I had 2 weekends and a bit to produce this. Be nice..

1. Reimagining the Health Insurance
Member's Online Experience
By: Perry Carbonell
December 2012

2. Table of Contents
1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
2 Purpose.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
The WHAT section
3 Design Concepts ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 High Level Concepts......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Principles and Criteria...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.3 Design............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
4 User’s Journey...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
4.1 Initial Journey................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
4.2 Subsequent Use ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.3 Specific Features ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20
The HOW section
5 Nuts and Bolts...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
5.1 Architecture ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
5.2 Considerations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
6 References ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32

3. 1 Background
United Health Care’s (UHC) product and service offerings are extremely broad and have various touch points across the health industry. A key
challenge for the business is integrating these components to make the online business function as one. Solvers have been invited to come up with
innovative ideas to make the online experience simpler, more usable and personalised to it’s members.
2 Purpose
The object of this exercise is to redevelop the online site in a way that engages the member to not only use the online offering once, but
encourages return visits and promotion to the broader community.
3 Design Concepts
This section articulates the proposal for a fresh innovative approach to UHC’s online experience.
3.1 High Level Concepts
Generally speaking, people intend to live long and healthy lives. We go for medical assessments to understand our health with the intention of
improving our current state. This entire process of checking your health is the backbone of Check Yourself; an application that checks the
member’s health in an interactive and playful way where users can measure their health against others and against medical facts. The assessment
provided empowers them to make informed decisions which integrates to the system’s main component – the Wellness System. These ideas are
graphically represented as follows:
3

4. Check-up
Pre check-up
expectation
How did i fair?
• Own expectation
• Against others
Decision
Monitoring
4
1
2
2
3
5
The components of Check Yourself

5. 5
Input
Processing
Output
Interact
Checking
..translated online, these concepts will
appear as follows:

6. 6
An extended view of the new online world will have these additional components.
Dashboard
Wellness System
These components are the
backbone of the Wellness
System; a new system rich in
features and functionality.
Targets &
Schedule
Plan
Products &
Services

7. 7
And both systems have the core function of sharing. This function ensures members can share information with
people they know and trust.
From UHC’s perspective,
sharing ensures it stays current
and relevant with the times.

8. UHC is already information-rich. The challenge is to organise the information in a manner that engages the customer with an experience that provides
leading answers to questions. The tool therefore:
1. Creates a personalised interaction with the user
2. Drives the user to supply information they care about
3. Provides the user with (a) information based on their inputs and (b) information against other people with like characteristics
4. Provide the user with capabilities to create health targets and a schedule
5. Provide the user with capabilities to select a better insurance plan
6. Provide the user with services; such as monitoring their health and sending alerts
7. Provide the user with capabilities to share the information with other policy holders.
👪
8
And it has a lot of fun features!

9. 3.2 Principles and Criteria
9
Dashboard
Easy and can
be shared
Simple
Simplicity
Relevant
Personalization
Interactive
Engagement
Companion
Frequency of
use
Easy
Services
Health Impact
Our Design Principle
UHC Project Criteria

10. 3.3 Design
10
s
Keep things Simple
People want tools and resources that are simple. The last thing people need is another complex tool to integrate with their busy
lives. What is required is therefore a simple and intuitive tool that is usable for all.
Check Yourself, a very basic
design with lots of space
Joe is male. UHC has this on record.
Updates are based on user credentials.
Perspective area
Demonstrates that we know the member
The # of people provides Joe with some perspective of
where he sits in context of the overall population.
 These are conceptual designs that form the basis of end screen designs and IT development.

11. 11
Easy and can be Shared
The interaction with the user must be easy to encourage present and future use.
The concept of sharing leverages the current trend where people are allowed to share information with others they know and
trust. The underlying premise is that if you don’t have time to check yourself, then others might just have the time to do it for you.
Joe’s last health records which he can change
quite easily.
The share function here allows Joe to share his
records with his daughter Ann. If Joe grants
access to Ann, then Ann can prompt her dad to
either take a new check-up, consider a new health
plan or even remind him to stick to his exercise &
diet plan.

