Project Overview
A new benchmark: Zurich's Cost of Care whitepaper redefines healthcare reporting.
The Zurich Cost of Care whitepaper is an industry-first, consolidating an unparalleled breadth of data on injuries and diseases. This 165-page reference document offers invaluable insights into incidence, prevalence, and mortality, as well as the financial implications of major health events. Its mission? Not just to enhance Zurich’s customer support, but to shine a light on the significant impacts of major health events and build knowledge and awareness within the financial services industry about the Australian health and financial landscape.
Monumental in scale, this 165-page reference document is a research powerhouse that delves deep into 13 health categories and 33 specific conditions. It has over 650 meticulously linked references and hyperlinks for quick access to rich data.
First published in 2018, Zurich sought to elevate the second iteration of this essential report by delivering an interactive document tailored to the needs of its advisers. The goal was to create a seamless navigation experience through its vast and intricate content.
Our task was to design and build the interactive, digital format of the Cost of Care: Volume 2, to improve navigation and bring the statistics to life. Our mission? To set a new standard for informative, user-friendly research reports. This project transformed complex data into an engaging and indispensable resource, setting a precedent for future healthcare research publications.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Kylie Gould – Director
Dan Clark – Creative Director
Kasia Froncek – Senior Designer
Luke Melbourne – Senior Designer
Amy Wilson – Project Manager
Project Brief
Our brief was to design and build the much-anticipated, interactive Cost of Care: Volume 2. Zurich wanted an engaging, digital format that improved navigation and brought critical statistics to life, while we aimed to push the boundaries of interactive documents and data-driven design.
First, we focused on the look and feel of key sections and repeating content elements, exploring opportunities to include interactive elements to add functionality throughout the document.
Simultaneously, we started mapping out and planning what the 2 levels of navigation would look like and testing their functionality to make sure we could deliver the full features and depth within the Indesign environment.
Once established, we turned our energies to detailed design, build, and continuous testing.
Project Innovation/Need
What excited us most since the original whitepaper was published in 2018 was the opportunity to leverage Adobe InDesign's new capabilities for animation and interactive online PDFs to create an engaging and intuitive document.
This whitepaper stands out for its user-friendly design. It is driven by facts and data linked to specific research, accessible through over 650 interactive endnotes. This design allows complex data to be presented in a clean, minimal format, making navigation and understanding straightforward.
The interactive format enabled us to break down each of the 33 health conditions individually, addressing the user’s need for detailed information without overwhelming them with content volume. The navigation system facilitated a longer, well-structured document, enhancing usability and engagement.
This approach provided opportunities to innovate and elevate the user experience. We incorporated animated elements to bring important statistics to life through dynamic visuals and integrated sophisticated interactivity for more meaningful engagement. These innovations improved navigation and accessibility, setting a new standard for presenting complex data.
By eliminating the need for advisors to sift through a massive document, the final product delivers a smooth, efficient user experience, saving time and boosting productivity. It serves as an online, interactive tool that financial services providers can use in real time to tailor solutions for clients based on unique concerns and relevant health conditions, while also emphasizing the importance of life insurance.
Design Challenge
The primary design challenge for the Zurich Cost of Care whitepaper was transforming a complex document into an intuitive, interactive experience. We needed to deconstruct the original content to plan the navigation system across 13 sections and 33 specific health conditions, requiring a deep understanding of the material and the end users—advisers and planners. This was a collaborative effort between the Zurich project team and ourselves.
To ensure the navigation system was user-friendly and adaptable, we designed it to accommodate significant content changes without needing a complete rebuild. We developed a system that allowed quick, two-click access to any section, keeping the interface clean and user-friendly. Extensive testing was crucial to balance comprehensive access with simplicity.
Utilizing Adobe InDesign and After Effects presented a technical challenge of integrating animations seamlessly. Continuous internal testing ensured features worked across various devices and screen sizes, with the flexibility to scale up and respond to changing content.
The online delivery of the document also keeps it agile, allowing sections to be added, updated, and expanded over time. This is suited to the evolving nature of health condition prevalence, outcomes, and associated costs. The Zurich tech team managed the online delivery, embedding the document within their secure server system. The InDesign online publishing structure allowed for continuous updates to the ‘live’ link, ensuring the document remains current and functional.
Effectiveness
The whitepaper was released on 11 June 2024 and was well received by advisers and the insurance community, who recognized the rich data, high quality, and valuable insights it provides. An invaluable way to support the ongoing education of Australians when it comes to protecting their health and wealth – and to live longer happier lives.
Matt Paterson, Chief Claims Officer, Zurich Australia & New Zealand said: “There is a significant financial burden associated with the treatment of certain medical conditions in Australia. Concerningly, many of these are growing in prevalence against a backdrop of increased cost-of-living pressures and issues with access to insurance. This data will play an important role in the continued delivery and ongoing evolution of wellness and rehabilitative health services offered to Zurich’s customers, particularly given the preventable nature of many of these conditions.”
Graphic Design - Publication
This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.
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