Aetna Medicare UX Audit
The challenge: New to the team, I was able to conduct an unbiased evaluation of the UX journey.
Tools used: Miro, Figma, Microsoft office, primary UX research, competitive analysis, persona development
Recommendations:
Navigation is a long-term goal that can be improved on in future releases. The primary example I saw was one that pained me. When the user reaches the 4th and final page -- drug pricing -- and chooses to look at their drug list, they are taken to the 2nd page. This is the page where the user enters their prescriptions, the list is compiled, and shown on the right rail of the page. The user is simply taken back to page 2, with no indication that they were taken back to this page to see their prescription list.
Once the connection is made and the user has updated the prescription list, they are taken back through the 3rd page in the series – the pharmacy locator – to get back to the 4th page for drug pricing.
Recommendation: separate the drug list to be able to be shown on multiple pages as needed. This requires development work that will happen in future releases.
Business requested we include a prompt for the user to call for help after 3 failed attempts at entering prescription names.
Recommendation: Use copy and logic to incorporate this guidance. This guidance was able to be addressed in the coming production update.
User data showed confusion between prescriptions that are able to be filled at local pharmacies vs. through mail order pharmacies. This was another deliverable that we were able to complete for this release. Initially the journey required mail order to be one of the chosen pharmacies. The user only had the option to pick 2 pharmacies so choosing mail order as one of their 2 pharmacies removed the ability to do a price comparison between 2 local pharmacies.
Recommendations: Focus this page on local pharmacy selections. Remove mail order from the local pharmacy equation. Clear messaging allows this page to put the focus on local pharmacy choices and validate to the user that mail order pricing will be included in the final cost presentations – this just isn’t the time for it!
Conclusion:
The quick changes for guidance were in
production when my contract with Aetna ended. As of publication of this case
study, they are not public.
The journey improvements identified are on the radar for the team for ongoing releases.
User reports showing 60% of site visitors are non-members prompted an additional persona, prospective customers coming to learn their potential prescription costs. Long-term strategies can include more information for prospective customers and personalized information for Aetna Medicare members based on their provided data.
Work in the Medicare space is complex.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires compliance. This
compliance must be done in addition to best practices and general compliance. It
is a unique creative challenge to ensure user satisfaction and meeting
government requirements. Future work towards full implementation will take
time. Additionally, Aetna has the benefit of UX tools to test and improve the
journey regularly.