12. Joe’s last check-
up displayed
online
12
Relevance
The information presented to the user must demonstrate that we know the member at every point of the customer journey and
that we present information back that is relevant to them. This ensures engagement (a project criteria).
Health projections presented to Joe as a result of Joe
entering information online and based on UHC records.
Projections of the population are also provided to give Joe
context on how he stacks up.
These statistics provides Joe with some perspective
on how he measures up against people like him.
Targets are health
goals for tracking
progress

13. 13
Interactive
A good way of engaging the user is by making the system interactive. The design allows the member to make updates to their
information and allows UHC to capture the latest member records.
This allows updates to medical conditions for the user
Perspective area dynamically updates
based on user input
Joe can change information based on latest records
The member has no known medical condition recorded in
UHC database

14. 14
Companion towards better health
The new system partners with the member in their journey towards better health. It has features and functions that encourages
repeat visits. Additionally the online design has web and smartphone components to make it truly mobile; the member now has
access to check his progress at any time.
Joe can adjust his schedule on the fly.
Joe can adjust his alerts using a smart device.
Additionally his daughter Ann can also remind him
about his alerts (if Joe grants her access).
Joe can check his longevity projections using this
functionality

15. 15
Provides Services
There are numerous services by which the member can be rewarded for using UHC. The system integrates all tool and resources
UHC has as base and adds a new platform where all services are integrated and provided to the user.
Joe’s Diet schedule which he reminds him of
what he is allowed to have.
Joe’s exercise schedule where he can track
projection from actuals.

16. 16
DRIVERS. In order to persuade users to use the online system, the question from a user’s view point is “What is
in it for me?” Let’s try to test this.
The User
What’s in it for me?
UHC
 Note that a user can either be a member or a visitor. Users must be registered online to have access to
the Wellness System. In contrast, anyone can access Check Yourself.
What’s in it for UHC?
User receives a simple, easy and interactive tool that
provides personalised information based on inputs and
past records. The user also receives relevant information
such as a comparison tool which they can measure their
health in context with medical facts and population
statistics. Another key feature is that they can share
information with people they are close to in order for
those people to receive alerts on their health.
These alerts are leading indicators; it provides health
projections to help keep the member honest. All these
features combined will encourage repeat visits and have
a positive health impact as UHC becomes a partner in the
member’s journey towards better health.
Promotes use of their system with member by:
- capturing latest records of members without delay;
- encourages engagement and repeat visits;
- sharing promotes interaction and therefore activity;
- recommending others has the potential to
accumulate new members;
- offering relevant products, services and advice.

17. 4 User’s Journey
This section details the user’s journey throughout the initial and subsequent use of both systems.
4.1 Initial Journey
Check Yourself application is open to both members and visitors. However visitors will have to register to access the Wellness system.
Check Yourself application provides the use with the ability to check their health against UHC ecosystem of tools and resources. As UHC will have
more information stored for its members, the assessment results for visitors will not be as comprehensive1
.
The Wellness system will provide the member with one central point to manage their health. The system will be feature-rich centralised on the
member’s relationships and the sharing function which allows one member to share their information with people they know and trust. The
underlying premise here is that if the member does not have enough time to check their health, then maybe a person they know and trust does.
1
No pre-population of data based on past results.
17

18. Check Yourself and Wellness System map
18

19. 4.2 Subsequent Use
There will be certain features reserved for subsequent users based on the concept of time; as time psses, UHC will be in a position to provide the
registered user with a better service. For example, automatic reminders can be pushed out to Joe if UHC does not have any new information in 6
months:
All features for subsequent users are reminders based:
 Alerts for time lapse during a competition;
 Reminders for keeping track of their diet and health schedule;
 An alert for a new message posted on the board etc.
In general, registered users can always check themselves at any time and access any of the Wellness System features.
Auto reminders to alert the member (Joe)
 Refer to the MS Excel file of the same name to have a look at the detailed wireframe models. 19

20. 4.3 Specific Features
20
Pre-populated for the member based on last records
Auto calculation of the BMI based on Height / Weight inputs
Perspective provides the member
with a measure against others
Check Yourself
Results provide the member with
a medically accepted range
UHC leverages of their propriety information to present
dietary considerations

21. The ability to create new Diet or Exercise routines
Medical Services that UHC may be able to explore
based on their own resources
Time scrubber allows the member to move forward in
time. This function automatically updates the
longevity table which provides projections of the
member’s health.
Alerts keeps the member focussed
Wellness System
21

