Edwin Fernandez
01 - CHALLENGE
An innovative product with
untapped potential
OneInsure is a fintech startup simplifying insurance management across India — offering a 360-degree view of portfolios from policy storage and comparison to claims and recommendations.
Despite the innovative proposition, the initial mobile app suffered from poor engagement. Users relied almost entirely on agents for portfolio management, severely limiting the app's self-service potential and the company's ability to scale.
As the Senior Designer and primary architect of this transformation, I was tasked with rethinking the entire digital experience from the ground up.
01
One-stop Solution
Create a single destination for all insurance needs — purchase, storage, claims, and education.
02
User Independence
Empower users to manage portfolios independently, reducing dependency on human agents.
03
Insurance Literacy
Integrate educational content that builds user confidence and trust in the platform.
04
Seamless Claims
Integrate educational content that builds user confidence and trust in the platform.
02 - CHALLENGE
Four research pillars that
shaped everything
To understand the reason behind poor acceptance and retention, we conducted comprehensive user interviews, heuristic evaluation, competitive analysis, and a brand understanding exercise.
75%
Used the app only to store policies — unaware of other capabilities
90%
Perceived OneInsure as trying to sell more policies to them
50%
Working professionals only available on weekends for research
Users felt fundamentally disconnected from their insurance providers. They relied on agents for every interaction, with no sense of control over their portfolios.
Unnecessary spam marketing callsRe-enter credentials every visit
No premium payment reminders
Claim process confusing during emergencies
Surrendering policy is complex
No detailed policy information
App takes too long to load
OTP failures blocking login
Unnecessary spam marketing calls
Claim process confusing during emergencies
Unnecessary spam marketing calls
02.1 - USER STORIES
Voices that shaped
the design
Based on user interviews, we discovered a fundamental lack of awareness about the product's capabilities. These refined user stories bridged the gap between user needs and the product's offerings.
PROFESSIONAL
"I need an application that keeps all my insurance in one place. I don't have time to juggle multiple apps and agents."
HOMEMAKER
"I can't keep track of all our family policies and payment dates. Something always slips through the cracks."
FRESHER
"I know nothing about insurance. I need education first, and then a simple way to buy the right policy."
BUSINESS OWNER
"I've paid fines on multiple policies because there's no reminder system. My schedule is too packed."
02.2 - COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Learning from the shaped everything
We analyzed leading insurance aggregators and investment platforms to identify feature opportunities and differentiation strategies.
PolicyBazaar
Offers and benefits highlighted upfront. WhatsApp integration for real-time updates. Clear claim service previews.
ET Money
"Genius" feature for smart portfolio investment. Knowledge section with video content for education.
HDFC Ergo
Locator services as primary feature. E-locker for secure document storage — a key trust builder.
Acko Insurance
Multiple payout preference options. Detailed health plan feature breakdowns per expense type.
Digit Insurance
Clean claim flows. Simple service requests with multi-channel support (WhatsApp, phone, email).
Groww & Zerodha
Investment platform patterns — simplified UI, clear data presentation, progressive disclosure.
02.3 - BRAND ANALYSIS
Translating brand values into design language
Through six targeted questions with leadership, we uncovered a critical gap: users lacked trust and emotional connection. The product was jumping straight to features without establishing why users should care.
Core framework: Address concerns first (trust) → Show how OneInsure solves problems (education) → Offer personalized recommendations (action).
Transparent & Trustworthy
Bold & Attractive
Credibility-first
Friendly & Approachable
Simple & Scalable
Supportive & Helpful
Innovative & Creative
Inclusive by Design
Informative
03 - STRATEGY
From research insights to
transformation strategy
Effective insurance sales reps listen first, don't push, provide relevant information, and offer options. Our digital strategy mirrored this human approach — restructuring around Why → What → How.
PHASE 1
Build Trust
Direct color application following brand guidelines. Functional but lacked distinctiveness among competitors.
PHASE 2
Demonstrate Value
Surface hidden services — claim assistance, calculators, policy understanding tools.
PHASE 3
Enable Self-Service
Portfolio management, reminders, locators, and a digital agent to replace agent dependency.
PHASE 4
Drive Growth
Contextual suggestions tied to life goals — cross-selling that feels helpful, not pushy.
04.1 - TRANSFORMATION
Before & after
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Generic homepage with excessive white space
No personalization or user greeting
Features hidden — users unaware of capabilities
No premium tracking or payment reminders
Inconsistent UI — app redirected to website
Claim process unclear and anxiety-inducing
No educational content or trust signals
Complete agent dependency for interactions
REDESIGNED EXPERIENCE
Bold dark theme with clear information hierarchy
Digital agent "Robin" greets users by name
Services prominently showcased via horizontal scroll
Portfolio dashboard with tracking & smart reminders
Fully native, consistent mobile experience
Step-by-step claim journey with progress tracking
Integrated video education & knowledge hub
Self-service: calculators, locators, recommendations
The screens
Home Page
BEFORE
AFTER
Policies
BEFORE
AFTER
04.2 - SCREENS DESIGNED
The screens that brought the
bold choice
Every screen was designed to serve a strategic purpose — from building trust on first launch to reducing anxiety during claims. Here's a walkthrough of the key screens and the thinking behind them.
Home — New Customer
Trust-first approach: educate, show benefits, and surface all services before asking for action
Home — Existing Customer
Portfolio dashboard with premium tracking, life goals, and contextual cross-sell recommendations
Claims Journey
Step-by-step progress tracker with multi-channel support — designed to reduce emergency anxiety
My Policies
Filter by type, alarm indicators for renewals, and at-a-glance policy status
Locator Services
Find hospitals, garages, branches, ambulances, and blood banks — critical during emergencies
Education Hub
Videos, articles, and contextual facts to build insurance literacy and drive engagement
05 - IMPACT
+23%
Improvement in customer acquisition and retention post-launch during FY 2023–2024
+23%
Customer acquisition & retention improvement
2
Follow-on contracts won — Website & Mutual Funds
platform
6 mo
Delivered end-to-end within planned timeline
06 - REFLECTION
Three directions,
one bold choice
I encouraged team members to contribute their expertise. We conducted internal reviews documenting strengths and challenges of each concept — then presented validated options with clear rationales.
LEARNING 01
Domain Immersion Matters
In regulated industries like insurance, understanding business deeply — actuaries, compliance, risk assessment — is a prerequisite for good design, not a nice-to-have.
LEARNING 02
Trust Before Transactions
The biggest unlock was reframing the experience around education and trust-building before pushing users toward actions. Users needed a reason to care.
LEARNING 03
Bold Design Wins
The dark theme — a risk the client initially resisted — became the most differentiating decision and a key driver of market success.
The success of this project directly led to two additional contracts — the OneInsure website revamp and a new Mutual Funds platform — validating both the strategy and execution.
Designed & built with care · Edwin Fernandes © 2026
Available for full-time roles