Gift card for health - SulAmérica Seguros
About SulAmérica
SulAmérica is a company with over 128 years of experience dedicated to providing Comprehensive Health to its more than 7 million clients through Health, Dental, Life, Pension, and Investment products and services. It has over 4,000 employees and a distribution network with thousands of insurance brokers throughout Brazil.
Objective
Phase 1 (remote) -
Understand if the proposal to sell health through a Gift Card model would be understood by the user and what the ideal product format would be.
Phase 2 (in-person) - Validate the adherence of the created product, called Flex, and the acquisition of teleconsultation in the form of a gift card, in relation to the target audience.
What was done
Phase 1
Desk Research
Conversations with Stakeholders
Qualitative Research
Analysis of results and production of deliverables
Phase 2
Planning for field research
Production of visual merchandising materials
Qualitative Research
Analysis of results and production of deliverables
Phase 1 - Remote
The concept validation project for the health Gift Card began with what we call the remote phase. The framework of the remote phase extended over 6 weeks, following a phase of discovery, ideation, prototyping, and validation.
Desk Research
In the discovery phase, we sought to understand the context of Health techs, innovations, and trends in the health sector, as well as secondary data from existing research on the landscape of health insurers in Brazil and around the world.
A survey was also conducted on the Gift Card models available in the market and their value propositions. We understood that there were no health sale models through a Gift Card, meaning we would have to start from proposals in references.
Conversation with stakeholders
In discussions with the product team, we explored potential services of consumer interest, based on internal data, that would be suitable for a sales solution like Gift Card. From this information, we developed a product concept to be tested and named it FLEX.
User interview
We created a script that included an exploration phase and a concept validation phase. In the first phase, we discussed with users their understanding of the gift card concept, through a structured dynamic, the relationship between gift cards and health, and the possible places where they saw value in purchasing this product.
We conducted 12 interviews, following recruitment criteria established by the client. As our client already had personas designed, the recruitment criteria were based on these profiles.
Results
As a result of the first phase, we were able to obtain feedback on the product concept and the services tested. We suggested adaptations to the value proposition of each service and sales approach for each one.
In addition, from the user's perspective, we suggested locations aligned with the proposed product, Health Gift Card, such as pharmacies and medical clinics.
In addition, we organized the pains and opportunities captured in the interviews:
Users without health insurance:
Care in the SUS: The lack of professionals and poor service, a reflection of the inflated public system, due to a large portion of the population relying on state and municipal services, impacts the waiting time for scheduling consultations and exams.
The lack of infrastructure: The perception of the population that needs the SUS regarding the infrastructure of the public system is clear. The poor infrastructure is perceived and reported by the interviewees who, in turn, await alternative health services to meet the needs not addressed by the SUS.
Chaotic situation of the Pandemic: It is evident how the public system was affected by the pandemic situation. The interviewees also feel the absence of alternatives for health care. Each one seeks the best solution for their problems.
Users with insurance:
Specialties not covered by the health plan: The lack of professionals and poor service, a reflection of the inflated public system, due to a large portion of the population relying on state and municipal services, impacts the waiting time for scheduling consultations and exams.
Delay in scheduling and bureaucracy of the plan: The perception that the population needing the SUS has regarding the infrastructure of the public system is clear. The poor infrastructure is perceived and reported by the interviewees who, in turn, await alternative health services to meet the needs not addressed by the SUS.
High cost and paying for what one does not use: It is clear how the public system was affected by the pandemic situation. The interviewees also feel the absence of alternatives for health care. Each one seeks the best solution for their problems.
It was also possible to validate the concept of a health Gift Card as something completely innovative, in the user's view.
We also captured the level of user engagement and knowledge regarding Gift Cards:
Minority actually bought Gift cards: Users recognize the concept of Gift cards through their format. They perfectly describe their step-by-step usage, although they assign different names to the product. But the curious thing is that only a minority actually bought or received the card as a gift.
Most common use for Gift Card is for games: The most common purpose of the Gift card among the interviewees is recreational through online games.
The name Gift card is the least used, almost unknown: The interviewees named the McDonald's Gift Card in various ways (voucher, gift voucher, present card, voucher, prepaid card). The least popular name is Gift Card. Some had difficulty in pronunciation and others didn't even know what the expression in English referred to.
As a result of the first phase, we understood some possibilities for innovation regarding the health concept sold in Gift cards. For better visualization and understanding of the priority paths to take, the possibilities were arranged in a prioritization matrix.
