English

A lightweight messaging tool for enterprise internal communication

BlueCard Chat

SUMMARY

Streamline internal communication experience within U.S. health insurance giant

For decades BCBSA’s outdated messaging hobbled internal communication, so the organization was now overhauling the platform to speed workflows and response times.

ROLE

UX Strategist & Designer

DELIVERABLES

User Research

User Journey

Alignment Workshop

Feature Prioritization

Usability Testing

UX/UI

Micro Interaction

UX Writing

RESULT

Reduce chat processing time by 67% and further improve BCBSA's core business efficiencies

Over the course of 10 months, I worked closely with the BCBSA product team to scope and build the first internal chat tool from scratch. Using a mixed UX methods and workshops, we discovered and defined how the chat tool could serve BCBSA's core business, claim processing, and boost its efficiency.

The new solution BlueCard Chat streamlined operations across BCBSA and its 34 subsidiaries, significantly boosting efficiency and ultimately enhancing healthcare delivery for millions of Americans.

CHALLLENGE

As the project kicked off, there were three key challenges I identified --

How can we spark users' confidence for a workflow no one has tried yet?

User Experience(UX)

Why the legacy system falls short—and how live chat fills the gap?


Product Value

What feature we should include in our first version of design?

Work Scope

UX APPROACH

Understanding chat holistically

After diagnosing the project at its early stage and unclear scope, my primary goal was to understand the overview value of 'chat' scenario to the daily work of BCBSA employees. Thus, I initiated our research with a core question:

“What role will our chat tool play in the user's workflow and BCBSA's business?”

In order to better answer the questions and address the above challenges, I used some UX strategies for each:


Strategy 01: Shape seamless UX -> Seeing the problem from the routines
I conducted shadow interviews and asked qualitative questions(e.g. " How does your daily chat routine look like? Can you share your insights and tips to handle chats effectively?") and distilled user stories 'a-day-in-BCBSA'.

Strategy 02: Discover product value -> Identify key metrics to success

Reached out to managers and administrative level to collect key success metrics(e.g. "How do you define a 'successful chat'? What metrics would you look first?"); Outlined user journey with 3 prioritized Job-to-be-done values.

Strategy 03: Define project scope -> Facilitate team decision making

Hosted stakeholder alignment workshop and presented research insights and user journeys to product managers and technical leads, and then worked together to determine our development priorities.

WHO WERE WE DESIGNING FOR

  • BCBSA Admin/Claim Manager

  • Claim Processor

  • Chat Agent

  • (Indirect)Patients/BCBSA Members

  • (Indirect)Healthcare Providers

INSIGHT

Chat as a means, not an end

Research showed that quicker chats eventually accelerate claim processing, so we embedded the new chat into broader workflows to help BCBSA reach their business goals more efficiently.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Efficiency

Resolve chats fast—cut duplicate clicks and distractions.

Full Context

Keep all relevant data within reach; eliminate data hunts.

Easy-to-learn

Make every action obvious; less training required.

Authenticity

Ship data-verified, consistent, error-free messages.

Meet BlueCard Chat:

A lightweight messaging tool for health insurers—

cut the chatter, clear claims quicker.

FULL CONTEXT & AUTHENTICITY

Integrate chat into the workflow

User scenario

Claim processors had to juggle several tabs—copy-pasting claim data and running spell-checks between windows.

Solution

We introduce column views based on their behavior. Users can easily read data with a chat going.

AUTHENTICITY

One chat at a time

User scenario

Users got overwhelmed by multiple chats, resulting in a slower response.

Solution

By limiting users to continue one chat at one time, we kept users' attention to the current task. And collapsing other threads into a “See All Conversations” tab prevents distraction.

EFFICIENCY

Copy data in one click

User scenario

Users used to repeat select + copy/paste all the time to transcribe data during the chat.

Solution

Adding a one-click Copy button beside each key data field in the message widget eliminated manual copy-and-paste.

EASY-TO-LEARN

Design for first-time users

User scenario

Users would be confused when onboarding to a brand new workflow.

Solution

I rewrote the UX copy for every empty state and loading moment, giving users crisp guidance on how to use chat and what to expect at each step.

IMPACT

By the end, BCBSA had multiple wins—

Reduced chat handle time by 67%, down to 2.3 min—far below the 5-min benchmark.


Drove BCBS NPS to +38 in just three months


Accelerated claims cycle: 95% of claims processed within 14 days, 99 % of claims processed within 30 days.

LEARNINGS

Working with BCBSA showed me that innovation succeeds only when it drives clear business value. Therefore, it is important to guide a value-driven design process and design decisions. In this project, I started to frame my own value-drive design process via a variety of UX tools, including JTBD modeling, customer journey mapping, and co-creation workshops to narrate, strategize, co-plan and design a product that aligned with BCBSA's business goals.

WHAT ELSE

Shape 'me' design style and process

Working with BCBSA has led me to reflect on the purpose and impact of using design tools. In this project, I combined value-drive design tools with visual illustrations, to display clients the business value that design can deliver from a storytelling approach.

Sharing is building trust

Designers are advocates. Making our thinking visible—through candid “show-and-tell” sessions—demystifies the process, sets clear expectations, and highlights long-term value. Beyond shipping screens, I frequently adopted advocacy practices: design process walk-throughs and quarterly design workshops. These sessions kept stakeholders aligned on purpose, progress, and impact, and repeatedly sparked the question, “Where else can design help?” That mindset launched and sustained my two-year partnership with BCBSA.