The challenge
CNP’s brief focused on inadequate insurance: missing protection, duplicate cover and exclusions discovered too late.
Case 05 / 05Product strategy · Insurance
Yumi — insurance made understandable
Making insurance understandable through playful learning and clear, proactive protection for young adults.
Product Designer · Leading a team of four · Two months · 2026
Hackathon brief from CNP Assurances · Concept to prototype
01In short
Learn from the first interaction. Understand what protects you.
My contribution
I divided responsibilities, facilitated workshops and made scope decisions, while designing hands-on from research synthesis to the final prototype.
The result
A prototype that introduces playful learning at registration, then helps people understand and manage their cover, supported by a reusable design system and delivery plan.
02The interviews shifted the brief
We conducted five moderated interviews, each lasting 45–60 minutes, remotely and in person. We explored three hypotheses: legal language blocks understanding, fragmented contracts hide overlaps, and immediate expenses push insurance down the list. The interviews gave us concrete examples of all three.
Secondary research highlighted difficulty understanding policy terms and unnoticed duplicate cover. Customer reviews echoed confusion about guarantees, fear of hidden exclusions and frustration with slow or unreachable support. Together, these sources shifted our focus towards helping people understand their existing protection before choosing more.
Language gets in the way
“It’s legal terms… you’d basically need to be a lawyer to know what you’re actually covered for.”
Explain guarantees in everyday words, with visible amounts and exclusions.
Cover is fragmented
“I paid €12 a month into the void for six months for a phone that was already insured. It drove me crazy.”
Bring contracts together so people can see what they already pay for.
Urgency wins
“If I have to choose between eating properly and paying for insurance, I cut the insurance straight away.”
Make the value of protection concrete before asking for a commitment.
03When independence becomes real
Our interview synthesis revealed a gap between having insurance and understanding it. Participants described signing without reading complex contracts, choosing the cheapest or mandatory cover, and struggling to see what their monthly payments provided. They wanted clear explanations of what they were paying for and reassurance about exclusions.
We grouped these behaviours into three personas and focused on a shared life moment: a first home, a first car or managing a budget independently. Limited money and unfamiliar terms made guidance especially valuable here. Thomas, the “blind signer”, brings this tension into the journey below: he wants protection quickly, but cannot explain what his policy covers.
Thomas’s journey · Research persona
He needs glasses. Can he use his existing cover?
A scenario based on the behaviours found in our interviews.
Concerned
Confused
Uncertain
Frustrated
Angry
1A need appears
Thomas needs glasses; money is tight.
2The policy confuses
He cannot decode his optical cover.
3Help feels uncertain
A flatmate, then AI, interpret the clauses.
4An answer takes too long
He calls the insurer and gives up waiting.
5He pays twice
He buys cover he already had.
04Playful learning was central to the MVP
We used an impact–effort matrix to set the first release. Gamified learning was a deliberate high-effort priority: mini-quizzes, explanations, XP and streaks were designed to make a difficult subject approachable and encourage a learning habit, starting at registration.
Understand, protect, adapt
- Unified contract dashboard
- Visual summaries of the essentials
- Emergency access
- Life check-ins and situational profiling
Playful learning from day one
An introductory mini-quiz starts the experience. Short lessons, daily challenges, XP and streaks give people a reason to keep learning.
Keep the first release focused
- Duplicate detection through open banking
- Granular coverage controls
- Secure document vault
The community help forum was deprioritised.
MVP refers to the proposed release scope. The hackathon deliverable was a prototype; illustrated alerts do not demonstrate a working detection service.
05A name that makes insurance feel approachable
Created by our team
Yumi
- Short
- Memorable
- Reassuring
We created the name Yumi as part of our response to CNP’s brief. For young adults already anxious about insurance and money, we wanted a name that felt warm and gentle: short, easy to remember and familiar among the apps they use.
The guide character extends that intention through the experience. A familiar companion introduces insurance through the first mini-quiz and celebrates progress, bringing warmth to the gamified learning experience.
06Playful learning starts at registration
As soon as someone registers, Yumi introduces learning through a mini-quiz. Answering a short challenge, discovering the explanation and earning XP makes the product’s educational purpose tangible from the beginning. Streaks and daily quizzes are designed to encourage a return to learning over time.
The design intention is sustained learning. Testing would need to establish whether people return, retain what they learn and apply it to their own cover.
07A diagnostic about life, not insurance jargon
The diagnostic starts with familiar details, such as housing and priorities. The recommendation then names the guarantees and their amounts, with a route to a human appointment before subscribing.
08Make existing protection readable
The dashboard surfaces contract status and actions needing attention. A shared card pattern lets people scan their policies; the detail view separates covered risks, reimbursement limits and exclusions.
09Familiar trust, warmer guidance
CNP’s navy, sky and pink carry into Yumi. Status colours and reusable patterns give dense information a consistent structure, while the guide character brings warmth to unfamiliar decisions.
Navy#001F63 · Trust & structure
Sky#36AEEA · Guidance & information
Pink#E90070 · Energy & learning
Buttons
Take the assessmentView my policiesContinue
Form fields
Your homeFurnished flatshare ▾
Your emailthomas@
Coverage & progress
Duplicate coverage detected
Check if you could save.
2 of 3 policies up to date
🔥 250 XP
Iconography
Contract card
Home insurance Well covered
CNP Assurance · €14/month
Coverage disclosure
What isn’t covered
- Items left outside or on the balcony
- Damage if the home is empty for more than 90 days
- Undeclared jewellery or valuables
Navigation
10Pedagogy became the product
The pedagogical direction resonated most with CNP: an established insurer could help young adults understand the vocabulary and make more informed decisions. Introducing mini-quizzes at registration and supporting continued learning with gamification made that direction tangible in the prototype.
For me, the key lesson was about prioritisation: an effort matrix supports a decision, but the product’s purpose has to guide it. Here, removing the expensive feature would also have removed what made the proposition distinctive.