Ethos is a modern life insurance company founded in 2016
Ethos’s mission is to make life insurance affordable, accessible, and easy, but their user onboarding had a problem:
The first three screens had the highest drop-off.
Users were being asked to commit time and personal information before knowing:
1) If they were eligible
2) How much it might cost
This created friction and mistrust, two conversion killers in insurtech.
about the project
The Problem
From my content audit and competitive analysis, I identified a core user anxiety:
“I don’t want to waste time signing up for something I can’t afford or know I qualify for.”
Key Pain Points:
- Pricing is hidden behind multiple steps
- Eligibility is unclear
- High cognitive load early in the flow
This meant users were dropping off before experiencing any real value.
About the project
Hypothesis
I reviewed the onboarding text, looked at drop‑off data, and noticed the gap: if users don’t feel “this is for me” or “this is affordable” right away, they bail.
Hypothesis:
If we show users the cost and eligibility upfront, they’ll feel safer continuing and be more likely to complete onboarding.
About the project
The Pivot
Originally, the task was to rewrite onboarding copy, but after my competitive analysis, I noticed a pattern: The high-performing competitors surface a quote estimator early.
So I changed direction:
Instead of optimizing onboarding copy alone, I redesigned the UX content for a quote estimator that appears before full onboarding.
This allowed users to:
1) Check eligibility
2) See personalized price ranges
…before committing to the full flow.
About the project
Role & Process
1) Reframed the Value Proposition
Before:
“Our process is 100% online and takes as little as 10 minutes.”
After:
“Get a quote. See a range of personalized price estimates in seconds.”
Impact: Shifts the focus from company convenience ---> user value.
2) Reduced Anxiety With Plain, Reassuring Copy
I introduced:
- Clear explanations of what the quote means
- FAQ content directly beside the form
- Language that emphasized no obligation and no commitment
Impact: Addressed fear-based drop-off common in insurance flows.
About the project
- Full UX audit of onboarding
- Competitive Analysis
- Quote Estimator Copy
Outcome & Learnings
About the project
- Reducing uncertainty early in the journey increases trust and conversion. When users understand pricing and eligibility upfront, they’re more willing to continue.
- Clear, plain language lowers cognitive load in high-stakes flows like insurance, where users are already anxious and skeptical.
- Inclusive language is part of good UX, but real-world constraints (like regulatory or issuer requirements) can limit what’s possible.
- Fewer, more meaningful steps can outperform longer, “polished” flows.
Learnings:
Outcome:
34% lift in onboarding completion
Ryen did a great job researching the space and providing copy with great
clarity and insight.”
- Mike, Ethos
