The problem
Every year, federal workers are able to switch benefit providers during a short period called Open Season. When someone selects one of our plans, we send them a multi-page booklet with all the information and resources they need to get the most out of their plan. Annually, we reevaluate these materials to make sure they are providing the best information in an order that is logical.
The process
The process begins again almost as soon as the last onboarding campaign ends. The small team that is assigned to this campaign does a debrief on what worked and what needs to be improved for the year to come. When it is time to start the evaluation process for the next booklets, we do a combination stakeholder and member research to help guide what innovations we need to focus on.
We present our findings and the years suggested improvements to stakeholders to get buy in and set project expectations. Since this is an enterprise-level initiative there are extra rounds of review and approval set aside from the start. We had weekly check-in meetings with the members of the team, which consisted of two designers and one content writer. We followed a common review cycle throughout the process: content would get approved and then sent to design for layout. Since these guides can have a lot of charting and figures involved, a great deal of time was spent making sure all the charts were designed in an easy-to-read format. Also, a great deal of effort goes into making these materials 508 compliant and accessible to all members. Special Flipping Book versions are created for online access and screen reader technology.
After the booklets are approved and sent to press, the work on landing pages begin. While the printed booklets are most useful for new members, these landing pages help returning members learn key changes to their plan and ensure they can access all of their benefits. We focused on new features and key updates for each plan at the top, since returning members are most interested in these pieces of their plan. Then we continue with the remaining information that our members find is needed. The landing pages have to be designed within a library of components that our UX team has developed, which calls encourages communication and cross-department collaboration.
The resolution
Ultimately, we created seven multi-page booklets and seven landing pages for medical and dental plans. As we continue to test our print materials and landing pages, we can better understand the needs and wants of our members. This feedback loop gives us the data we need to develop an action plan for the next revision of materials, including what we recommend to our stakeholders and how we organize our content. These materials are valuable resources that our members can utilize throughout the year as questions about their benefits arise.