The Need

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is the US subsidiary of Allianz SE, a global provider of insurance based in Munich. Allianz Life sells life insurance and both fixed- and variable-index annuities. These products are typically sold to consumers through independent financial professionals (finpros) throughout the country, and in many cases the finpro performs all of the account maintenance on behalf of the customer.

In 2017 Allianz decided to try something new: their first self-service annuity. This was a revolutionary idea in an industry that often lags behind the cutting edge. They engaged their Customer Experience team to provide data that would inform product and design choices.

We learned that the target user ranged in age from 40-65, analytical, proudly self-reliant, naturally skeptical, and likely to investigate a product fully before making any decision. They were online-savvy, and saw themselves as better equipped to manage their own annuity than others, but still shared a concern for future planning and making sure their families were provided for.

The requirements included a responsive web experience that would enable prospective customers to learn about annuities, run some basic calculations to see income potential, read articles from financial experts, and connect with experts with any questions they weren’t able to answer on their own. We were to also design a secure site where they could check in on their financial progress and manage their account.

By the time I joined the team, the basic MVP had already been created and deployed, along with a widespread ad campaign. I was brought on to build out the more advanced features on the public and secure sites, including the resources section, an advanced calculator with multiple presets based on life situations, a secure customer dashboard, and other secure maintenance features like how to add premium and manage contributions.

The project team was unique in that we were a totally agile team working within a very traditional business structure. We had near-virtual autonomy with regards to making design and content decisions, and if we wanted a feature, we simply built it and iterated on it as we went.

Discovery