At GetInsured, our commitment to helping as many people as possible get health care coverage extends beyond technology: it encompasses our empathy and deep understanding of consumers’ needs, preferences, and behaviors. More than just a feature of our platforms, Human-Centered Design (HCD) is about recognizing that every individual’s interaction with the enrollment process stems from how they feel and what they decide to do next. When done right, HCD not only lowers costs and boosts engagement but also reassures consumers that their health and well-being are top priorities. Using HCD is crucial for any SBE that aims to keep users engaged and confident in their choices. 

What Is Human-Centered Design? 

HCD is an innovative problem-solving approach that prioritizes the needs, behaviors, and experiences of the people who will ultimately use a product or service. By focusing on empathy, user feedback, and iterative testing, HCD ensures that solutions are both functional and meaningful. The key principles of HCD are:  

  • Empathy: Truly understanding users’ needs entails research and direct engagement with the people who will be using the product.  
  • Ideation and Prototyping: Collaborating with the people using the product ensures the solution is developed and tested in alignment with their needs.  
  • Iteration and Feedback: Real-world testing helps designers continuously refine the product so it meets users’ evolving needs.  

Why HCD Matters 

By leveraging HCD, organizations from tech companies to government agencies can create more efficient, user-friendly, and impactful solutions that truly serve the people they’re designed for. According to Forrester Research, a stunning 85% of product failures are attributed to a poor user experience and not understanding their consumers’ needs, while users having a poor experience are 88% less likely to return (UXCam). By contrast, companies implementing HCD see a 32% revenue increase, and their shareholders receive 56% higher returns in comparison to their competitors (McKinsey & Company).  

The GetInsured Human-Centered Design Approach 

When it comes to designing a health insurance shopping experience, we bring our understanding of the practical and emotional hurdles people might face during enrollment. In our design process, each detail contributes to a user experience that is continuously tested and refined for clarity, accessibility, and ease of use.  

A key part of our HCD process is meeting users where they are by employing clear, easy-to-understand language and contextual visuals. And because our decade of SBE experience has shown that uniformity in design and interactions helps people find and understand the features they need without guesswork, we apply the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), which standardizes design styles and codes across both web and mobile applications.  

An Intuitive, User-Friendly Experience 

One example of how HCD powers the GetInsured consumer experience is our tile-based plan display. This horizontal, “e-commerce style” tile format gives consumers a more intuitive view of potential costs and coverage options than traditional vertical lists or spreadsheet-like layouts. Consumers can easily compare plans and apply for coverage, which reduces the risk of confusion or frustration that might cause them to otherwise abandon the process. This consumer-friendly design resulted in a 25% increase in user engagement and a 15% drop in abandon rates, and a user shared that the new plan display helped them find a suitable plan in minutes. This kind of feedback underscores how real-world insights improve the consumer experience. 

Our Commitment to Accessible, Intuitive Design 

At GetInsured, we believe that everyone deserves equitable, inclusive, and easily accessible health care. Providing diverse populations with easy-to-navigate technology helps SBEs broaden their reach, promote health equity, and reduce disparities across populations.  

We prioritize accessibility by fully complying with Section 508 standards and consistently following guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which includes consistent focus management, keyboard navigation, and Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) for screen-reader users. At the top of every page, drop-down menus allow multilingual users to effortlessly choose from an array of supported languages, ensuring that every customer can easily shop for health care coverage. 

Building Trust  

For State-Based Exchanges (SBEs), a consistently intuitive, reliable, and trustworthy platform shows consumers their needs matter. Completing an application or making a plan change without stumbling blocks makes users feel more in control, which strengthens trust in the SBE. This trust extends to every step, from the first plan exploration to final enrollment and plan renewals. Through our platform, we guide consumers through an intuitive enrollment process that makes consumers feel listened to and appreciated – and higher satisfaction and loyalty naturally follow.  

By intertwining thoughtful design, technology, and real-world user feedback, GetInsured ensures that human-centered design isn’t just a concept—it’s a tangible advantage for SBEs. When systems are built with empathy and precision, they become a better fit for real people and real needs. The payoff is clear: higher enrollment, less administrative overhead, and satisfied citizens who trust their state to guide them toward affordable, accessible health care.