Initial trials
The Plain Numbers version sought to communicate the same information in a way that was clearer and easier to understand.
We asked 5 comprehension questions to really prove whether customers understood the communication. We considered someone being able to answer 4 of these questions correctly an example of good understanding.
In this trial questions to participants included:
'What is the yearly cost for Comprehensive insurance if you choose a voluntary excess of £500?' and 'If you choose a high voluntary excess, what happens to the cost of your insurance?'
Direct Line: choosing
your excess document
We recruited 1,000 participants representative of the UK population for this trial.
500 people saw an existing communication and 500 saw the Plain Numbers version.
Research results:
Original version, answering
at least 4 questions correctly
Plain numbers version
The Plain Numbers Method in action
Numbers themselves
Relegated numbers that were not relevant to the main voluntary excess decision further down the page.
Numbers in context
Simplified the words around the numbers and removed (or explained) all technical language.
How we think
The customer needs to make an important decision here so providing the customer with a brief summary of the choice to best enable them to make an informed decision
Full research results for Direct Line here.
The Plain Numbers version of the excess information
Click on the image to view the detail.
