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Read Time
10 Minutes
Project Duration
6 Weeks
Platform
Mobile Web
Team
Product Designer (Me), Project Ops Manager, UX Researcher
Tools
Figma, Microsoft Excel
The Problem
Removing a Totaled Vehicle Put Policyholder Coverage at Risk
When a car is totaled, people want to stop paying insurance on it. But removing their only car cancels the policy, leaving them uninsured. The old flow missed these cases, which meant costly agent calls for GEICO.
Agent-assisted removals cost GEICO $4.3M in support costs.
The existing removal flow had no rental questions, plate guidance, or single vs. multi-car paths.
digital sessions a year hitting this flow
1.2M
cost impact, flagged by GEICO leadership
$4.3M
participants across 2 UX test scenarios
10
Business Discovery
How We Found the Problem
GEICO's business operations leaders met with our team of 50+ designers, researchers, etc, to review the cost impact of every policy app flow. Each project was ranked in an excel sheet from highest to lowest cost impact.
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Total loss vehicle removal ranked among one of the costliest at $4.3M. That’s when I partnered with a project ops manager and researcher to fix it.
Goals & Business Constraints
GEICO needed removals online to cut agent costs, while keeping policyholders covered and compliant.
Split single and multi paths
Keep rental coverage active
Meet state license plate rules
Choosing a Research Method
Why We Chose Unmoderated Testing
We considered moderated interviews and surveys, but with a tight timeline, I suggested to our UX researcher that we keep it simple. We ran unmoderated tests on Usertesting.com with 2 scenarios and 5 participants each, which gave us clear, fast answers on whether policyholders understood each path.
Moderated Interviews
Too slow to schedule
Surveys
Can’t show real behavior
A/B Testing
Flow didn’t exist just yet
The Winner was:
Unmoderated Testing
I suggested unmoderated testing to our UX researcher and designed the prototypes for both scenarios, while he plugged it into the site. It fit our tight timeline and showed exactly where policyholders got confused.
Key Findings
Users Understood the Flow, but the Wording Needed Work
All 5 testers understood the rental question and completed their path correctly. The structure worked, but a few words and messages caused confusion. These findings showed me what to fix before the final design.
2 of 5 found “surrender” confusing and wanted their state’s plate rules
2 of 5 said they’d still call GEICO after seeing the decline screen
The conditional flow worked: The vehicle removal flow already existed, but it had no plate guidance, no rental questions, and treated single and multi-car policies the same. I added all three, and testing showed policyholders understood their path. The only gaps were in wording, not structure.
Design Kickoff
User Persona Assisted with my Design Ideation
Mark, 47, is a busy construction worker who values quick solutions and tight budgeting. After his car was totaled, he needed a simple online process to update his single-vehicle policy, but he cannot remove the totaled car without adding a new one. He is currently renting a vehicle until his new car is insured.
Designing for policyholders like Mark kept the flow fast, clear, and focused on keeping him covered.
Design Decisions
How Testing Shaped the Final Design
I turned testing findings into fixes that kept policyholders covered and compliant while cutting calls to agents.
All 5 testers understood the rental question and finished the flow correctly. But 2 found “surrender” confusing and 2 wanted their state’s rules, so I renamed the alert “License Plate Requirement” and changed the wording to “return.”
All 5 testers understood why their removal was paused, but 2 said they’d still call GEICO. I clarified the message so they knew they still needed rental coverage, and linked a Total Loss guide to answer questions without a call.
Team Collaboration
Keeping 50+ Stakeholders Aligned
Many leaders weren’t technical, and other designers presented their UX problems in the same calls. I kept every update simple, visual, and easy to follow so no one got lost.
Color-Coded Tacks
I pinned colored check marks on every screen so 50+ reviewers could spot changes fast.
Microsoft Teams Reviews
I led twice-weekly Teams calls to walk through updates and gather feedback.
One Organized Figma File
I organized nearly 30 screens across 6 paths in one Figma file the team followed live.
Speaking Everyone’s Language
How Do I Make Design Changes Easy for Everyone to See?
I made a simple color guide and pinned a colored check mark on every screen. Developers knew what to build, and business leaders could see what changed at a glance.
For developers: Clear signals on what to build, reuse, or remove
For business leaders: Changes they could spot at a glance, no design terms needed
Piecing Everything Together
The Final Screens
One flow that guides each policyholder down the right path based on their car and rental.
Single Vehicle Removal Flow
When It’s Their Only Car
Every policyholder starts here by picking their car and reason for removal.
I designed this flow knowing that removing someone’s only car cancels their policy. I put the rental question first so I could keep every policyholder covered before anything changed.
I ask if they had a rental so I can route them to the right path.
If they’re still renting, I had to pause removal so they stay covered.
Single Policy Flow Resolution
GEICO’s system couldn’t show plate rules for each state yet, so I added an alert early in the flow asking users to check their state’s rules. If they had no rental and no plans to replace their car, I sent them to cancel.
This kept them compliant and avoided surprise fines or coverage gaps.
I used conditional UX: each option changes what users see, from pausing removal to asking a date to sending them to cancel.
Plate laws vary by state and GEICO’s system couldn’t show each, so I added an alert to keep users compliant and GEICO covered.
Multi-Vehicle Removal Flow
When They Have More Than One Car
Policyholders with multiple cars keep their policy, but timing matters. I used the same rental question to remove the totaled car on the right date, then send them into the removal flow.
If they returned the rental, I ask the date so the car is removed the day after.
If they never had a rental, I ask the loss date to remove the car on time.
Then I send them into the normal removal flow, and their policy stays active.
Multi-Vehicle Policy Flow Resolution
Since these policies have more than one car, removing the totaled one doesn’t cancel coverage, so I could process it right away. GEICO’s systems didn’t share loss or rental return dates, so I added a date field to remove the car on the right day.
Then I sent users into the normal removal flow.
GEICO’s systems didn’t track rental return dates, so I added this field to remove the car the day after it was returned.
If users are still renting, I added a pause the removal screen and explained why, so they stay covered until the rental is returned.
Additional Screens
Plate Compliance & Confirmation
I added these screens to confirm plate rules and show users a clear summary at the end.
I added a checkbox so users confirm they followed their state’s plate rules, plus a question asking if and when they returned their plates.
I designed separate confirmation screens for single and multi-vehicle policies so users knew what changed, their next steps, and that nothing was left unpaid.
Design Success Metrics
Fewer Calls, More Policyholders Covered
The flow I designed moved vehicle removals online, kept single-car policyholders covered, and cut agent calls tied to a $4.3M problem.
35.5%
Fewer calls
to agents
40%
Fewer lost
policies
100%
Self-service
removals
My rental question kept single-car policyholders from accidentally losing their coverage.
My plate alert helped users stay compliant with state rules without calling an agent.
What I Learned
Results & Reflections
What I’d Improve in the Future
This project taught me that the hardest UX problems live where policy, law, and technology overlap. One missing date or confusing word could leave someone uninsured or fined, so I designed every path to protect the user first.
The flow was built around GEICO’s tech limits at the time. With better system support, these are the two changes I’d push next to make removals even easier for policyholders.
State-Specific
Plate Rules
Show each user their own state’s plate rules instead of a general alert, so no one has to look them up.
Connected
Systems
Have GEICO’s systems share loss and rental dates automatically, so users never have to enter them.
