An All-in-One B2B Commercial Truck Insurance Platform for Agents
Cover Whale
A view of the redesigned account overview page. From this page, the agent would have easy access to both detailed and high level information regarding policy and account info.
Optimized. Standardized.
Summary
Carry forward all functionalities agents have come to expect from the current platform experience.
Where applicable, deliver meaningful new improvements.
Standardize language and behavior to ensure consistency across channels.
Leverage insights gathered from recent conversations with both agents and stakeholders, aim to align with user as well as business needs and expectations.
Challenges
Account for an array of workflows within the insurance space.
Simplify the complexities of an MGA* business model for our external design team.
Gain a deep understanding of risk assessment tools and processes.
*Managing General Agent.
Team Members
Design Team
Ipek - UX Designer
Dilara - UX Designer
Murat - Front End Developer
My Role
Senior UX Researcher & Designer
Daily syncs with design team
Weekly presentations and feedback sessions with internal team and stakeholders
Project Scope
Deliverables
Research Visualizations
Style Guide, Design System
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
Clickable Prototypes
Duration
7 months
Objective
Prepare for company-wide transition to a new agent portal.
Position UX/Front End Designs to serve as a blueprint for the product's subsequent development and orchestration.
Target Users
Who They Are
Countrywide user base with a variety of experience levels and roles
Shared goals include maintaining a steady client stream through competitive quoting and binding.
What They Need
Tools to accurately quote new business
Ability to service existing policies
Ensure timely communication when problems surface.
Why They Matter
Insurance premiums sold by agents are the financial backbone of MGAs, Carriers, and Underwriters.
Our Mission
Build an agent portal for seamless policy management, communication, proactive policy actions, HubSpot integration, and improved regulatory alignment.
The Problem
Despite providing fast trucking quotes, agents struggle with platform usability, leading to sales loss and credibility issues, as well as frustration from platform underperformance.
The Solution
An all-in-one, user-friendly insurance platform that's talkative, usable, and accurate, designed to support agents and strengthen business relationships.
RESEARCH
Working with Agents
Due to the sensitive nature of insurance business and the value of agents' time, securing their participation was challenging, as it also meant time away from potential sales opportunities. We navigated this by coordinating through designated MGA representatives who facilitated the connection between agents and the design team.
QUESTIONS
How would you rate the overall ease of use of the platform?
How satisfied are you with the accuracy and speed of the quote generation process?
What specific changes would improve your day-to-day interactions with the platform?
How do system delays impact your work, and what improvements would you suggest for faster processing?
Can you walk me through your typical experience with the endorsement process? What challenges do you encounter?
How responsive have you found the communication from Underwriters? What could be improved?
If you could improve one aspect of the platform, what would it be and why?
PARTICIPANTS
11 agents
Active platform users from various retail agencies, small to mid-size companies.
KEY INSIGHTS
Platform Insights
The conversations revealed a strong demand for improvements in accuracy, speed, and communication. They also highlighted challenges with the current platform experience, specifically areas for improvement in the usability of the Application and the Endorsement process.
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Agents prioritize ease of use and quick problem resolution. They expect a smoother quoting process and faster processing times.
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Agents face issues with accuracy, delays, and changing pricing during the quote generation process. They also struggle with data entry and system functionality, particularly in endorsement processes.
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Agents appreciate features like DOT pre-fills and PDF uploads but find the platform's usability inconsistent. They seek better automation to reduce manual input and errors.
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Agents are frustrated with communication and response times from Underwriters, as well as a desire for faster payment processing. They prefer efficient email communication and quicker payment cycles.
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Agents interact with multiple platforms and tools, indicating a need for better integration and seamless experiences. They value platforms that offer competitive pricing, fast quoting, and efficient workflow management while continuing to look for improvements.
LANDSCAPE
Agents use various tools for quotes, highlighting a need for streamlined integration and unified experiences.
