Innovation in insurance services

As an insurance industry leader priding itself on its innovative products and services, Norwich Union (NU) asked Engine to help create several new proposition ideas. NU had identified growing potential in a particular business area, and realised that targeted, innovative propositions - adding value through more than just the insurance itself - would help to make the most of the opportunity.

Norwich Union’s strategic team had three main goals for Engine’s involvement with the project. First - and most importantly - to discover new propositions which would add value for the identified audience. Next, they wanted to use the experience of being part of Engine’s process to enrich their own knowledge of how to develop new ideas for propositions. Lastly, it was important that the project’s deliverable itself excite and inspire other departments within NU to give the suggested propositions the greatest chances of success.

Proposition-building with Norwich Union.

Engine lead NU through a course of research, idea generation, and refinement. Starting with qualitative and quantitative research - and NU’s own customer data - we synthesised information on the target audience into eight key insights. At a workshop with NU we discussed the insights, using brainstorming techniques with them to generate over 100 innovative ideas - all inspired by the end customer. We chose several of the bigger ideas as tentative possibilities for propositions. Discussions around their potential - including initial vetting by NU’s business analysts - lead to five ideas being chosen for refinement.

Visualising the user journey.

After fleshing them out with NU, Engine designed compelling visual business cases bringing the suggested propositions to life. This made them, and the needs they meet, instantly accessible to others within NU; the communication of good ideas can be as important as the ideas themselves.

The project provided NU with ideas for five innovative propositions based around insurance - but extending well beyond it, to better serve the identified market.

Following Engine’s delivery of the presentation, two of the ideas were chosen by NU’s steering group to be taken further. Engine is now involved in refining one of the propositions for prototype testing. NU has also asked Engine to repeat the process of opportunity mapping in another area that they have identified as commercially interesting.