Coherent．2020

Facilitating Retirement Planner Development

Our team was brought in by a major insurance company to redesign a retirement planning tool. As an external agency, we were tasked with creating a user-friendly web and iPad experience that served two distinct audiences: advisors and clients.

I led usability testing from preparation to analysis, working with stakeholders to refine the calculator based on real user feedback.

View Solution

Deliverable

Usability Testing (Remote)
UX & UI Refinement
Presentation

UAT Testing

Team

2 Actuaries

Project Manager

Head of Design

Developer

Impact

OVER 90%
Advisors actively used
24%+
Usability score increase
81%
Overall satisfaction score
A person holds a white tablet displaying an advisor app interface for a user named David Lee. The screen shows retirement planning tools, including purchased insurance products like “Commitment” and “Vision,” and a colorful dashboard highlighting a 22% retirement gap and 78% projected savings toward a retirement goal of over $18 million.

Project Context

I was building a retirement planning tool designed to help advisors guide clients in identifying retirement gaps and recommending suitable financial products.
My goal was to validate whether users could complete key workflows without confusion or frustration.
For advisors, I tested workflows such as:
  • Searching and creating client profiles
  • Reviewing projections
  • Updating data efficiently
For clients, I focused on:
  • Updating their information
  • Finding or contacting an advisor
This usability test aimed to uncover any friction points, misunderstandings, or inefficiencies that could impact user adoption, satisfaction, or task success at launch.

The Experience Before

Screenshot of the "Advisor App" dashboard, showing a welcome message for David Lee and a section to search or create a client profile by entering their name, email, and client ID. A sidebar on the right highlights tools like the Product Calculator and Visual tool to help clients understand their retirement gap and how to close it.
Screenshot of the Advisor App showing client Adrian Tang’s retirement profile. It includes personal details like age 37, male, married, non-smoker, and financial data such as $200,000 in conservative savings and $150,000 in balanced investments. A highlighted section on the right shows a $19,029,000 retirement goal, $10,846,530 in projected savings, an $8,182,470 retirement gap (43%), and a projected monthly retirement income of $28,000.
Screenshot of the Advisor App’s "Products" tab for Adrian Tang, listing three purchased products: Commitment, Vision, and Foresight, each with policy numbers and annual premiums. Four product quotes with modal premiums and timestamps are also displayed. A retirement gap summary appears on the right, showing the same $8,182,470 gap and $10,846,530 projected savings against a $19,029,000 goal.
Screenshot from the Advisor App’s "Report" tab showing insurance product performance for Adrian Tang. A table lists Commitment, Vision, and Foresight policies with their original sales illustration values and surrender values. The total surrender value is 62,858 HKD. The retirement gap summary remains consistent on the right.
Search profile
True Gap
Products
Report

I’d prefer to search for clients using their mobile phone number. And the Quote Summary is too general.

Mandy Wong
Advisor

Remote Usability Testing Setup

To validate my design before launch, I ran two rounds of remote usability testing using Zoom.

01

I used a responsibility checklist to coordinate tasks & communication.

02

Task scenarios were grounded in real use cases, supported by visuals to help participants stay immersed.

03

Before the full test, I ran a pilot session to refine the flow and troubleshoot any technical issues.
A setup guide for RJP Usability Testing listing participant roles, test equipment, and checklist items like consent forms, screen recording, and notification settings. It also includes session timing, facilitator responsibilities, and demographic criteria for participants, including advisors and clients with varied age ranges and digital experience.

Tools & Materials

Participants:

  • Round 1: 6 Advisors
  • Round 2: 6 Advisors + 6 Clients
  • Total: 12 Participants

Tools & Materials

  • A step-by-step Zoom setup guide with screenshots for screen sharing and mouse tracking.
  • Task scripts to ensure consistency across sessions.
  • Consent forms and privacy agreements to follow ethical testing practices.
A Zoom setup guide for usability testing with annotation instructions on Mac, paired with a scenario task. The test scenario involves a client named Adrian Tang asking for retirement planning advice after completing a calculator. A consent and recording release form is included for participants to sign.

Evaluation: From Observations to Action

01

I collected task success scores, participant comments, and post-task surveys.

02

Feedback was consolidated to identify recurring usability issues and misalignments with user expectations.

03

I collaborated with stakeholders to prioritize fixes based on impact and feasibility.
A usability testing evaluation form for a participant named Susanne, combining a Likert scale survey and a usability change log. The survey shows varied responses, including "Disagree" for complexity and needing technical help. The recommendations section includes notes on interface confusion, product integration, and access invite flows with high-priority items flagged for MVP.

Before & After

1. Profile: Quick Client Access

Before:

Screenshot of the search profile page before UX improvements.
  • Advisors relied on client IDs, which were difficult to distinguish.

After:

Screenshot of the search profile page after UX improvements.
  • Client ID replaced with mobile number.
  • New ‘View All’ for faster access.

Before:

Profile search result in the Advisor App showing one match: Adrian Tang, age 37, mobile number +852 9090 6060, and client ID SL-123455-AT. The design is clean and minimal with a dark blue header row.

