Making reimbursement easier to submit and safer to process.
SILVERSNEAKERS REIMBURSEMENT
ROLE
Sole UX designer
TIMELINE
12 months
FOCUS
Product strategy, service design, UX/UI, testing
SilverSneakers Reimbursement connects member self-service with the internal tools and payment systems needed to review, approve, and pay each request accurately.
THE CHALLENGE
SilverSneakers needed a scalable way for eligible members to request reimbursement when they used fitness locations outside their health plan’s traditional network.
A simple member benefit depended on a complex process.
Each request had to account for eligibility, monthly reimbursement limits, receipts, payout preferences, internal review, and downstream payment processing. The challenge was not just designing a form. It was creating a reliable service that could guide members while helping internal teams process each request accurately.
THE QUESTION
How might we simplify reimbursement for members while preserving the details internal teams needed?
WHAT CHANGED MY THINKING
This was not a receipt-upload problem.
It was a reimbursement service.
Early concepts focused on helping members complete a reimbursement request.
Discovery revealed that every member-facing choice created a corresponding operational requirement across Claims, payout, reporting, and support.
MEMBER NEEDS AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS
01
Multi-month submission
Members needed to submit one or several months.
Behind the scenes, the system had to apply monthly eligibility and reimbursement limits.
02
Amount paid
Members needed to enter the actual expense.
Behind the scenes, the system had to compare the receipt amount, plan maximum, and resulting payout.
03
Assisted service
Some members needed help completing a request.
Claims needed to create those requests within the same queue and reimbursement model.
Design one reimbursement record that could support every path.
PRODUCT STRATEGY
The product strategy centered on one shared reimbursement model that could support member self-service, assisted service, Claims review, payout, and history tracking without fragmenting into separate processes.
Guide the member
Turn complex rules into a clear, progressive submission experience.
Protect the decision
Place evidence and relevant details together before approval or denial.
Preserve the source of truth
Keep one consistent record across submission, review, payout, history and audit
THE SHARED REIMBURSEMENT MODEL
KEY DECISION 01
Turn a one-time submission flow into an ongoing reimbursement account.
The early linear model supported a single submission, but not a recurring monthly benefit. Members needed a faster way to return, reuse information, manage payout preferences, and track reimbursement history.
02 / ONGOING ACCOUNT
Members could return to reuse saved information, manage payout preferences, and track requests.
01 / UNCLEAR PAYOUT LANGUAGE
The language suggested bank setup rather than a choice between reusable payout methods.
5 of 7
hesitated at “Banking Information” expecting only bank setup
6 of 7
looked for an existing payout preference
02 / UNCLEAR SUBMISSION PATHS
Single-month and multi-month paths were not distinct enough, leading to incorrect selections and unnecessary backtracking.
4 of 7
initially chose the wrong month pattern
5 of 7
revisited payout or month details before submitting
03 / CLEARER REVIEW AND SAVED INFORMATION
Members needed to distinguish their actual expense from the resulting reimbursement and expected saved address information to carry forward.
6 of 8
wanted to distinguish what they paid from what they would receive
4 of 6
looked for a saved address before entering a new one
02 / Explicit submission paths
Single-month and multi-month requests became distinct and easier to review.
01 / ONE-TIME TASK
Members started over and repeated setup for every reimbursement request.
FROM ONE-TIME TASK TO REUSABLE ACCOUNT
WHAT TESTING REVEALED
The one-time flow created hesitation, repeated setup, and backtracking.
The redesigned member experience reduced repeated setup, clarified payout choices, and made reimbursement history easier to understand over time.
The experience evolved into a reusable reimbursement account.
HOW THE EXPERIENCE CHANGED
Greater confidence.
Smoother returns.
Clearer progress.
Greater confidence. Smoother returns. Clearer progress.
01 / Clearer payout choices
Direct deposit and paper check were framed as reusable payout methods.
03 / Better visibility over time
History clarified what members paid, what they received, and where each request stood.
KEY DECISION 02
Move financial decisions out of the table and beside the evidence.
