UX in Digital Insurance? With Delight!
The Why, What and How for Delightful UX
Cappuccino and Blueberry Muffin
I recently was on a city trip and stopped at a charming local coffee shop to grab a quick caffeine fix. As I stood in line waiting to order, I noticed a sign that read “Complimentary Pastry with Purchase”. As I had skipped breakfast and my stomach was starting to growl, I was thrilled by this unexpected treat.
When it was my turn to order, the barista greeted me with a friendly smile and asked what I would like. I decided on a cappuccino and asked if I could have a blueberry muffin as my complimentary pastry. The barista smiled and said “Of course! And because it’s your first time here, I’ll also throw in a free espresso shot. Welcome to our shop!”
I was truly delighted by this unexpected act of kindness, which made my experience at the coffee shop all the more enjoyable. This small but thoughtful touch made me feel valued as a customer, and it went above and beyond my initial expectations of simply getting a good cup of coffee.
This story, whether entirely made up by chatGPT or not, serves as a prime example of a truly delightful experience. When you get what you paid for with something unexpected on top, you feel a sense of joy and satisfaction. And not only that. You will return to that coffee shop, and you will tell your friends about it.
And the same is true for the user experience in the digital world of insurance. Delight matters! When you think of “Delightful UX” things like a cute illustration or a funny 404 page might come to mind. While these stereotypical UI elements are part of what makes a digital product delightful, there are also other factors not typically thought of as delightful that matter just as much, if not more. So, thank your barista, take an espresso shot, and let’s dive straight in.
Definition of delightful UX
Before we go into details about what delight in UX truly is, why it matters and how you can achieve it, let’s first ask Mr. chatGPT for a general definition of “Delight”:
“Delight is a feeling of great pleasure or satisfaction, often accompanied by a sense of joy or happiness.”
Sounds good, sure. Who wouldn’t want to evoke such a reaction in their users? But how can we get this kind of emotion in the digital world, you might wonder. Let’s look at the centre of our attention as UX designers; our users and their needs. Aaron Walter wrote about the hierarchy of user needs in his book Designing for Emotion and defined the following goals of how any good digital product should be:
- Functional: they have to work to solve a problem.
- Reliable: they need to be up and running at all times.
- Usable: they need to be easy to learn, easy to use and easy to remember
- Pleasurable: this is the obvious place where delight comes into play (but that’s not the entire picture, just keep reading)
At first glance it might look simple: Delight is just the thing you add on top, once everything works. While it’s true that the needs on top such as pleasure and delight can only be fulfilled after the more fundamental ones are covered, there’s more to it. There are two types of user delight, as defined by the NN Group in its article A Theory of User Delight: Surface delight and deep delight.
Surface Delight vs. Deep Delight
- Surface delight in UX refers to a more superficial type of pleasure that a user experiences when using a product. The term refers to features that are pleasant on a more immediate level and are often very obviously designed to convey delight. They are usually largely isolated in their context, be it a fun animation, entertaining copy or aesthetically pleasing visual. Surface delight is useful in attracting new customers, as it draws strong attention to your product by creating a strong first impression. While it undoubtedly can be enjoyable and can contribute to a positive overall experience, it may not have the same lasting impact or meaning as deep delight.
- Deep delight in UX refers to a type of pleasure that a user experiences when using a product or service that is meaningful or fulfilling on a deeper level. This could be because the product aligns with the user’s values and passions, or because it helps the user accomplish a task that is important to them. While surface delight is important, it’s deep delight that makes a product pleasurable. As we all know, something that “just works” can be extremely delightful.
Both surface and deep delight are important considerations in UX design, and a well-designed product or service should aim to provide both. However, focusing on creating meaningful, fulfilling experiences for users (deep delight) is often more important for creating a truly successful and satisfying user experience. Surface delight should never be the central focus. Instead, it should be added as an “icing on the cake”, or “muffin to the cappuccino” to an already solid user experience.
Benefits of Delight
Delightful experiences have a positive effect on the user and your business. That applies to any industry, including insurance. Here are a few benefits:
Enhanced customer satisfaction, stickiness and loyalty
Let’s start with deep delight. Users who experience a state of deep delight will be more likely to recommend the product to a friend and become passionate return users. While it might not be as ‘fun’ as surface delight, establishing this foundation is the most important step to pursuing delight. Deep delight motivates customers to continue using your product because they trust that it gets the job done enjoyably.
Customer acquisition
When people love using a product, they become emotionally attached and keep using it. A good relationship results not only in the customer being happier and more loyal but also drives word-of-mouth marketing. This means that the product not only serves to fulfil a customer’s task but also becomes a topic of conversation in their “real-life” interactions, which is by far the most organic and cost-effective way to promote your product and acquire new users. Delight facilitates the acquisition of new customers and helps turn them into faithful customers.
Differentiation from the market
Other benefits of delight sit more at the surface. Adding surprise and delight to your products will create a unique and personal experience for your users. It is the difference between creating a boring product to a more interesting and playful one. It gives users a little bit of extra that exceeds their expectations. And when you build on solid foundations, this will make customers choose your product over others.
