Financial planning tools for LTC customers
My first project as the UX design lead for John Hancock’s Long-Term Care business was to design a cost of care tool that allows users to view and compare costs of care throughout different geographic regions of the country. The tool has 3 main features - viewing the cost of a particular city or region, comparing the costs of multiple regions, and building out multi-year care setting scenarios to view the year-over-year cumulative cost. The features were phased out into two major releases over the course of the 9 month project.
My contributions:
UX Design Lead
Timeline:
January 2023 – September 2023
Finding the right layout
To kick off the Cost of Long-Term Care Map Tool, I explored multiple layout concepts and rough mockups to determine the best way to present cost data in a way that was both clear and user-friendly. Once I had a set of early concepts, I shared them with stakeholders and our development vendor, Illumifin, to gather feedback on feasibility, usability, and alignment with business goals. This collaborative approach ensured that design and development were aligned from the start, helping us refine the direction before moving into high-fidelity designs.
Finalizing the designs for launch
After refining the initial concepts, I focused on finalizing the designs for both the Cost of Long-Term Care Map Tool and the Comparison Tool, ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience. The map tool allowed users to explore long-term care costs by location, while the comparison tool enabled them to evaluate costs across multiple regions side by side.
Throughout this phase, I worked closely with stakeholders and Illumifin to fine-tune interactions, visual styling, and data presentation. Usability testing and stakeholder feedback played a key role in refining details before development. These two tools were launched together as part of the first major release, marking a significant milestone in providing users with clearer insights into the cost of care.
Expanding the experience with the multi-year cumulative cost tool
With the successful launch of the Cost of Long-Term Care Map and Comparison Tool, we shifted focus to designing and developing the third and final feature: the Multi-Year Cumulative Cost Tool. Building on the foundation of the first two tools, this feature aimed to give users a clearer picture of how long-term care expenses add up over time, helping them make more informed financial decisions. Working with the same team of stakeholders and Illumifin, we explored how best to visualize multi-year cost projections while maintaining the clarity and usability of the previous tools.
The Multi-Year Cumulative Cost Tool allows users to customize their long-term care plan by adding different care settings (such as home care, assisted living, or nursing home care) for specific time ranges. As they adjust their selections, the tool dynamically calculates and displays the total projected cost over the selected number of years. This interactive experience helps users better understand how care needs and expenses evolve over time, empowering them to make more informed financial decisions.
With the successful launch of the Cost of Care Suite, these tools have become a cornerstone of John Hancock’s LTC customer experience. By providing clear, interactive ways to explore and compare long-term care costs, the suite empowers customers to better plan for their future and make informed financial decisions. The combination of the Cost of Care Map, Comparison Tool, and Multi-Year Cumulative Cost Tool has transformed how customers engage with long-term care planning, making it easier than ever to understand potential expenses and prepare with confidence.