January 31, 2013 -- After months of testing and design, the state agency that regulates the insurance industry has launched a revamped website designed to be much easier to use for both consumers and industry professionals.
The site is www.insurance.wa.gov.
“When people have insurance problems, they want information fast,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “They have limited time, and they may be on a smart phone or other device. We want to make it easy for them.”
Early testing showed that only 33 percent of consumers could successfully complete typical tasks on the website. With that data, a web team overhauled the site, revamping the navigational structure and changing to a more inviting look and feel. As a result, task completion skyrocketed to 80 percent. In the coming year, additional refinements -- such as making some of the site’s applications mobile-friendly -- are expected to raise that number even more.
In an unusual step for a state website, the site uses responsive design. It detects the screen resolution of whatever device is accessing the site, and adapts accordingly, providing the best display.
The website redesign is part of an ongoing effort to work online with consumers, agents, brokers and companies. Agent and broker licensing is now done almost entirely online. Consumers can file complaints online, email questions, and check the status of their cases 24/7.