Humanising the brand
Delightful interfaces can create an emotional connection with the user and make them feel that the product they’re interacting with is human. That is because surface delight can also add a touch of personality to your product and give it character. Most users make decisions based on emotions, not reason. Delight can add the ‘magic’ that makes users fall in love with your products. When users repeatedly interact with a product that delights them, they form a sort of relationship with it.
A decreased negative response to bugs
When users have a positive experience, they will be more tolerant and will overlook smaller bugs or mistakes in a product. Imagine the barista from your favourite coffee shop making a mistake once. It will be easy to forgive them because of the good relationship you have.
What are good examples of (surface) delight in UX?
Let’s look at different types of delightful features and examples in the world of digital insurance as well as the UX of other industries, as insurance is admittedly not the most delightful industry (yet).
Starting with the stereotypes of delightful interfaces, the often gimmicky surface delight: Surface delight is easier to identify and pinpoint by its local and contextual nature, and created through isolated interface features. These features may not have a direct impact on the product or service, but they add an enjoyable and memorable element to the user experience.
While insurance may not be considered the most delightful industry, implementing these types of features can help to change that perception.
Gamification
An example of delightful gamification that stands out is Lemonade’s landing page for car insurance. The animation of the driving car is already visually engaging, but what makes it truly delightful is the play button on the car’s screen that allows users to take over the steering wheel and play a game. This feature does not directly impact their insurance offering, but it does leave a strong and memorable impression on the user, making them more likely to share the experience with others. It’s a fun and creative way to delight users and make their experience more enjoyable.
Another great example of delight in another industry can be found in the app of the Swiss national railway company SBB. As an easter egg, they have incorporated a hidden game that can be accessed by triple clicking on the error screen. The game is similar to the one found in Google Chrome with the dinosaur, and the background sound is even made up of the melody of the announcements heard at train stations. This unexpected and fun feature adds an element of surprise and joy to the user experience, making it more memorable and enjoyable.
Microcopy
Microcopy is another method of creating surface delight that can make a product more lighthearted, memorable, and enjoyable. For example, the popular workplace communication app Slack uses fun microcopy to make the user experience more engaging. It’s a small but effective way to delight users and make the work more fun. I’m sure to say that I’m not the only one who appreciates their fun microcopy while working.
Brand Personality
Incorporating personality into your product can be a highly effective way for users to identify and empathise with your product. A prime example of this is Mailchimp, which is known for its humorous approach to communicating with users. When creating and scheduling their first email campaign, MailChimp adds a touch of humour throughout the process, making it less daunting and more enjoyable. This is an excellent way to delight users and create a memorable experience.
Spotify has a great way to delight customers they lose. Upon unregistering from the paid subscription, they show the user a playlist of Goodbye songs. While it’s a small move, it surely will make a good and memorable last impression.
Animation and visual delights
Spotify adds an extra touch of creativity to its user experience. In certain playlists, the progress bar is designed to align with the theme of the music. For example, when listening to a Star Wars playlist, the progress bar transforms into a lightsaber, adding an immersive and enjoyable aspect to the listening experience. Similar themed designs can also be found in playlists such as Stranger Things. It’s a delightful feature to discover and explore.
I’m happy to report that some innovative examples of delight have found their way into the digital insurance industry. One such example is the Dutch company FBTO, which incorporates a fitting visual element when providing a car insurance quote. The progress bar that guides customers through the process is designed in the shape of a car, adding a unique and enjoyable touch to the experience.
Achieving a level of deep delight in user experience can often be challenging to pinpoint specific attributes that contribute to it. However, websites that have succeeded in creating a seamless and enjoyable experience can serve as examples. By ensuring functionality, reliability, and usability, they have been able to attain deep delight. Personalisation can play a key role in this process, as it allows for a tailored and unique experience for each user.
Personalisation
When customers visit your website, they want to feel like the experience is tailored just for them. E-commerce sites like Amazon and Digitec Galaxus offer personalised shopping recommendations based on a user’s browsing and purchasing habits. Netflix also personalizes its content by providing recommendations based on a user’s viewing history and customising cover images to match their preferences.
Similarly, in the insurance industry, personalised insurance bundles and cover recommendations can be provided during the purchase journey. For instance, if a customer lives in an area with a high risk for earthquakes, a recommendation for earthquake damage coverage could be made.
Create delightful UX in digital insurance
In conclusion, creating a delightful user experience is primarily not about adding surface delight, but about designing a functional, reliable and intuitive interface that positively impacts the user’s life with deep delight. Adhering to UX principles, avoiding confusing insurance jargon and enabling users to complete tasks independently are key.
Insurance is an emotional topic for people, particularly when they need to make a claim. Customers trust insurance companies with their personal information and regular payments, and they expect exceptional service in return. To achieve a truly delightful experience, insurance companies should focus on understanding the emotional journey of their customers and addressing their needs with empathy and support. Delight is not a tangible feature, but an emotion that can be achieved by connecting feelings with features.
While deep delight can be challenging to quantify and study, surface delight is the icing on the cake of a good user experience and can be achieved by understanding the right time and place to apply it. I like to think of surface delight as the desert of the user experience. And everyone wants a blueberry muffin with their coffee, right?
