Discovering how to support customers in one of the most difficult moments in their life

1. Project Snapshot

• Project Title: Discovering how to support customers in one of the most difficult moments in their lives
• Industry: Health benefits - Insurance
• Timeline: April -May 2025
• My Role: Service Designer, Researcher, CX Strategist
• Key Skills Used: jobs-to-be-done, research, thematic analysis, value proposition canvas, stakeholder management, project management, data analysis, AI, storytelling.

2. The Challenge
A health benefits company wanted to offer support to people that was part of a health benefits plan when the main member passed away. The company wanted to know what these people valued and cared about the most during this difficult time.
• Why was this important?
The company wanted to fulfill their brand promise to successors, stay relevant vs. competitor offerings and retain them.

3. My Approach
Using a design thinking approach, I started by leveraging quantitative research methods to validate the problem, identify patterns and make predictions. The main data I analyzed about the successor’s population:
• What percentage of people cancelled plans due to the passing of the main member
• How many of these plans had a successor that could take over the plan?
• What percentage of successors took over the plan in the last 10 years?
• Overall average tenure of plans vs. after reassignment
• For successors who reassigned a plan to themselves and cancelled it, what were the reasons for doing so?
• Age of successors.
The analysis of this information helped me clarify that the company didn’t have a retention problem with this population, and this shifted the research focus to discover the main support successors need after the passing of the main member.
I acknowledge different actors in this journey that I could interview, but they didn’t have a significant representation, nor were they aligned with the validated business goal. Other actors were successors who didn’t take over the main plan and successors who cancelled shortly after transitioning to main members (both were a very small percentage of the population).
Next, I used qualitative methods and listened to recorded calls from successors who called to cancel. This step helped me identify their emotional state at that time and what questions and needs they had. Then I interviewed stakeholders who were close to the process to further empathize with the problem.
After synthesizing the insights, I formulated a research plan:
• Target audience. Plan successors who still have an active plan with the company.
• Sampling. I interviewed until the point of saturation was reached.
• Recruitment
• Interview format. I used a semi-structured guide.
• Scheduling. Aspects such as age and occupation of participants were considered for this step.
• Location. I offered initial virtual interviews, and it was difficult to recruit, so I offered over-the-phone interviews.
• Recording. For this study, I couldn’t record due to all participants opting for over-the-phone interviews.
• Ethics. Safety was a very important aspect of this study, given the sensitivity of the topic.
• Data analysis plan. I used the rainbow spreadsheet method to synthesize and analyze the data, and then performed thematic analysis to interpret patterns.
To define the core problems, needs, and opportunities of successors, I created their persona (using the jobs-to-be-done framework). This approach helped uncover the fundamental reasons why successors use this company’s services, revealing their true motivations and needs.
As a final step, I created a value proposition canvas. I used this tool because it helped me adjust the value proposition of the company based on the pains successors face when trying to accomplish their jobs-to-be-done and the gains they perceive by getting their jobs done.
I also included final comments and recommendations to guide the product team, suggesting using a business model canvas as the next step.

4. My Role & Contribution
In this project, I led the end-to-end research project, ensuring alignment across stakeholders (product team and project team) while keeping the customer perspective at the center. I conducted qualitative and quantitative research to uncover pain points and opportunities, which I synthesized into actionable jobs-to-be-done and value proposition canvas.
Leveraging data analysis and AI tools, I identified patterns and emerging needs that informed the design of artifacts. I also managed timelines and deliverables through project management practices, ensuring progress was transparent and collaborative.
Throughout the project, I utilized storytelling to keep teams informed and to present my findings to the organization, enabling leaders and teams to connect emotionally with the successor persona and understand the value of proposed improvements. This combination of methods not only built a shared vision but also delivered a clear roadmap for measurable experience transformation.

5. Solution and impact
This research study influenced the product roadmap by relying on the value proposition canvas I provided, with clear insights on what services and products to offer to successors based on the pains they want to avoid and the gains they obtain when getting their job done.

6. Reflection
If I ever conduct research with a similar population again, I’ll ensure to offer all methods at first, such as online, over the phone or in person. I will also attempt to recruit them over the phone first to increase the participation rate.
Through this research study, I learned that limiting a company’s solution to only the products it offers is likely not enough, given the specific circumstances that successors experience. Being open to innovating and creating partnerships to support them is key.