Selling insurance is a multi-faceted experience that goes beyond the quoting and binding of policies. Inherently complex, agencies utilize their own Agency Management Systems (AMS), Risk Assessment Tools, and API-leveraging custom Raters built in-house for the more tech-savvy agencies, as well as quick-quoting insurance platforms that specialize in commercial trucking.
AMS 360
Policy management, CRM, claims processing, document handling, accounting, and commission tracking.
Reporting and analytics, integrates with other systems, offers workflow automation, includes user management and support resources.
Progressive | ForAgentsOnly.com
Policy management, quick quote generation, claims processing, marketing resources, and customer support.
Integrates with AMS, tracks commissions, offers detailed reporting, and includes training modules and user management features for enhanced agency efficiency.
Vindati
Policy management, multi-carrier quoting, efficient claims processing, and CRM integration.
Document management, financial tools, advanced reporting, seamless integration, workflow automation
Client portal
FMCSA/SAFER
Essential data for the commercial trucking industry, safety records, DOT numbers, and vehicle registrations.
Supports compliance monitoring, integrates with other platforms, aids in underwriting and policy management,
Free to use. Real-time accuracy and consistency.
PERSONA
Meet Jamie
“I count on multiple factors aligning when I’m working on a quote”
A Typical Day
Jamie Collins, 36, is a tech savvy trucking insurance agent. She starts her day prepared for a mix of data entry, client calls, and policy management.
With a new commercial trucking client on the line, she begins by entering the DOT number into the agency’s quoting platform. The system pre-fills some details, but with 10 trucks in the fleet, she braces herself for the tedious task of manually inputting each vehicle’s VIN, make, model, as well as value, class, and body type.
Pain Points
Long delays/poor communication causing loss of potential sales or unintended cancellation of policies.
Information misalignment leading to credibility issues with clients.
Complex, manual processes like form-filling.
Work Profile
Role
Mid-sized agency producer managing data entry, quoting, and issue resolution.
Tools
Uses dual monitors and various platforms for accurate policy binding, data entry, and client management.
Responsibilities
Coordinate between clients, MGAs, and other insurance carriers.
Generate revenue for agency via commission from premiums.
Goals
Streamline quoting with quick, accurate, and reliable processes.
Effortless navigation and task completion.
Automate tasks to reduce errors and improve efficiency.
Needs
Faster platform response times and improved system reliability.
Simplified endorsement processes with clear, user-friendly steps.
Accurate and consistent information across all channels.
Behaviors
Regularly compares quotes from multiple insurance carriers online.
Prioritizes platforms with instant quoting and minimal manual input.
Relies on email communication for efficient client and carrier interactions.
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Stakeholder Vision
Before starting with the design team, I consulted with our CEO and heads of Growth and Customer Experience.
CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS
Fast and Accurate Commercial Auto Quotes are core value.
Forms should pre-populate to reduce manual entry. Data validation over data entry.
Focus on competitive, sales-centric features; improve checkout and overall UI.
Design should accommodate various experience levels.
Reduce/reorder questions to trigger hard declines sooner.
“Brilliant at the basics. Let’s get the basics really right, then worry about the rest.”
PRODUCTS IDENTIFIED
It was suggested to benchmark against reporting tools like Brex and checkout experiences from Shopify or Stripe, emphasizing the need to strike a balance between sales/financial and underwriting/risk assessment
DESIGN GUIDELINES
Accuracy and Agent-Driven Redesign
Build on the existing foundation to elevate the policy management experience. These became our design guidelines as we launched into the first weeks of the sprint.
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Enhance the app’s architecture by segmenting it according to the policy life cycle, making it more intuitive for users.
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Utilize automation to save agents time by declining earlier in the process.
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Improve integration with Hubspot and expand existing email channels for streamlined communication.
EXISTING PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The All Submissions Page
Currently, this is the first page that Jamie sees when the app loads. Access to this page is always available in the top navigation. This is where she can see all of the activity generated under her agent account.
AGENT ABILITIES
Global Navigation Bar
Create a new submission via ‘New Quote’ CTA.
