THE CHALLENGE
Create a psychologically safe and engaging platform that caters to all ages, including a significant senior user base
End-of-life decision making can be an emotionally taxing and cognitively draining experience, especially for individuals in middle-age and older. BeHive supported FutureCare by improving the user experience of their platform from the landing page through to the end of the user journey. This involved streamlining the user experience to increase motivation to complete the long and difficult end-of-life decision process and improving user trust in a platform that manages sensitive information and creates legally binding documents.
OUR APPROACH
BeHive conducted a range of both secondary and primary research, followed by a systematic process of synthesis and intervention design.
The secondary research included a literature review on end-of-life decision making, digital trust, and digital affinity with a focus on senior users, as well as competitor and best practice analysis through a Behavioural Science lens. The primary research included a behavioural audit of the FutureCare platform, conducting in-depth interviews with end-of-life consultants in Germany to create behavioural user personas, and usability testing with the FutureCare platform to uncover the greatest pain points for users.
Synthesising this information, BeHive developed a systematic process for prioritising and designing interventions to address the platform’s biggest user-based challenges.
The Result
Taking into account the insights from the research and diagnostics phase, and in consultation with stakeholders from FutureCare, 3 intervention areas were selected for maximum impact for effort and effect: i) emphasise security of the platform, ii) provide reassurance, empathy, and emotional support to combat emotional strain, and iii) increase perceived ability and decrease perceived effort through improved information provision.
Increased trust
In the digital platform through hierarchical cognitive associations and explicit trust icons and language.
Barriers the interventions tackled:
- High perceived financial risk
- Lack of trust in digital technology
- Perceived risk to personal information
- Lack of trust in the legal process
Reduced emotional strain
By including explicitly supportive messages throughout the platform, providing information and images of identifiable human beings behind the process, and establishing consistent positive reinforcement for user behaviour.
- Increased cognitive salience of motivations and positive benefits, helping users to overcome the negative emotions and barriers that may arise during the process
- Increased perceived value (emotional and practical) of the product by making the benefits explicitly clear
Barriers the interventions tackled:
- Fear and anxiety around loss of control
- Fear of discussing one’s own death
- Distress caused by the burden of difficult decisions on loved ones
Ensured process follow-through
By simplifying information delivery, as well as reformatting complex steps of the process. Additionally, BeHive also introduced a commitment device, motivating users to reach the finish line, so that these desired end outcomes are achieved.
Barriers the interventions tackled:
- Misperceptions about generational consulting
- Perceived difficulty of using the service
- Complex terminology and overwhelming amount of information
Testimonials
Jennifer LegerInnovation Management at Volksbank Digital Solutions
“Personal assets or information about one's own family circumstances are very sensitive issues for most of our customers. The thought of the future or even one's own death also evoke strong emotions in many customers. BeHive has helped us understand what individual personas think, feel, how they react and what is important to them in certain situations. These insights helped us to make our product even better for our customers. Thanks to the whole team for the great and productive collaboration. I would never have thought to receive so many valuable impulses in such a short time.”
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