Happy 26th birthday! (You’re getting kicked off your parents’ health insurance)
Every year, thousands of Kaiser dependents turn 26 and face the challenge of navigating health coverage on their own for the first time. The stakes are high, with 26-year-olds having the highest uninsured rate of any age group in America.
Informed by 20+ user interviews and tested with 35+ participants, I led the design of an in-app Transition Hub that guides aging-off Kaiser dependents through understanding their options, comparing plans, and enrolling in their own coverage, all without ever leaving the app. Kaiser Permanente stakeholders approved the concept for implementation.
Role
Product Management Consultant, Design Lead
Team
Tiarra Wu, Sofia Ponder, Sarah Chen
Timeline
Jan 2026 to May 2026
Tools
Figma, Figma Make, Gemini, NotebookLM, Claude, Perplexity, Lovable, Google Stitch
THE PROBLEM
Kaiser is accidentally ghosting its next generation of members
Right now, the only thing Kaiser does to inform Gen-Z members about the transition is send an automated termination letter with a link to its plan marketplace. Kaiser provides no explanation of what happens next, no help understanding their options, and no reassurance that staying with Kaiser is even possible.
Current user journey
The Panic
Tiarra starts by Googling “cheap health insurance,” ignoring her care history because she doesn’t realize Kaiser is even an option
Jargon Paralysis
She encounters complex terms like “deductible” and “out-of-pocket,” creating a cognitive wall that causes her to stall and stop researching
Comparison Spiral
Seeking clarity, Tiarra leaves the KP app to cross- reference Reddit and employer PDFs, breaking Kaiser’s window for retention
The Regret
Panicked about turning 26, she rushed to choose the cheapest plan and later realized it no longer covered her trusted mental health provider
How might we...
make the stressful insurance transition so simple and clear that young adults easily stay covered and keep their trusted doctors at Kaiser Permanente?
USER RESEARCH
What 20+ conversations revealed about turning 26
We interviewed adults aged 24 to 29 across income levels, from tech professionals with employer plans to students navigating Medi-Cal.
We identified two groups of users:
The Stable Transitioner
They have full-time employment and their employer provides health insurance. HR and workplace benefits systems guide most of the transition process.
“I never had to think about going through a third party vendor for insurance. I just directly signed up through my work... it was very easy to decide.”
The Precarious Navigator
OUR TARGET USERSThose without employer-sponsored insurance must navigate insurance alone. Unfamiliar systems overwhelm users, causing many to delay enrollment or lose coverage.
“When you're focused on getting food on the table and clothes for work, your health gets pushed to the back burner.”
NARROWING OUR TARGET USERS
Research insights
💰
They assumed they couldn't afford it and stopped there
Most low-income users immediately assumed Kaiser was too expensive, and chose the cheapest option.
🫂
Human guidance is key
Young adults often bypass official resources and turn to "human translators" to explain complex terms, correct assumptions, and provide reassurance.
😮
Nobody saw it coming
Because healthcare has always been managed for them, many dependents lack confidence navigating insurance on their own, causing them to delay action.
IDEATION & CONCEPT TESTING
We used AI prototyping tools to explore and test concepts
WHY AI TOOLS?
Explorations
We then selected three concepts to test with users
1
Long-Term Messaging System
What? Send personalized messages from ages 18 to 26 that gradually encourage dependents to take ownership of their healthcare
Why? Because parents typically manage insurance on their behalf, many young adults reach age 26 without a direct relationship with Kaiser
Didn't want to receive texts unless they were urgent, as they disliked receiving unnecessary messages or spam.
2
AI Chatbot
What? An interactive chatbot designed to combine the approachable tone of a friend with the trusted knowledge of an insurance expert. Users can ask questions, explore different scenarios, and receive personalized guidance
Why? Many users’ go-to sources for learning about health insurance were people they trusted, like friends and family, as well as Reddit and AI tools
Thought a Kaiser chatbot would be biased, making them hesitant to trust it. Preferred tools like ChatGPT
Blank text box caused choice paralysis because they didn’t know what to ask
Liked the friendly tone and in-context definitions
3
Transition Hub
OUR CHOSEN CONCEPTWhat? A centralized, step-by-step roadmap built directly into the existing Kaiser app. It includes all the information and steps needed to transition off parental coverage, along with a questionnaire to guide users through choosing the right plan.
Why? Users trusted the Kaiser app and already used it for healthcare, so keeping the transition experience in that familiar space reduced friction and made the process feel easier and safer
Leading with plan pricing felt too transactional
Users valued staying within a trusted app instead of being redirected to external portals
MOVING FORWARD WITH THE TRANSITION HUB
EXPERIMENT #1: TONE & EMOTIONAL FRAMING
Conducting an A/B test to determine the best language and tone
HYPOTHESIS
Transition Hub Entry Card
Version A: Warm
Version B: Clinical
Transition Hub Content
Version A: Warm
Version B: Clinical
So what? Our hypothesis is partially supported: Version B consistently improved perceived warmth, but did not meaningfully increase user understanding or change behavior compared to Version A, suggesting tone alone is not sufficient to drive understanding or action.