Navigate to ‘All Submissions’ from other parts of the site
Contact customer service via email shortcut
Access to profile page
Search and Filter
Search by Submission Number, Effective Date, or any other column label in the Table View
Filter table by Operating State, Submission Status, and Transaction Type
Table View of Submissions
View of all submissions generated under agency/agent account
Submission Number in each row is clickable and navigates to subsequent Submission Overview Page
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Redesigning the Platform’s Architecture for Agent Efficiency
As we set out to revamp the platform’s navigation with a newly introduced dashboard experience, it became clear that several aspects of the platform’s architecture could be refined to enhance usability and streamline task management.
This sketch allowed both the design and the engineering team to visualize in how all the moving parts of the core platform would be connected.
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Basic Dashboard: Spartan and Task-focused
In earlier iterations, we’d leaned into the sales-based nature of the agent as identified by the growth team. However after testing the initial designs and in speaking with agents, we found that the majority of producers would be less concerned with the overall sales performance of the agency and more concerned with the daily tasks they would be responsible for. For our “soldier view” (as I would often refer to it in meetings) we opted to utilize widgets providing simple counts and a high level overview of the agent’s activity.
Widget views include: Policies In-Force, Pending Cancellation, Bindable Quotes, and Upcoming Renewals. In essence, they answer: What business was recently bound, what’s at risk of being lost, what’s ready to be bound, and what’s primed for renewal.
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Submissions, Quotes, and Polices: Breaking the Policy Life Cycle Apart
Previously, the landing page, labeled ‘All Submissions,’ contained a mixed table view of submissions, quotes, policies, and endorsements. This layout, while functional, lacked clarity since a submission represents only the beginning of the policy life cycle. To address this, we reorganized the architecture, establishing distinct pages for ‘Submissions,’ ‘Quotes,’ and ‘Policies,’ each representing a specific stage in the policy process. This structure, based on natural policy life cycle transitions, aimed to create a more intuitive foundation for agents and received positive feedback during usability testing.
The submission stage of the policy life cycle includes all activities leading up to the application being quoted and falls into two statuses: ‘Pending’ or ‘Declined.’ Clicking a ‘Pending’ account number navigates the agent back to the application to resume, while a ‘Declined’ status directs them to an overview page with application details and declination reasons.
The quote stage includes four outcomes: 'Bindable,' 'In Review,' 'Not Taken,' and 'Expired.' 'Bindable' quotes allow agents to proceed with sales, accessible via 'View All Bindable Quotes.' 'In Review' means Underwriting review is required. 'Not Taken' indicates the insured declined, and 'Expired' means the 30-day validity lapsed. Expired quotes can be copied for reuse. Stages like New Business, Endorsement, and Renewal are shown in the 'Stage' column for context.
Once bound, a quote becomes an active policy. Endorsement counts provide context, and the status column shows if a policy is bound, at risk, or pending/cancellation-requested, with details in the 'Issues' tab. 'Upcoming Renewals' lists policies expiring within 60 days, and 'Cancelled' allows reinstatement requests.
To further support agent workflows, we introduced a new, expandable sidebar making Dashboard, Messages, and task-focused pages readily accessible. This approach drew from familiar desktop app layouts, allowing agents to quickly navigate between different parts of the platform. Additionally, we moved search and filter functionalities to the global navigation, enabling agents to apply search and filters across the entire application rather than only within individual pages.
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Messages: Streamlining Agent-Admin Interactions
In the new design, we addressed the issue of lost notes and scattered communication by using the Account as the primary identifier, rather than a submission number. Previously, each new submission—such as when an insured added coverage—would create separate threads, causing notes to appear in multiple locations without a unified view for agents or admins. By associating all policy activity under a single account per insured, we were able to consolidate all communication in one place.
The notifications queue is always available in the global navigation via the standard bell icon. When clicked, a side drawer component moves in and the agent is able to view history, navigate to specific tickets or events, as well as filter their view.
