication in 2 key ways.
- Social Proof: Adding “markers” by using language like “top recommended plans” or “Health coverage personalized just for you” or “Most people in <your city> buy this plan” can connect with the user in a way they are familiar with. There is comfort in knowing that the community one belongs to has a shared experience when it comes to something as important as health coverage.
- Expert Advice: We found that elderly users are more likely to want to hop on a call midway through their digital experience. Knowing this information allows us to give our users the option to consult with our expert in-house advisors and talk to a health insurance agent that can deeply understand their situation from A-Z.
Incorporating these learnings into our practices allows us to design meaningful tests, better understand the behaviors of our users, and cater to the needs of individual segments. When I started to delve into this area and really understand the capabilities of this population, I found myself getting excited by the endless possibilities of learning from a generation much older than mine. What used to be an uninteresting content area for me, (let’s be honest…designers don’t usually wake up thinking “let me make the best design for ‘old-people’), is now a subject I truly enjoy learning about, especially when it revolves around business, design, and technology.
If you’re interested in digging deeper into the potential opportunities your team can tap into, I highly suggest reading The Longevity Economy. Until then, I hope these 3 learnings will help you and your team as much as they did mine.
