The Brief
Shortly after joining SF, the feedback coming from UAT, SME’s and high-level client stakeholders regarding the quote configurator was that it does not work, does not meet their requirements and the validation rules were implemented incorrectly. An easy to use, easy to implement solution was required to enhance the quote configurator.
Challenges
Time - had to work on 3 other project streams simultaneously while designing the enhancements. There were constant communication breakdown between the client and the dev team, where a need to improve the channels of communication existed. Educating colleagues, project managers and client stakeholders on UX best practice.
Assessing the Current Design
The Quote Configurator in its current form did not have a specific flow to it, as it is unclear upon first sight what is the best way to quote a customer. The configurator was quite cluttered and difficult to read and did not suit its intended environment. Currently, to generate a quote, the user had to move between different panels multiple times to get a quote for the customer.
Step 1-2
Setting the date and selecting a catagory
Step 3-5
Selecting a product, nominating persons covered, setting rebate tier
Step 6-8
Confirming the customers needs, any promotions and corporate affiliations.
Step 9-10
Discuss & choose a product, get price and select product.
Step 11
Confirm selection, price and next steps.
User and SME Interviews
I decided the first thing for me to do was interview the users. Separate interviews were conducted with the call centre’s and branch staff to understand their individual ways of working, mindset, needs and pain points.
The Personas
It was important to understand the different age types associated to the different environments. Any new designs must cater for the lifers that reside in the branches, while also catering to the younger users of both the branches and the call centres.
There are 4 main personas that define the frontline staff:
Branch:
Call Centre:
User Flows
With the personas in mind, I decided to capture the decision points of the users and streamlined the processes for both branch and call centre. This was important to ensure that all steps cater to how the users work, and how they’re trained to capture customers needs and provide them with a quote.
Wireframes
As the quote configurator was built in components, each individual item and its validations would be easily repositioned, with minimal development effort required. So hand drawn sketches were made to confirm the best order of the fields and to determine the best flow, based on the user flow above efficiently and timely.
The New Quote Configurator
The new design of the quote configurator vastly improving the user experience, while maintaining the complex validations to provide an accurate quote. It was designed with inputs by the technical architects as this re-design achieves its desired and required results with minimal development effort. The user is now guided through the quote process, where they start from the top left, complete the required fields, select the required product and once decided, the user will add the desired product to the quote summary.
3 Easy Steps
Step 1
Comprising of the aforementioned steps 1 - 8 . User needs to follow the form on the first panel from top to bottom.
Step 2
Steps 9 and 10.Selecting the most appropriate product and quote.
Step 3
Reviewing selected product and next steps.
Validation
I sat across the table from stakeholders and colleagues. I was a footnote in a major decision-making meeting with heads of and managers. Prompted by my colleague I had the floor and I debuted my new redesign of the quote configurator. It was dead silent except for my voice echoing around the room. I described and explained the new configurator, gaining confidence as I marvelled at my hard work. Mid-sentence, two minutes in, I was abruptly stopped by the head of the call centre sales team. “Hassan, how long have you been here?” he commanded. “Just under three months” I replied. Then came the words that left me humbled and had the room hanging on to every word. “Mate, you have been here for 3 months, yet you know our business and my guys so well. Thank you so much for doing this”. His words were met with enthusiastic applause from the attendees, as I realised this is one of the many reasons why I do what I do.