Events and Tickets
Events
Events capture all system actions on any account, like cancellations, reinstatements, policy issuance, or status changes. Events auto-generate notifications that agents can view on the ‘Messages’ page or on a specific account page under the ‘Messages’ tab. The Notifications Queue provides a history of all events and tickets, ensuring agents can quickly identify new activity.
Tickets
To bridge the gap between platform and external communication (e.g., emails/phone calls), tickets log all customer inquiries, enabling agents to track status updates within the platform. By using an Account identifier, rather than individual submission numbers, agents can view all tickets and responses in one queue, streamlining the communication process across departments.
In the default view of the ‘Messages’ page, the ‘Events’ and ‘Tickets’ widgets are presented side-by-side. The agent has the ability to filter the view to show only events or messages. They also have the ability to add a new ticket. This was designed to replace the functionality of adding in a note in the current experience.
Agents have the ability to filter their view down to see only ‘Events’ or ‘Tickets’. In this example, we see the ‘Events’ only view.
From the ‘Messages’ page, because the system wouldn’t know what account the ticket was regarding, the agent would be provided with a dropdown of all account numbers associated with the agent profile. They’d also be required to add a subject and a description. Clicking ‘Send’ would do two things, start a new ticket thread in their ‘Tickets’ view as well as open a new ticket in Hubspot where an admin would be notified directly.
Once a ticket thread was opened, the agent would be able to view it by clicking on ‘Review’. From here, they’d be able to see responses and be able to reference important information like ticket number, status, and priority. They’d also be provided with basic formatting options.
EXISTING PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The Submission Overview Page
When a submission number is clicked on the All Submissions page, this is the view where Jamie would land next. Here, she is able to see a detailed view of the submission, as well as take status-specific actions. She can also review documents as well read and respond to underwriter notes or system messages.
AGENT ABILITIES
Transaction Details
High-level Legal and Company information of both parties involved in transaction
Insured: Name, Physical Address, DOT.
Agency: Broker on Record (BOR), Email, Phone.
Vehicles, Trailers, and Drivers Tabs contain information like VINs and License Numbers.
Access to Documents
Files tab provides storage of all documents. Both system generated (Quote Documents, Binders) and agent uploaded (Loss Runs, MVRs).
Essential Actions
Status specific; different actions are available to the agent when the submission, quote, or policy is in one status or another.
Provides controllability to the agent along the policy life cycle.
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Expanding on Overview: From ‘Submission’ to ‘Account’
In the redesign of the Submission Overview, it was important to carry over all aspects of the existing experience that agents were already used to as well as see what areas could be expanded, condensed or created if necessary. I created a sitemap of the page to communicate the structure to the team and to ensure accuracy. Another important distinction we’d be reinforcing both visually and verbally, was the shift from the ‘Submission’ being the highest level data point to ‘Account’.
Clicking an account number from the 'Quotes' or 'Policies' pages navigates the agent to the account's 'Overview' page. Here, the agent can view key details like coverage lines, business info, loss data, pricing breakdowns, and create endorsements. The 'Actions' button offers status-specific options, such as requesting cancellation for one or all coverage lines.
Previously labeled ‘Files’ because of the nature of the majority of materials either system-generated or uploaded by the agent, we decided to label the new version of the page ‘Documents’. We carried over the ability to upload as was available in the current experience. Based on internal feedback, we also added a ‘Version’ column which was designed to help both agents and admins identify what document was most current to reduce confusion and errors.
Along with all communication (Events, Tickets) for all accounts being available on the ‘Messages’ page of the primary navigation of the platform, there is also a ‘Messages’ page within the overview pages of a single Account. If the agent were to click on the account number from the primary ‘Messages’ page for instance, they would be navigated here. The agent has all the same capabilities as is on the primary page.
The ‘History’ tab, which is a new addition to the overview experience, would serve very simply as a running log of all transactions attached to a specific account. This history was previously available in a dropdown menu, but could never be viewed all at once. This feature would be very useful if an account was re-assigned from one agent to another in an agency (as it often was).