After:

Another profile search result for Adrian Tang, showing mobile number, email (adrian.tang@gmail.com), last contact date and date added (both 18 Aug 2020), age 32, and account status as Member. The layout uses a horizontal table format with labeled columns.
  • Search results include "Last Contacted" and "Date Added" timestamps to improve clarity.

2. Financial Details: Simplifying Data Input & Access

Before:

Screenshot of the true gap page before UX improvements.
  • Key actions like “Access Invite” were hard to find, slowing down workflows.
  • The term “True Gap” didn’t align with advisor expectations or mental models.
  • Product details lacked clarity, making it difficult to explain them to clients.

After:

Screenshot of the true gap page after UX improvements.
  • Replaced ‘Access Invite’ with ‘Share’ in grid layout. Added email and mobile details in the profile section to simplify client identification.
  • Renamed and reordered to match advisor workflows.
  • Clickable products for faster access to info.

3. Product & Impact: Helping Advisors Communicate Value

Before:

Advisor App UI mockup under the "Products" tab. Shows purchased products "Commitment" and "Vision" with policy details and quote impact. The retirement gap panel shows a 22% gap and $14.4M projected savings toward an $18.4M goal. A button labeled "Update info" is visible.
  • Showing policy numbers and annual amounts duplicated report data.
  • Toggles were hard to find.
  • Updating financial info required multiple steps.

After:

Advisor App UI mockup under the "Products" tab. Shows purchased products "Commitment" and "Vision" with policy details and quote impact. The retirement gap panel shows a 22% gap and $14.4M projected savings toward an $18.4M goal. A button labeled "Update info" is visible.
  • Clutter reduced — only policy numbers shown”.
  • Impact % now clearly displayed per quote.
  • New ‘Update Info’ button for in-context edits.

4. Report: Making Insights Actionable

Before:

Screenshot of the report page before UX improvements.
  • Report descriptions were vague, making it hard for advisors to know which products were included.
  • There was no transaction history, and projections lacked explanation, causing confusion.

After:

Screenshot of the report page after UX improvements.
  • Tooltip explains projection differences.
  • Motivational messages for high-performing products” and new transaction history added.

Selected New Design

Screenshot of the Advisor App's client search screen where users can search or create profiles using fields like name, mobile, and email. The panel on the right promotes tools like the Retirement Calculator and Get Quote button, guiding clients to explore retirement gap solutions through interactive tools.
Screenshot of Adrian Tang’s retirement overview in the Advisor App, showing contact info, selected product (Commitment policy), and an option to add funds. The right panel displays updated retirement gap data: $4,003,000 gap, $14,398,621 in projected savings, and a goal of $18,401,293, with a projected monthly retirement allowance of $57,288.
Screenshot of the Advisor App showing Adrian Tang’s profile under the "Products" tab. It lists three purchased products—Commitment, Vision, and Foresight—alongside four product quotes with dates, times, and modal premiums. A retirement gap summary on the right shows a $4,003,000 gap (22%) and $14,398,621 in projected savings toward a goal of $18,401,293.
Screenshot of the "Report" tab in the Advisor App comparing original and current policy values for products Commitment, Vision, and Foresight. The Commitment policy exceeded performance expectations, with a current value of 9,842 versus a projection of 5,358. Notes below detail loan balance and withdrawal history. Retirement gap stats appear on the right, showing a 22% gap and 78% progress toward the savings goal.
Search profile
Retirement Details
Products
Report
User quotes from usability testing after the design refinement.

Outcome

24%

Usability score increase

The average usability score jumped from 57% in the first round to 71% in the second, reflecting a 24% improvement in usability.

This demonstrates better efficiency, clearer navigation, and higher user satisfaction, highlighting the impact of our refinements on advisor workflows.
Bar chart comparing usability scores between Usability Testing 1 and 2.
81%

Overall satisfaction score

Usability testing with clients resulted in a strong overall satisfaction score of 81%, indicating a positive user experience.

Clients found the system intuitive, with high ratings for ease of use, organization, and overall comfort.
Line chart showing a client’s usability testing results.

Business Impact?

Since this project was hosted on the insurance company’s servers, detailed data was not shared with our team. However,
Over
90%

Advisors actively used

Prototype
If additional data were available, key business impact metrics could include:
  • Advisor Efficiency
    ‍    Time saved per advisor in managing client data and making recommendations.
  • Client Conversions
    ‍    Number of clients who purchased insurance through the app.
  • New Member Accounts
    ‍    Growth in client sign-ups due to the app’s usability.
  • Client Engagement
    ‍    How frequently clients update their information.
  • Advisor Retention
    ‍    The impact of the app on keeping advisors engaged with the company.

What I Learned

1. Adapting to Remote Testing
Running sessions remotely meant thinking on my feet. Technical issues were inevitable, so I had to stay calm, troubleshoot quickly, and keep the experience smooth for participants.

2. Navigating User Frustration
Some advisors voiced frustration with the company itself, not the app. It was a powerful reminder that usability testing requires empathy and emotional intelligence, not just good questions.

3. Keeping Conversations on Track
At times, sessions drifted off-topic. I learned how to gently guide users back without making them feel rushed or unheard, striking a balance between structure and comfort.

4. From Feedback to Function
Testing surfaced real UX pain points such as confusing labels and unclear hierarchy, which we turned into actionable design improvements, making the app more intuitive and task-friendly.
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