From its main office in Harrisburg, the staff of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department helps state residents navigate the industry’s ins and outs. But online, the department provides access to thousands more both inside and outside of the state’s borders.

As a way to streamline that information delivery, state regulators recently unveiled a new look to their website in the first comprehensive re-design since 2002.

“To a visitor, a website is almost like a physical place,” Rosanne Placey, the agency’s press secretary told IFAwebnews.com. “It tells them about the PID without ever having to walk through our doors, so we considered the purpose of our site and reflected that purpose in the design.”

The PID’s deputy press secretary, Melissa Fox, served as the site’s content manager and oversaw the redesign. She said after data analysis of the agency’s previous website, it became clear that while the format aided staff, it was not ideal for consumers or those in the industry.

Consumer access key

Gone, Fox said, is the organization of the site featuring program area links in prime website real estate. Instead, more focus is placed on the three “core audiences” utilizing the site: consumers, agents/brokers and insurers.

“We expanded the consumer options to include a ‘types of coverage’ link,” she said. “This move has the benefit of helping the consumer access information, but also helps producers who need to quickly locate information for their clients on certain types of coverage.”

Another part of the re-design, specifically geared toward agents and brokers, is an “online resources” tab on the home page.

Fox said the idea was “to mimic the ‘life stage’ of an insurance producer”: what is needed before applying for a license, how to apply and the things needed to maintain licensure and compliance.

Learning curve expected

“With this ‘life stage’ approach, individuals can quickly locate and ascertain what is expected to keep their license in good standing,”Fox said.

She said another improvement to the site is that categories – such as services for consumers, licensees and insurers – are “less specific, but not too broad that someone can’t find something.”

Placey noted that the redesign was completed amid a 50% reduction in the PID press office staffing, with Fox able to overcome numerous other challenges to get the task accomplished with the help of three member’s of the agency’s information technology staff.

“There will be a learning curve to navigate the new site, so frustrations are expected,” Fox said. “Once you start clicking around and maneuver within the pages, I truly believe that users will begin to see the thought patterns that drove the new design.”

This story originally appeared in the February 2010 print edition of Insurance & Financial Advisor.