Benefits Management Portal
Project Overview
A leading benefits administration provider offers customized online portals that allow participants to manage their benefit plans and access essential information.
Introduction
The client approached our team to redesign their participant portal. While the system was functionally sound, users faced numerous small usability issues and an outdated interface. The objective was to modernize the platform to make it more intuitive, responsive, and visually consistent—improving both the participant and administrator experience.
To achieve this, our team needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the existing system to ensure full feature parity while enhancing usability and design. This required rethinking navigation, content organization, and mobile responsiveness from the ground up.
Step 1: Discovery & Understanding the Current System
Our engagement began with a detailed discovery phase. Through platform walkthroughs and stakeholder interviews, we documented every existing feature, workflow, and user pain point.
We identified three key user groups:
Internal Representatives – team members who assist organizations in managing and maintaining the platform.
Client Administrators – organizations that oversee benefits management for their members.
Members and Dependents – end users who access the portal to enroll, view benefits, and manage claims or dependents.
Pain Points
Lack of Mobile Responsiveness - Members couldn’t easily access their information on mobile devices, which limited accessibility.
Limited Customization Options - Clients had to rely on the provider to make basic portal adjustments.
Outdated Visual Design - The interface looked dated, and the information architecture lacked intuitive hierarchy.
To address these issues, we developed a comprehensive sitemap mapping both the current and future state of the platform. This became the foundation for improving navigation, reducing friction, and delivering a modern user experience.
Step 2: Design & Iteration
Our team began by creating mockups that preserved the portal’s core structure while introducing major usability and accessibility improvements. Using a robust design system ensured consistency across complex data tables, form components, and information layouts—critical for a platform managing sensitive and detailed user data.
We followed an agile, collaborative design process with regular sprint reviews and stakeholder check-ins. This iterative approach allowed rapid feedback cycles and continuous alignment with client goals.
A key change was moving the main navigation to a left-side menu, creating more space for additional tabs and clearer groupings. This reorganization simplified navigation and improved discoverability across the platform.
Throughout the process, close collaboration between designers, developers, and the product owner ensured every solution was both user-friendly and technically feasible.
Conclusion
After several design iterations and usability validations, the redesigned portal successfully retained all legacy functionality while delivering a vastly improved experience.
The new platform is modern, responsive, and accessible, with a scalable design system that supports customization and ongoing growth. This transformation established a new benchmark for usability and flexibility in online benefits management portals.