One of the most painful things about being an unemployed UX designer is the horrific lack of attention paid to websites and services intended for people going though this confusing and stressful time.
Once I became unemployed, I did what I could to stay optimistic, but I was still stressed out, uneasy, and confused most of the time when dealing with the logistical side of being unemployed. I was definitely in uncharted territory and each mandatory step I took through this process was rewarded with more dreck.
Claiming Unemployment
The Virginia Employment Commission’s website is remarkable for how confusing it is. Filing for unemployment is basically a process of filling out forms online, strewn together one after the other, changing a bit depending on the context of your unemployment situation. This should be easy. Instead, you become mired in trying to learn VEC’s terminology on the fly while trying to fill out the very forms that depend on how you interpret that terminology. There are financial ramifications to how you interpret the language on the form. Sadly (I guess), I did not take screengrabs as I tried to navigate through this abomination.
I, apparently, misinterpreted something and had my payments suspended. That’s right, unemployed for 3 weeks before taking my contract gig, and a total of 5 weeks has gone by. Unemployment insurance claims collected: $0. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say it came down a hearing with the VEC wherein we were all splitting hairs. And I’m a native English speaker who has no trouble whatsoever using a computer.
COBRA Coverage
Once unemployment had been filed and I was in the system, I thought I was done dealing with such monstrosities. Then, my COBRA kicked in.
The good news for me is that the stimulus bill provides a 65% subsidy for COBRA payments:
Individuals who are eligible for COBRA coverage because of their own or a family member’s involuntary termination from employment that occurred from September 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 and who elect COBRA, may be eligible to pay a reduced premium. Eligible individuals pay only 35% of the full COBRA premiums under their plans for up to 9 months.
(Remember, my whole family is covered on my policy, so that means a lot. Think your $235-$500/mo insurance is tough? Try $1250. Taking that down to just over $400 is a real blessing.)
This marks the end of the good news.
First off, my COBRA payment services are handled through a 3rd party vendor, not my old HR department or insurance provider. Read: more red tape and more opportunities for errors by all parties involved. I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere, but that setup is a red flag right off the bat.
Secondly, I live in a world of automated online bill payment. I was under the impression that this standard of operations would extend to such services as, say heath care coverage. Sadly, no. Here’s a sampling of the FAQs associated with my COBRA service, along with some comments:
Can I use my credit card to pay for COBRA coverage?
Not at this time. [PROVIDER] is not set up to take credit card payments.
What f***ing year is it? No credit cards? The self-absorbed douchebag selling ninja throwing stars on eBay can take credit cards. Your intern can get this going in a few minutes with a PayPal account. And btw, people, don’t even think about direct debit form a bank account–Witchcraft! The only form of payment they accept is check. Imagine being someone who doesn’t have a checking account, what then?
Will I receive invoices each month?
Generating monthly invoices is not a requirement for continuation coverage. [PROVIDER] does send monthly invoices as a courtesy; however, in the absence of an invoice you must have your COBRA premiums postmarked no later than the last day of the grace period.
What a steaming pile this is. My damn cell phone provider sends a monthly bill (electronically), and in a given situation, I will rely on my health coverage a lot more than my cell phone. And yes, it’s even an iPhone.
What if I don’t get an invoice?
It is your responsibility to pay your COBRA premiums even in the absence of an invoice. If you do not have an invoice you can send your payment along with the employee’s name and the name or account number of the former employer. Mail payment to [PROVIDER ADDRESS]
This last one really is exceptional. In the event that they don’t bill you, you can just send a check on its merry way. No tracking? No accountability? No problem!
Both of these last two “answers” reflect the ost fundamental dismissal of responsibility I have ever seen in a corporate organization. They have no responsibility to even send you a bill, but you have every responsibility to have paid it. Amazingly ignorant.
So while I continue to wade through this ocean of crap, I couldn’t help but think that this is the poorest… nay, the utter absence of user experience design in a critical service area.
The UX Difference
Personas, Use Cases, User Research, any one of these would elevate the design of these services 10-fold. It’s so frustrating that the websites for these services, along with the fundamental services themselves have been assembled at great cost with such poor result.
VEC’s website
- Take into account that the user is under duress, and the stakes are very high
- Follow a little guidance from LukeW and build forms that conform to best practices; VEC’s forms were… unique?
- Break questions down to their simplest components and work with getting the most relevant information from each user to settle their case
- Utilize natural-language response mechanisms to pre-analyze responses and provide clarification where necessary, on finer points such as the difference between “termination” versus “dismissal” or other terms that have legal and financial ramifications to a claim
COBRA provider
Wake up and get with the f***king program. Just because I don’t have a choice in my COBRA provider doesn’t meen you can be lazy, irresponsible, and inconsiderate.
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