USAA: Membership page
A complete redesign rooted in brand expression, identity, and value.
01: Overview
CONTEXT
USAA is a company that offers financial services and insurance to U.S. military members and their families. To become a member, you need to meet certain eligibility criteria. It's important for potential members to know if they qualify and what benefits they can get with their membership.
PROBLEM
The current page is too general and doesn't show what USAA is all about, who they're for, and what benefits come with being a member. This is a problem because it misses a chance to convince potential members to join.
Also, it makes it hard for users to figure out if they are eligible, which is a crucial question before signing up. Family situations can be complicated, and eligibility isn't always straightforward.
GOAL
Craft a compelling experience that showcases USAA's unique differentiators in a way that aligns with the core audience's aspirations, priorities, and values.
MY ROLE
My responsibilities encompassed conducting deep data and secondary research analysis, concept ideation, and user research.
BUSINESS GOALS
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Increase in product acquisition
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Increase in overall member conversion
02: Discover
While conducting research for the USAA homepage, we realized the need for a space that truly reflects the company's unique identity. This insight became the driving force behind the redesign of the Membership page.
We devoted several sprints to thoroughly explore what a strong brand identity entails and what users require from this page to make informed decisions about doing business with USAA.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Our internal market research team, particularly their Gen-Z Ethnography, delved into understanding how our core audience perceives our brand. This research highlighted the significance of philanthropic efforts that younger users desire. They tend to support companies that share their values.
The currently serving younger demographic at USAA has been declining, making it crucial for us to focus on converting this group into members.
DATA
Data played a vital role in this project.
We discovered that 2 out of 3 users visit our homepage or other product-specific pages before landing on the Membership page.
And from the Membership page, 1 in 2 users go back to pub home or storefront.
Why this matters: It indicates that when users arrive at the Membership page, they have already been exploring and shopping around. They use this page to find answers to their questions before making a commitment.This page is a pitstop in their product acquisition journey.
Current page
SEO
Another important finding was that 1 in 3 users reach our Membership page from external sources. The most-clicked keyword leading users to the page is "USAA Benefits."
Why this matters: Users are seeking to gain a better understanding of USAA membership, what it entails, and how to become a part of the association.
Furthermore, we noticed that 3rd party websites were ranking higher than our internal membership page for this keyword. This poses a significant risk because if we rely on external sources to answer questions about eligibility and membership benefits, it could affect our control over the user experience and information accuracy.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
We created a matrix to track common attributes between competitors and identify where USAA was falling short.
TOP DISCOVERY INSIGHTS
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Users often turn to 3rd party websites to gather information about USAA. This poses a risk as we have limited control over how our company is portrayed through these external sources. They frequently search for terms like "USAA benefits" and "USAA membership."
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Competitors stand out by emphasizing community engagement and shared values, which sets them apart beyond just their products. They effectively communicate their brand value across various pages and spaces.
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USAA's Membership page aims to appeal to everyone, but it lacks a unique touch and fails to inspire users.
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The membership value proposition doesn't meet users' expectations. They can see that we're simply highlighting products as benefits. Instead, they want benefits to be practical, actionable, and readily available.
03: Define
KICKOFF
We conducted a collaborative workshop with core business partners to gain insights into their perspectives on the problem space, their aspirations, concerns, and how they envision success for this page.
COLLABORATION
Although the timeline for this project wasn't as tight as the 90-day deadline for the homepage redesign, we recognized the significance of deep collaboration for its success.
To ensure seamless progress, we established weekly syncs with our core partners, fostering constant collaboration and keeping the project on track.
PAGE INGREDIENTS
Based on our research, we had a general idea of what content to include on the page, but we needed to define the specific order and presentation. We called these elements our "page ingredients," which comprised:
A. An Inspirational introduction section
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Avoiding product-centric language
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Crafting a short, mobile-friendly headline
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Adding pithy subcopy for clarity (max 3 lines)
B. Products
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Highlighting our top products for easy navigation
C. Who we serve
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Clear information about eligibility
D. How we’re different
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Aligning values with our audience
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Defining what membership means
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Highlighting other differentiators such as discounts and services
E. How our values align
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Showcasing our philanthropic efforts and community involvement
04: Design
HYPOTHESIS
After conducting our competitive analysis, we initially hypothesized a hub and spoke model, and we aimed to incorporate this concept into at least one of the tested concepts.