INCREMENTAL: Possibilities identified by users regarding the variety of specialties available in the "Consultation Voucher." Most identified this modality, "consultation voucher," as the simplest way to offer agility to their health routine at an affordable price.
EVOLUTIONARY (NEW USERS): Users identify improvements that could adapt the Flex product to their health routine. They also associate the modalities of the FLEX card and their usability journey with existing products and services, both direct and indirect, in the market.
EVOLUTIONARY (NEW PRODUCTS): Since the prepaid card was considered an innovative product, the proposals for product evolution were limited to partnerships with businesses related to health, sports practice, and retail networks, as well as new possibilities for spending the credit, such as recharging.
REVOLUTIONARY: The multi-local potential of FLEX indicated to the user the factors of practicality and agility in acquiring health. This resulted in the revolutionary proposal to sell the cards in a vending machine.
Insight cards were also produced to highlight the research findings.
Phase 2 - In person
Field research planning
After we materialized the proposal into an ideal product model, with its visual and commercial approach, we would move on to what we call physical testing, applied in a real establishment.
Our objectives included:
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Exploring public interest regarding product variations and identifying new service opportunities based on interviewees' experiences.
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Assessing whether telemedicine is a familiar and clear concept for users.
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Determining if the consumer attraction strategy is engaging and emotionally effective.
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Checking if the price range is attractive to the target audience.
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Collecting feedback on the activation journey.
Selection of locations for conducting the research
Due to budget constraints, we need to conduct our physical test in pharmacies indicated by the client, aware of possible biases that the research could bring. We conducted a survey of the aspects of the indicated pharmacies during a field reconnaissance. The pharmacies presented different profiles regarding purchasing behavior, product placement, physical structure, and location. All this information could influence the outcome of the test.
Production of materials
For the physical test, it was necessary to produce point-of-sale materials. We analyzed the displays needed to attract the user's attention, but the approach to the product should be spontaneous and natural. In the end, we understood that a display next to the pharmacy checkout would be the ideal position for the products.
Interviews
We conducted an interview script, which would be applied to those interested in the exhibitor. Our premise was that the interest sparked in the customer should be spontaneous and natural, as one of the secondary objectives of the physical test was to understand what caught attention at the point of sale. After the perceived interest, we approached the customer and applied the script of exploratory questions.
In total, there were 110 approaches, 21 people interviewed over a period of 3 days in the city of Valinhos, at two selected pharmacies.
Results and deliveries
Insights
The in-person phase brought more insights about the health proposal sold as a gift card.
After the interview script was applied, all the data was transcribed into a table for us to proceed with the systematization phase. With the data organized, we highlighted the most striking insights that represented behavior patterns and mindsets.
To confront the information between the remote phase and the in-person phase, we created a "give-and-take" between the insights, thus we were able to demonstrate what was validated and what needs to be reconsidered in the proposal.
The product is undoubtedly innovative and brought a pleasant surprise when presented to people. However, there are some points of confusion regarding the understanding of how the journey will occur. The communication strategy must be carefully outlined, taking into account the learning curve necessary for users to get accustomed to the best way of use. We were able to identify some important topics:
Do not completely discard the "physical": Due to the prior understanding that people have of what a health plan is and how to schedule an appointment, the physical card proved to be necessary and pleased the users. The design of the card should be part of the communication strategy, providing relevant information and serving as a reminder that the product will be there when needed, even if it is not necessarily used as a "gift card".
Simplicity is key: Due to having many layers of innovation, it is important to show the user that the product is simple to use and brings agility to daily life. At first, the mix of physical and digital can intimidate the target audience of the product; communication should be done in a way that the user does not feel intimidated by the technology and does not realize that this transition exists, having a quality service that addresses their needs.
As highlighted opportunities:
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Focus on the consumption of individual consultations
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Launch strategy, respecting the learning curve
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Communication focused on the benefits of the product and exploring the shortcomings of traditional health plans
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The physical representation of the product on a card is important
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Show simplicity and not intimidate with technology
To demonstrate all findings in a didactic and quick manner, a video was produced that summarizes the entire team's work.
Tools and software used: Figma, Word, Miro.
Skills acquired: Field research; development of a script for field research; qualitative interview; participatory observation; video editing; development of physical product; merchandising techniques.
Design team: Ana Paula Torquato (Project Lead / UX Researcher); Elena Coelho (Junior UX Designer); Chico (Senior PD); Vitor (Junior UX Designer.