The ‘Billing’ tab, another new addition to the overview experience, was designed to show both the billing and payment history of an account. Tracking down this information using the current platform experience was very difficult for both agents and admins, as there were multiple billing models and payment methods. Admins did have a ‘Billing Summary’ tab in their view, but it was only visible to them and was used for internal accounting purposes. From an agency standpoint, this page would be very useful to an accounting manager.
The final tab in the overview page, and also a new addition, was the ‘Issues’ tab. From here, the agent could see a table view of all issues associated with an account. This would be especially important if the account had any policies which were at-risk or pending cancellation. It would provide context to the agent as well as allow them to know the status. Clicking on the overflow action icon would allow them to add a ticket to notify an admin that the issue was now in the process of being resolved.
EXISTING PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The Application
When Jamie clicks ‘New Quote’, she is planning on generating new business. This means filling out a lengthy multi-page form. The information collected in this form determines the eligibility or ineligibility of company for insurance.
AGENT ABILITIES
Leveraging DOT for Pre-Fill
Entering the DOT number pre-fills multiple fields, saving time.
Stakeholders and users recognize this as a core platform value.
Fast Submissions
Traditional commercial auto submissions can take weeks due to complex applications.
Automated underwriting vets risk in real-time, bypassing lengthy human reviews.
Faster, accurate quotes let agents bind policies much sooner.
Task Flexibility
Information often arrives incomplete or changes hands mid-process.
Agents can complete forms non-sequentially and in multiple sessions.
REDESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Optimizing Navigation and Workflow in the Application
By first analyzing the information architecture of the existing application, we were then able to determine how we’d be able to optimize it without losing any key data points or creating something too unfamiliar. I created a sitemap in accordance with the existing experience, which was then used to create a clickable prototype which was tested. We then went back into the designs to make changes based on feedback.
A redesigned Entry Point asks for a DOT number when agents initiate a “New Quote,” allowing for pre-filling company details if FMCSA data is pulled successfully. This setup verifies key account information, like the operating state, up front, automatically assigning state-specific rules and further enhancing eligibility checks early in the journey.
Centralizing the Coverages tab by merging the former “Limits” section means all coverage details, limits, and associated fees are visible on one page. This approach enhances the quoting process by offering agents a cohesive view of all premium-affecting factors without switching between tabs.
The Insured tab is now labeled Business to better match FMCSA terminology, using terms like “Physical Address” instead of “Business Garaging Address” to increase alignment and reduce entry errors. Usability tests underscored the importance of this update, as agents reported that inconsistent field names previously contributed to lost business. With these updates, the application is now better equipped to deliver an intuitive, agent-centric quoting experience that aligns with industry standards and minimizes the chance of error.
The Operations tab now consolidates “Cargo” and “Radius” information, pulling data directly from SAFER for a more seamless autofill experience. Positioning this tab early in the process also provides agents with knockout questions, aiding in quick eligibility assessments and saving time on ineligible cases. Additionally, the Radius section, previously spread across different tabs, is now consolidated under Operations and retains “Local,” “Intermediate,” and “Long Haul” labels with clearer mileage definitions, offering agents greater context in a single location.
The Equipment tab merged “Vehicles” and “Trailers,” reducing steps by treating vehicles and trailers as parts of a whole. This change not only minimizes clicks but includes functionality like bulk paste and a side-drawer component for improved manual entry.
When the agent clicks ‘Add Vehicle’, the side drawer component moves in from the right, allowing the agent to add multiple vehicles at once. Previously, this was accomplished by opening a modal, entering data, saving modal and repeating.
OUTCOME
Strengthening UI Continuity and Way Finding
Throughout this redesign, we focused on reinforcing the UI’s sense of ‘place,’ ensuring agents could always tell where they are within the application. Moving forward, we plan to measure how well this updated architecture aligns with agent expectations, given their prior familiarity with the system, to ensure a smooth transition and enhanced usability.