22. Creating a Dare is creating a challenge with other
people. It is a fun and interactive way to get a larger
community involved while keeping healthy.
Alternatively, the member can attempt to beat their
own personal record as part of Target feature.
A Challenge in action! The Pilates challenge here has 3 participants and
the community has the ability to post some friendly fire via The Board.
This Board has some social media components such as Like, Comments
and Messages.
And it can be shared.
Wellness continued..
22

23. 5 Nuts and Bolts
This section articulates the architecture and considerations that UHC must understand and answer if they are to proceed with the proposal.
5.1 Architecture
The real world representation of relationships within the system is as follows:
Members
May have an existing product / service arrangement with UHC but may not necessarily be registered to use
online facility (Check Yourself and Wellness).
e.g. Joe has a policy with UHC but has to register with UHC online to access Check Yourself and Wellness
Visitors
An individual who does not have
access to the online chAnnl and
does not own a policy with UHC.
e.g. after Joe registers and has
access to the online chAnnl, he
invites Mark to participate in a
challenge.
23

24. Policy Holders
In this example, Joe and his family have a UHC policy for a Life
Product. They all register to use the Check Yourself and
Wellness System.
Users
Under this model, Joe grants access to Ann to use certain
components of the system. Ann can now do certain things
according to the entitlements granted.
Rob however, cannot as he has been limited to the Group
component of the Wellness System.
24

25. Sequence Diagram. Simple sequence displaying Ann logging on and receiving alerts (on Joe’s targets).
25
Scenario: Joe grants Ann access to his records. Ann subsequently receives alerts regarding Joe's performance against his Targets.
 Sequence Diagram displays processes working in order with one another. It is an interaction
diagram that forms part of Unified Modeling language (UML).

26. 5.2 Considerations
There are 3 key questions that requires further analysis and agreement. The answers here can be used as a guide for further work.
Where can we source the information for Check Yourself?
A large component of Check Yourself is presenting statistics back to the user in context of each input variable e.g. the 1st
screen presents the
member’s gender which is male. For UHC member’s this data item can be easily pre-populated on-screen but for visitors, the screen design must
present Male – Female and prompt the user to select one. As soon as a gender is
selected, the “perspective” area dynamically updates and presents the number of
males (in our example) to Joe.
Sourcing data will get trickier as the application goes through the cycle. Smoker
status may be challenging to source and likewise Body Mass Index, Medical
Conditions, Exercise patterns and Diet. As Check Yourself presents 2 layers of
perspective – a personal perspective where the user is compared to internal
records and macro perspective where the user is compared against US population
– sourcing the data will need to combine records captured internally, data from the
bureau of statistics and other data sources.
The value presented to the user here is immediate engagement as it provides
contextual information on how they measure up against their own expectations
and against others.
Alternate screen in the instance the user is visitor and
UHC does not have the user's identity.
26

27. How will sharing work?
Sharing in general
Sharing for the purposes of the Wellness system is defined as a UHC member granting read-access to another UHC member which allows view
certain components of the system. With this in my, our member Joe has the power to grant access to either his with Jane or daughter Ann to view
his records. His ‘records’ in this context includes:
 Results from Check Yourself
 His Targets from Wellness System
 His Schedule from Wellness System
 His Plans from Wellness System
 His Products/Services from Wellness System
 His Alerts from Wellness System
 His Reminders from Wellness System
 His Groups from Wellness System (refer to Groups, below)
Within that high level grouping, Joe should even be granted access at a component level e.g. allow Jane to view his Plans only and allow Ann to view
his Targets and Schedule (if he so desires2
).
Similarly the reverse is true; Jane (or Ann) can grant Joe access to their records too. This sharing function allows all members to proactively care
about others in their community (a family member or a friend).
Sharing Levels
As we attempt to mimic the relationships in the real world, it is important to distinguish between the different levels of relationships we have with
others. Different levels of relationships may translate in to different levels of sharing depending on user configuration.
As soon as we grant access to an individual to read our records then the expected system behaviour is to determine the relationship this person
has with you. Usually, relationships are already recorded in the system i.e. Jane = “wife”, Ann = “Daughter”.
If the relationship is not explicitly provided or if Joe grants access to a non-UHC member3
, then the default relationship label for this person is as a
“friend”. Joe can change this setting at a later stage.
2
From a system’s perspective, this is nothing more than an administrator granting access to individuals to read certain components.
27