EXPERIMENT #2: REFINING THE MODULES
Going from a "buffet of options" to a "guided funnel"
HYPOTHESIS
Version A: “Buffet of Options”
Action Over Definitions: Users viewed the section as a glossary and preferred to jump straight to action items, even if they didn't fully understand the terms.
Trust Before Recommendations: Users were skeptical of seeing plan recommendations right away and hesitated to trust Kaiser's suggestions.
A Low-Stakes First Step: Completing account separation first helped users gain confidence and made the overall transition feel less overwhelming.
Action Over Definitions: Users viewed the section as a glossary and preferred to jump straight to action items, even if they didn't fully understand the terms.
Trust Before Recommendations: Users were skeptical of seeing plan recommendations right away and hesitated to trust Kaiser's suggestions.
A Low-Stakes First Step: Completing account separation first helped users gain confidence and made the overall transition feel less overwhelming.
The Problem: When interacting with the Transition Hub modules, 33% of users needed prompting due to an unclear purpose, competing notifications, or a need for more context before starting. We also found that the "Learn the Basics" module was underutilized.
Version B: Guided Funnel
Start with a Simple Task: Leading with Update Your Profile gave users a simple task, separating from their parents' accounts, before tackling financial decisions.
Personalize with Existing Information: Carrying profile information and health priorities from the first step made recommendations feel tailored to users' needs rather than focused on cost.
Build Trust Through Transparency: Adding Plan Comparisons let users validate Kaiser's recommendation against other options, increasing trust in the results.
Pushing Users to Take Action: Building on the previous steps, we added a simple enrollment flow so users could act while their confidence was highest.
Start with a Simple Task: Leading with Update Your Profile gave users a simple task, separating from their parents' accounts, before tackling financial decisions.
Personalize with Existing Information: Carrying profile information and health priorities from the first step made recommendations feel tailored to users' needs rather than focused on cost.
Build Trust Through Transparency: Adding Plan Comparisons let users validate Kaiser's recommendation against other options, increasing trust in the results.
Pushing Users to Take Action: Building on the previous steps, we added a simple enrollment flow so users could act while their confidence was highest.
In-Context Definitions instead of the “Learn Hub”
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
Through user testing, we iterated and refined various parts of the visual design
Progress Indicators Between Steps
Before
After
Users were unsure whether this referred to the modules or the questionnaire used to recommend a plan.
Green checkmark on “Profile” reinforces early progress, creating momentum before users begin the next step.
Transition Hub Entry Point
Urgent action badge and clearer copy creates stronger visual hierarchy, making the deadline harder to ignore.
Before
After
Transition Hub Roadmap
Improved information architecture and visual hierarchy through consistent grouping, clearer content structure, and closer alignment with brand identity.
Before
After
FINAL SOLUTION
We designed the Transition Hub to guide users through the natural journey of choosing a plan, with everything they need right inside the Kaiser app.
Progress timeline
See exactly how many days until she ages off, with next steps laid out below.
Contact info
Users enters their own contact info; Kaiser previously only had their parent's on file.
Plan questionnaire
A short questionnaire matches her to a plan and flags Medi-Cal or subsidy eligibility.
Plan recommendation
Her recommendation comes with plain-language definitions for any confusing term.
Plan comparison
She can explore her recommended plan and compare it side-by-side with her current one.
One-click enrollment
One click and she's enrolled, without leaving the app, Kaiser with her start to finish.
IMPACT
We presented at the Fung Fellowship showcase, won 1st place out of 10+ teams, and received approval from Kaiser stakeholders to implement the Transition Hub into their app.
1st place
Out of 10+ competing teams, judged by industry professionals across Product, Design, and UX Research.
55+ users
Interviewed and tested across the project to inform, validate, and refine the final experience.
Less prompting needed
Users needing prompting to explore the hub dropped from 3 of 9 to 0 of 10, while average modules engaged per session rose from 2.0 to 3.4.
Executive buy-in
Kaiser stakeholders approved the concept for implementation into the core mobile app.
REFLECTIONS
What I learned
🔎 Start Big, Then Get Specific
When exploring a new feature, start broad before getting caught up in the details. AI prototyping helped us quickly explore and test three directions, avoid anchoring on our first idea, and validate what was actually worth building.
🤖 Use AI to Expand Possibilities, Not Replace Product Judgment
AI helped us prototype, test, and iterate much faster. But the strongest insights often came from nuanced user feedback that AI could not fully capture. AI accelerated the process, while human judgment helped us understand the why behind user behavior.
🧪 Hypotheses Over Opinions
Framing ideas as testable hypotheses helped us make decisions based on evidence rather than opinions. Clear questions and success metrics gave us a shared framework for knowing what was actually working.
🫶 Design Around User Confidence
Users were not ready to make a financial decision before understanding their options. Reordering the experience around education, exploration, and action helped build confidence and turn hesitation into engagement. Working in healthcare also reinforced how important it is to earn trust and treat users with care.
📖 Design Needs a Story
A strong product needs a clear story to help people understand why it matters. Our product video and interactive booth experience helped stakeholders experience the problem firsthand and contributed to our project winning first place. Storytelling is part of how design gains understanding, support, and adoption.
This write-up only shows part of the process.
Reach me at aashnapatel11@berkeley.edu and I will walk you through the rest.
