Improving Navigation to Support Pacific Life’s Transition to a Digital-First Approach
Improving Navigation to Support Pacific Life’s Transition to a Digital-First Approach
Improving Navigation to Support Pacific Life’s Transition to a Digital-First Approach
Pacific Life, a 160-year-old insurance company in Newport, California, aimed to improve its digital experience starting with a redesign of its web navigation system. As part of The Barbarian Group team, I worked on creating a more user-friendly system that maintains the integrity of existing content and products while addressing usability challenges. The updated design is currently in development and will soon be live on Pacific Life’s website.
Designing a Tailored Navigation System for Diverse User Groups
Designing a Tailored Navigation System for Diverse User Groups
Designing a Tailored Navigation System for Diverse User Groups
The key challenge in redesigning Pacific Life’s web navigation was addressing the unique composition of its target audience within the insurance industry. Visitors to Pacific Life’s website fall into four distinct groups—Individuals, Financial Professionals, Institutions, and Employers—each requiring access to different sets of information and services. To resolve this, we developed a multi-tiered navigation structure that intuitively guides users to the content they need.
The design introduces a clear hierarchy: Tier 1 allows users to identify their audience group, Tier 2 displays the main navigation menus relevant to their selection, and Tier 3 reveals detailed submenus for deeper exploration. This structured approach ensures a streamlined and personalized experience for all user groups, enhancing accessibility and reducing cognitive load. By implementing this solution, Pacific Life’s navigation now balances complexity with clarity, better serving its diverse audience and supporting their digital transformation goals.
The images above show Pacific Life’s desktop and mobile websites before the redesign. The approach of grouping all submenus for different audience groups into a single menu reduced the total number of menus, but it made it challenging to meet the unique needs of each user group effectively.