Early concepts kept status changes close to the queue, but Claims specialists needed the receipt and supporting details visible before approving or denying.
02 / FOCUSED REVIEW
The decision moved beside the receipt and supporting details, allowing Claims specialists to review evidence before deciding.
01 / EVIDENCE LACKED CONTEXT
Claims specialists wanted the receipt and relevant request details visible together before making a decision.
6 of 6
opened the receipt, then returned to the table before deciding
5 of 6
wanted the receipt and request metadata visible together
02 / CONFIRMATION ADDED DISRUPTION
Claims specialists wanted protection before committing, but a second modal interrupted the review and obscured the evidence.
4 of 5
found a second confirmation modal disruptive
4 of 5
preferred inline confirmation with the receipt visible
03 / QUEUE PROGRESSION NEEDED ORIENTATION
Claims specialists needed to understand their place in the queue and move directly to the next request after making a decision.
5 of 6
used queue position to understand workload
6 of 6
successfully processed the Pending-only queue
01 / DECIDE FROM THE QUEUE
Status and decision-making were tied closely to the table, separating the action from the receipt and supporting context.
FROM TABLE ACTION TO CONTEXTUAL REVIEW
WHAT TESTING REVEALED
Informed judgment.
Seamless confirmation.
Continuous momentum.
Informed judgment. Seamless confirmation. Continuous momentum.
Claims specialists needed context without slowing the queue.
The redesigned Claims experience brought evidence, reimbursement details, confirmation, and queue progression into one focused review workspace.
The redesigned workflow protected each decision without slowing the queue.
HOW THE EXPERIENCE CHANGED
01 / Evidence and context together
Claims specialists could review the receipt and supporting details in one place before deciding.
02 / Protection without interruption
Confirmation remained in context instead of opening another disruptive modal.
03 / Queue-aware progression
Specialists could commit a decision and move directly to the next Pending request.
KEY DECISION 03
Make guidance useful before making it comprehensive.
Plant care can become overwhelming quickly. The experience needed to answer the immediate question first, then reveal more detail only when someone needed it. Green Thumb uses clear care categories like water, light, humidity, and repotting to make guidance practical instead of encyclopedic.
Create one reimbursement model for every path.
One shared record kept reimbursement details consistent across every entry path and through audit.
The record preserved the receipt amount, plan maximum, and calculated payout as separate values throughout the reimbursement process.
PROTECT THE CALCULATION
Separate what the member paid from what the plan could reimburse.
PRESERVE THE RECORD THROUGH COMPLETION
Keep status, payout, and history connected after the decision.
01 / ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION
Lead with the immediate action a person needs to take, not every fact they could learn.
The shared record remained useful after Claims review by preserving status, payment details, and history through completion.
02 / KEEP CARE SCANNABLE
Organize guidance into clear categories like water, light, humidity, and soil so people can quickly find what matters.
Status Continuity
Shows where the reimbursement stands.
Payment Details
Preserves the payout amount and payment method.
History Traceability
Keeps completed reimbursements available over time.
Consistent records.
Accurate payouts.
Complete traceability.
Consistent records. Accurate payouts. Complete traceability.
EXAMPLE
Receipt Amount
(what member paid)
$20.00
Max. Reimbursement
(plan limit)
$25.00
Payout Amount
(system calculated)
$20.00
Payout amount = the lower of receipt amount or maximum reimbursement
System protection
The system calculates the correct payout and keeps the record auditable across members, Claims, and downstream payments.
03 / REVEAL DEPTH ON DEMAND
Make more detailed explanations available when someone wants them, without forcing that complexity into the first view.
UNIFY THE RECORD ACROSS EVERY ENTRY PATH
VALIDATING THE SERVICE
Validation combined task-based member testing with internal Claims reviews, allowing the experience to be evaluated across submission, review, decision-making, payout, and history.
Test the member journey and the operational workflow together.
02 / CLAIMS VALIDATION
Internal Claims and operational stakeholders
Receipt review and decision-making tasks
Queue progression and assisted-service scenarios
Workflow feedback across multiple iterations
03 / ITERATIVE REFINEMENT
Findings translated directly into interface changes
Member and internal workflows reviewed together
Changes carried into the shared reimbursement model
Retested to confirm improved clarity and confidence
Why this approach?