28. Any person that is given access to read member’s records is categorised under Inner Circles.
And yet another level of sharing is sharing with others outside your inner circle. This type of sharing is limited to individuals that the member invites
to participate in the Challenges feature. The default relationship label for these individuals are “friends” but under the Outer Circles category.
Sharing capability is detailed in the below table:
Level Category Relationship Example
1 Inner Circles Family Joe-Jane (Husband and Wife)
Joe-Ann (Father-Daughter)
Joe has granted access to both Jane and Ann to read all of his records
2 Inner Circles Friend Joe-Mark (Individual-Friend)
Joe has granted access to Rob to read his records including his Targets
3 Outer Circles Friend Joe- Rob (Individual-Friend)
Joe has granted access to Mark to participate in a Challenge
3 Outer Circles Friend Joe-Sue (Individual-Friend)
Joe has granted access to Sue to post messages on his message board
This is an important conceptual element to the system’s design as it can be used to control the behaviour of the system.
Note that Category of Inner and Outer Circles is limited to system design and is not made visible to the user.
3
A Non-UHC member can be allowed to read records of member’s if the member grants him/her access. This Non-UHC member must register to use the Wellness system
and may not necessarily have products/services associated with their access i.e. it is limited to the scope of access provided by the member that invites them to use
Wellness system.
28

29. What does the registration process look like?
Since Outer Circles are non-UHC members, they must register to use UHC online. The process is straight forward and should be limited to a few
steps at best to ensure take-up.
Typically registration follows the pattern below:
In the example above, Joe has invited Sue to join him as a friend in Wellness System. Sue accepts by registering and providing the details above.
Note that these are standard registration data items and it should comply with UHC’s security requirements.
What are Groups?
When a challenge is created where the member invites other individuals to participate4
, a group is created with the name of the challenge used as
the label.
Joe can re-label this group if he so wishes and can add other people into a group without granting these people access to read his personal records
e.g. Joe grants access to Rob to join his Pilates challenge group but does not allow Rob to read any of his other records.
4
A member can challenge him or herself to beat their own record.
29
 Simple screen
designs required here

30. How will this make life easier for the member and for UHC?
A criteria for design is to make the online experience interactive and therefore engaging. UHC is not the first business to undergo this
transformation as there are numerous other sites that have been through the same transformation5
. In essence, the Check Yourself tool allows
members to not only medically assess their health but it also provides them with some perspective on how they measure against a group of people.
By showing the user some perspective, it will raise awareness and promote better health.
The Wellness System on the other hand is feature rich with a lot of social components. Sharing information with others who can monitor their
health makes it easier for the member to keep track of their health and save time. Alerts have also been configured to provide a leading indicator to
the members by projecting their health in the future based on the inputs provided by the member.
This social aspect of the system will empower other members to be more proactive with the health of others.
In our example where Joe grants access to Ann to access his records, Ann will receive alerts on Joe’s progress with his new exercise routine. If Joe
fails to achieve a target of Pilates on Wednesday and Thursday, Ann will not only receive the alert after Joe enters in the actuals but Ann can send a
message to Joe about his failed accomplishment and suggest a better approach. This message will be posted in his groups as follows:
5
Refer to Section 6. References.
30
Rob is invited to join
the group. Rob
registers and is part of
the Joe’s Pilates
Challenge Group

31. 31
Encouragement from a family and friends
usually brings the message home to the
member.
What better way to engage the member by
involving those closest to them!
..which highlights the value of
once again.Sharing

32. 6 References
There are numerous material in the online world used as reference to create the above such as:
 People like U: A macro view that captures user inputs and presents back a view of how unique the individual is versus the population.
Used as reference for Check Yourself;
 Vitality: Wellness program big in life insurance. Used as reference for Wellness System;
 Covermore assessment: An online medical assessment tool for the purposes of travelling. Used as reference for Check Yourself;
 Netbank: Online Banking for customers. This is used as reference for Targets (Goals are the equivalent in the online banking space);
 FitFued: Online health competition. Used as reference for Challenges;
 Fleety: Online health competition focussed on mobile / smart phone devices. Used as reference for Challenges.
There are social features such as Like, messages posted to a Board, sharing, Doc’s Face time and others which has parallels to social sites such as
Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites.
The business domain may be different but the approach to interacting with an online user remains the same. These benchmarks have therefore
been used to create Check Yourself and Wellness System.
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Author: Perry Carbonell