We envisioned a central page serving as the hub, offering an overview of eligibility information. From there, specific pages (the spokes) would cater to individual eligibility types comprised of service members, their spouses, and children.
This approach allows us to have tailored conversations for each group, making the user experience more personalized and relevant.
IDEATION
Before diving into ideation, we established our concept spectrum to stay within the defined scope, ensuring a wide range of ideas were explored, all while incorporating our "page ingredients."
Y axis: We considered the balance between transactional and emotional elements in the design.
X axis: We explored whether to lead with product-focused content or emphasize who we serve.
TESTING
After 2-3 days of ideation, we settled on two concepts for testing:
Concept A: Highlight Reel | Leading with products
Concept B: Deep Dive | Leading with eligibility information
Hypothesis:
Users prefer a straightforward approach and want to quickly grasp who we are and what we offer. If the information is concise, they are more likely to engage.
Hypothesis: Users are eager for in-depth details about USAA. They are willing to explore more information to find actionable specifics rather than broad generalizations.
Additionally, we decided to test the current Membership page as our control.
Methodology
We conducted an unmoderated study via UserZoom, dividing it into two parts:
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Part 1: Randomized concept testing
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Part 2: Concept comparison
In the study, we had users simulate searching for USAA and then navigate to the Membership page from there.
Interestingly, we had to launch the test twice. In the first attempt, we started users directly on the Membership page, which led them to think it was our homepage. This unintentional bias affected the feedback, as the needs of the homepage and the Membership page are distinct.
Our main objectives were to understand:
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How users felt about the page at large
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Their perceptions of the benefits of membership
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Their inclination to join USAA based on this page
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Their perception of eligibility based on this page
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Any additional information they sought before joining
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Participants were asked to assess the two concepts and the control, and then determine which one performed the best and which one performed the least, providing reasons for their choices.
For the concept that worked best for participants, we delved into the section that had the most significant impact and explored the reasons behind its effectiveness.
FINDINGS
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(Further confirmation of existing insight) Eligibility is top of mind before products. Users appreciated seeing eligibility information front and center as it helped them determine their qualification quickly.
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More content is preferred: Visitors felt more at ease with longer informational experiences that provided many bite-sized answers, rather than navigating through multiple segmented pages (which was our original hypothesis).
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USAA products and eligibility go hand in hand: Visitors expect to find enough information to make informed decisions and take action. Having a clear connection between products and eligibility was crucial.
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Emotional connection matters: Users emphasized that the Membership page should evoke an emotional connection. It should highlight differentiators and strike a balance between concrete information and inspirational imagery.
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Positive response to member-owned and community building: Users responded positively to learning about USAA's member-owned status and its efforts in building up military communities. These aspects were well received and added to the overall positive impression of the page.
Equipped with these valuable insights, we proceeded with the development of the final design.
05: Deliver
FINAL DESIGN
Our final design incorporated all the essential page ingredients and reflected the insights we gained from user testing:
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We prioritized eligibility information at the forefront.
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Opting for an information-dense single page, rather than a hub and spoke approach.
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Our brand expression resonated emotionally with users.
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We expanded the section on philanthropic efforts, highlighting our commitment to giving back to the military community.
A/B TEST
We proactively prepared for a post-launch Digital Optimization Test (DOT). We aimed to present users with a 50/50 split of the old and new versions to compare their performance against business KPIs. This approach allowed us to gauge the effectiveness of the two versions and make data-driven decisions for further optimization.
RESULTS
At this stage, the page has just been launched, and we are actively tracking metrics to assess its performance.
NEXT STEPS
Our next steps involve ongoing monitoring and gradually rolling out the new version to all audiences. We plan to showcase products based on seasonal relevance, leveraging opportunities like TurboTax and back-to-school discounts.
Furthermore, we aim to implement the learnings from this page to capture product intent, enabling us to guide users into product applications more efficiently.
CONCLUSION
Through the delivery of a modernized, user-informed membership experience, deeply rooted in USAA's brand identity and values, we have successfully strengthened the company's brand perception. The redesigned page effectively highlights the unique benefits of Membership, fostering a stronger connection with our valued users.