Cost Estimate Widget
An embeddable cost widget that brought transparency to the point of decision — so members never had to leave their experience to find out what something costs.
To find out what something cost, members had to leave and go somewhere else.
Before the Cost Estimate Experience, members searching for a provider or scheduling an appointment had no way to see what it would cost them without leaving their current flow. They'd navigate to claims, bounce to a separate cost estimation tool, try to match the information back to where they started — and most of them didn't finish. The cost question was always there. The answer never was. The solution wasn't a better cost page. It was bringing the cost to wherever the member already was.
What I owned
- End-to-end UX from concept to launch
- Embeddable widget design and component architecture
- Cost display hierarchy and progressive disclosure
- Cross-team integration — PSX, Virtual Visits, Appointment Manager, and Prior Auth
- Usability testing focused on cost anxiety and context-switching reduction
- Design system documentation for 4 engineering teams
"The problem wasn't that members couldn't find cost information. It was that finding it required leaving — and leaving broke the experience. Every time a member had to navigate to claims or a separate tool, we lost them. The insight was that cost transparency isn't a destination. It's a layer. The widget had to live inside whatever experience the member was already in — not ask them to go somewhere else to get the answer."
Three decisions that defined the component
The widget had to be embeddable, not a destination
The original model had cost estimation living on its own page — a place members went to. We redesigned it as an embeddable component that could be dropped into any product context. PSX could surface it during provider search. Virtual Visits could show it before booking. Appointment Manager could display it at confirmation. Same data, same component, right where the member already was.
Progressive disclosure over full breakdown
Showing the full cost breakdown upfront increased abandonment. Members saw a large number and stopped. We redesigned the hierarchy — lead with what you pay, not what it costs. The detailed breakdown became one tap away, opt-in. Members who wanted more detail could get it. Members who just needed the number got it immediately without friction.
In-network status before the number
Members who saw their in-network status confirmed before seeing a cost number were significantly less likely to abandon the flow. The framing wasn't just informational — it was psychological. We moved the in-network label above the cost display on every surface. Reassurance first, then the number.
What shipped and what it changed
Members stopped leaving to find cost information because the cost information stopped making them leave. The widget shipped across PSX, Virtual Visits, Appointment Manager, and Prior Auth — each integration maintaining the same component, adapted to its context. Support call volume for cost-related questions dropped significantly. The answer was finally where the question was.
If we had another quarter
I would have pushed for a cost simulation mode — let members adjust variables before committing. You searched for a specialist, you saw the cost. But what if you chose a different provider? A different facility? Used your FSA? The widget told you what something costs. It didn't help you understand what could change it. That's the next layer of transparency — not just showing the number, but giving members control over it.