Onboarding & Form Design
Answering a series of questions to set up a health goal was leaving a negative impression on users.
Optum Wellness
Seattle, Washington – September 2015
Optum Wellness is a phone and online coaching program that helps users reduce health risks by focusing on key areas, such as nicotine addiction, obesity, stress, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.
Business Problem
User test results of a core feature of the Optum Wellness product showed that only 25% of users completed the health goal setup as intended.

Users reported being "put off" by the amount of questions they had to complete to set up a health goal.

Users also felt they had answered the same questions multiple times during the health goal setup.
Desired Outcome
Reverse the trend of negative impressions into positive impressions from users
The obvious solution to reversing the negative impressions is to first eliminate as many questions as possible that the user has to answer. However, the business was not willing to remove questions in the health goal setup since this would affect the collection of baseline user health data the business relies on to produce reports and outcomes to clients.
Design Assumptions
Re-ordering and grouping similar questions will create a logical flow for the user
The existing flow jumped back and forth from health assessment questions and health goal questions. Combining all the health assessment questions and placing them in the beginning of the setup flow formed a natural progression for the user.
  • 1
    Assess the user's health
    Is the user a smoker, diabetic or have they undergone weightless surgery?
  • 2
    Collect baseline health data
    What is the user's current activity level, nutritional diet, and stress level?
  • 3
    Recommend a health goal
    Based on the user's answers recommend a S.M.A.R.T health goal.
Form Design
Dropdowns should be the UI of Last Resort
Redesigning the form controls and inputs was crucial to creating an easy and simple user experience. User testing showed we reversed user negative impressions during the health goal setup by:
  • 1
    Reducing the amount of clicks/taps
    Eliminated dropdown menus and small radio buttons. Enlarged touch targets and introduced touch friendly sliders.
  • 2
    Breaking out questions into individual steps
    In most instances we automatically navigate the user to the next question without the user needing to click/tap the "Next" button.
  • 3
    Introducing a percentage progression bar
    Replaced a buggy and at times inaccurate "Step 1 of 6" tracker.
  • 4
    Reducing the amount of copy
    Simplified how questions are asked so they read less clinically.
Results
User feedback and insights gained from user testing
The majority of users completed the health goal setup as intended and in less time then the current design. When asked to rank between 1 to 5 how easy the goal setup experience was (0=Not Easy, and 5=Very Easy) most chose "Very Easy".
  • "No, everything is laid out as I'd expect and there was nothing complex or confusing"
  • "I didn't find the set-up confusing at all"
  • "I don't think anything was confusing"
  • "The set up was excellent, easy to follow"
Visual Design
Consistent look and feel
Working closely with the Visual Designer we created a consistent look and feel for the health goal setup that aligns with brand guidelines and complies with accesibility standards.