Overview

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is a lifeline for Texans navigating the complex world of insurance. However, its outdated online quote engine was anything but helpful. Stuck in a design that hadn’t changed in over two decades, the website frustrated the very people it was meant to serve.

This was the challenge: create a modern, accessible platform that met strict legal requirements while delivering an intuitive experience for users of all ages.

Understanding the audience

Our team knew the stakes were high. Through stakeholder interviews, we uncovered some critical insights:

• The customer service team was stretched thin, often spending hours walking users through a site that wasn’t designed to help.

• Public users struggled with dense insurance jargon and couldn’t even contact insurance providers once they found them.

It became clear that the website wasn’t just outdated, it was a barrier to accomplishing simple tasks.

Designing for clarity

1. Discovery
I began by auditing the site's content and legal requirements. Stakeholder interviews revealed jargon and unclear metrics, like complaint scores, confused users. Notable issues with the website were:

Site navigation was unclear.

Quote results were generated in a long non-interactive spreadsheet with no clear next steps.

The use of insurance jargon which could confuse their main audience.

2. Strategy and Wireframing
My goal was to simplify complex data into clear, intuitive insights. One of the toughest decisions was how to display the sample insurance quotes. The original spreadsheet-style layout overwhelmed users with dense, hard-to-read data. I proposed a shift away from the data table to use interactive cards instead.

Cards would make critical details like pricing easier to recognize at reduce the visual noise. Less critical details would still be accessible but with lower emphasis. This design struck the perfect balance between compliance and usability.

3. Collaboration and Iteration

I developed preliminary wireframes to map the site’s user flow and interactions. Collaborating with the product manager, internal stakeholders, and team members, we refined the designs through several iterations to ensure clarity and usability. Examples of key screens are shown below.

I worked closely with actuaries and stakeholders to ensure all required information was thoughtfully displayed. On the backend, I designed an intuitive system to make it easier for TDI to process and update insurance quotes.

The new experience

The final redesign completely transformed TDI’s platform:

Simplified Navigation: Clear labels and streamlined user flows reduced confusion.

Interactive Cards: The spreadsheet view was replaced with clean, scannable cards. Users could focus on one company at a time, compare rates, and access additional details seamlessly.

Accessibility First: The site was thoughtfully designed for the target audience, prioritizing accessibility and using clear, straightforward language to explain coverages.

The results

While we didn’t track quantitative data post-launch, anecdotal feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

• Customer service representatives reported that guiding users became much easier. They could help callers navigate the platform and connect with insurance providers more effectively.

• Stakeholders were thrilled with the modernized design, especially its emphasis on accessibility and clarity.

Final thoughts

The TDI redesign was more than a facelift, it was a step toward making insurance information accessible and actionable for all Texans. The project reaffirmed my belief in designing with empathy and attention to detail, especially when the stakes are high.

Visit the live site: HelpInsure.com

Next project: Symphio