Testing across both member and internal workflows ensured the service worked end-to-end from submission to payout — and supported consistent outcomes for everyone.
Clearer for members. Safer for the teams behind it.
MEMBER EXPERIENCE
Members created reimbursement requests with less effort and greater confidence.
91%
Submission completion
68% → 91%
6.8
min
Average submission time
11.4 min → 6.8 min 40% faster
01 / RESEARCH APPROACH
01 / MEMBER TESTING
Representative older adults
Task-based, unmoderated sessions
Submission, payout, month selection, and history tasks
Verbal feedback and observed behavior
02 / VALIDATED OUTCOMES
Across member testing and Claims validation, the redesigned experience supported more confident submissions, better-informed decisions, and a consistent reimbursement record from request through payout.
WHAT VALIDATION CONFIRMED
The redesign improved more than individual screens.
It made the reimbursement service easier to understand,
safer to operate, and more consistent from request through payment.
Submitted
Reviewed
Approved
Paid
In History
CLAIMS WORKFLOW
Specialists made accurate decisions with the evidence they needed in one place.
4.3
min
Average review time
68% → 91% 43% faster
4%
Decision rework rate
14%→ 4% 71% lower
SERVICE CONTINUITY
A consistent record reduced payment errors and manual intervention.
99.5%
Payout calculation accuracy
91% → 99.5%
3%
Manual reconciliation rate
16%→ 3% 81% lower
The final experience connected member self-service, Claims review, assisted service, payout, and reimbursement history through one consistent model.
One connected reimbursement experience from request through payment.
FINAL EXPERIENCE
MEMBER SELF-SERVICE
Submit, manage, and track. All in one place.
Members could submit a reimbursement, reuse saved information, and track requests over time without starting over.
Payout preference
Choose a payout method and update it anytime.
Reimbursement period
Enter the month or date range shown on the receipt.
Reimbursement history
See what was submitted, what was paid, and what still needs review.
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - LANDING
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - PAYOUT METHOD
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - DETAILS
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - UPLOAD
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - REVIEW
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - EXIT MODAL
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - SUCCESS
SUBMIT A RECEIPT - VIEW RECEIPT
PAYOUT METHOD - DIRECT DEPOSIT
PAYOUT METHOD - PAPER CHECK
MY SUBMISSION HISTORY
CLAIMS REVIEW
Review, decide, and keep the queue moving.
Claims specialists could review the receipt and reimbursement details together, make a protected decision, and move directly to the next request.
Evidence in context
Review the receipt and request details together.
Protected decisions
Confirm approval or denial without leaving the review.
Queue progression
Move directly to the next pending request.
MANAGEMENT TABLE - DEFAULT
SUBMIT - CHECK ELIGIBILITY
SUBMIT - CHECK ELIGIBILITY ERROR
SUBMIT - CONTENT INFO
SUBMIT - DETAILS
SUBMIT - UPLOAD
SUBMIT - REVIEW
SUBMIT - APPROVE
SUBMIT - DENY
MANAGEMENT TABLE - TOAST MESSAGE
MANAGEMENT TABLE - PENDING TOGGLE
REVIEW RECEIPT - DEFAULT
REVIEW RECEIPT - APPROVE
APPROVED
REVIEW RECEIPT - DENY
REVIEW RECEIPT - DENIED
REFLECTION
Simplifying the experience meant understanding the system behind it.
What looked like a straightforward reimbursement flow was actually shaped by eligibility rules, claim states, payment logic, and the needs of multiple internal teams. Designing those pieces as one connected system allowed us to give members a simpler path while giving Claims the structure and safeguards they needed to process requests confidently.
The biggest takeaway was that reducing complexity for the user does not mean eliminating complexity. It means understanding it well enough to put it in the right place.
eligibility
→
submission
→
validation
→
decision
→
payout
eligibility → submission → validation → decision → payout