FinTech / Product Design
Chicago Title Insurance Express
CTIC express is an online title insurance ordering platform owned by the largest title insurance provider in Canada.
It allows lawyers and law clerks to apply, process, and pay for Title Insurance online for residential and commercial properties.
What is title insurance?
Title insurance is a one-time policy that protects property owners and lenders from ownership issues. It confirms your legal ownership and guards against hidden problems like fraud, unpaid debts, errors, or unknown heirs.
Role
Co-led end-to-end product design, research, and handoff.
Timeline
9 months
Output
User Research, Wireframes, Prototyping, Design System
Project
CTIC wanted to modernizing their outdated legacy system used by lawyers, law clerks, and internal staff to process residential and commercial title insurance applications.
The goal was to simplify and streamline information entry, document upload and payment workflows without making drastic changes, ensuring users are still familiar with the interface.
Challenges
Platform
Inefficient Communication
Frequent delays caused by missing documents, incorrect details, and client confusion created constant back-and-forth between clients and CTIC.
Disjointed Process
The existing system combined multiple order statuses into one screen, creating confusion and making it difficult for lawyers and law clerks to streamline their tasks and workflows.
Process
Branching Logic
The complexity came from changes in policy logic that differed for each province and branched out to multiple purchasers, lenders, and properties.
Design Process
Given the platform’s complexity, with numerous screens and workflows, we approached the project in four clear phases:
1. Information Gathering
In this phase, we focused on understanding the platform’s current state and user needs. We conducted user interviews, analyzed market and competitor data, and gathered feedback. As we progressed, we held additional interviews with different law firms to dive deeper into their workflows, aiming to simplify and streamline their processes for greater efficiency.
2. Design & Iterate
The platform was separated into smaller, manageable flows and features to address them step by step. Using information architecture and flow diagrams, we mapped out how policies branched out, identifying key components and processes to ensure a clear and efficient structure. Wireframes were designed to prioritize ease of use and simplicity, enabling users to navigate order questions intuitively and efficiently.
3. Testing
Prototypes were created for three of the most common policy flows: existing owners, multiple owners in Quebec, and blanket mortgages. These flows covered diverse scenarios to address most use cases. Testing revealed the need for a major layout change, by condensing policy questions to reduce scrolling. This change prompted a comprehensive overhaul of most existing screens to improve usability.
4. Design System & Hand-off
After finalizing all flows, the custom design system was completed and documented using the Atomic Design System, ensuring consistency and scalability across the platform.
Weekly meetings were held to keep stakeholders in the loop and gather feedback. Since requirements and logic changed frequently we stayed flexible, meeting directly and collaborated closely with the client to align and ensure everything stayed on track.
Key Flows
- Login
- Dashboard
- Getting a Quote
- Residential Orders
- ID Verifications
- Account Summary
- Order Status
- Policy Pickup
- Payment
- Manage Users & Settings
The platformed experience was enhancing by updating the UI for a cleaner, more modern look, simplifying the user flow to reduce errors and improve efficiency, and decreasing the volume of internal staff inquiries.
To streamline the process, the most significant updates were made to document management, order status, policy pick-up and payment. These changes simplified tasks and improved overall efficiency.
Outcome
The newly designed website offered streamlined policy ordering and improved transaction processes.
Order status, document request/upload/management, and policy pickup process enhanced user convenience and confidence. The updated, modern design also strengthened CTIC’s reputation as a customer-focused leader in title insurance.
The redesigned platform was well-received by users, leading to fewer inquiries and positive feedback from internal testing. The improvements enhanced usability and efficiency, delivering a better experience for all.