By Dr. Kimberly Dunwoody, VP of UX at Businessolver. Businessolver were winners of the ‘Best UX/UI Design in a SaaS Product’ award at the 2025 SaaS Awards.

In nearly every part of our lives, we expect technology to “just work.” We don’t think twice about a streaming app curating a perfect watchlist or a navigation app adjusting for real-time traffic. These seamless experiences raise the bar for what employees expect—and need—out of their benefits.

Employees expect the same seamless, personalized digital experiences at work that they get everywhere else in their lives. Yet, one of the most important parts of the workplace—the employee benefits experience—is often anything but seamless.

Benefits are notoriously confusing. Our research shows that 86% of employees struggle to understand them. And when employees can’t make sense of their benefits, it can have negative cascading effects on their financial wellbeing, health outcomes, and, ultimately, their connection to the workplace.

Why UX Should Be a Business Priority

Too often, benefits technology is judged by cost or compliance. But usability is strategy: It’s a compliance imperative, an engagement tool, and a cost-reducer. UX has a direct line to employee productivity, business results, and retention—the very metrics that CEOs and CFOs care about.

Businessolver’s research on how usability in the employee benefits experience plays a role in workplace empathy shines a spotlight on just how important of a role UX plays in driving organizational success in people and business operations:

• Driving employee satisfaction: When our clients’ employees use a platform designed with human-centered UX, 84% rate their experience as “great” or “excellent” and 79% say they feel confident in their choices.
• Building an employer of choice: Employee benefit expectations are rapidly evolving, with mental health and financial support topping the list. When the benefits experience makes it easy to understand, enroll in, and find those key benefits, employees feel more supported and heard.
• Driving optimal health and wellness outcomes: Ease of access in benefits does more than drive employee delight, it also supports better outcomes and employee wellbeing. Good UX makes it easy to tap into (literally) the right benefits at the right time.

What Great UX Looks Like

A good user experience is rooted in empathy. Without it, you’re not serving the user. In the context of benefits, empathy needs to translate into design that removes friction, anticipates needs, and makes complex information feel simple. Employees don’t just want functionality—they want to feel supported in some of life’s most important decisions. Great UX in benefits means:

• Bringing key information front and center: From navigation design to decision support, taking the confusion out of benefits starts with pulling forward key details that make it easier for employees to get the support they need. Just as your streaming service tells you why you might like a show, the benefits experience UI should help employees understand what benefits they have access to and why.
• Making it easy to navigate: Benefits touch some of the most important—and often stressful—moments in an employee’s life, from welcoming a new child to managing a medical diagnosis. When the experience is simple, accessible, and mobile-first, employees can find what they need quickly and with confidence, rather than getting lost in clicks, forms, or jargon.
• Tailoring the experience to each person: No two employees have the same needs, so the technology shouldn’t treat them as if they do. Personalization powered by AI and data insights can surface relevant plan options, reminders, and resources in context—meeting employees where they are in their lives and helping them make decisions that feel both personal and supported.

When employees feel seen, guided, and cared for in the benefits experience, they engage more fully—not just with their benefits, but with their work and their employer.

The Business Case for UX in Benefits

When organizations prioritize UX in benefits technology, the results are measurable:

• A 10–15% boost in participation in key programs.
• Millions saved annually from self-service and AI-powered efficiencies.
• Higher satisfaction scores that translate into greater trust and stronger retention.

UX is one of the most powerful levers leaders can pull to create a workplace where employees feel supported, engaged, and confident. In an era of rising costs and heightened expectations, the organizations that get UX right will win—not just in benefits, but in culture, productivity, and talent.

Digital transformation isn’t the challenge anymore—it’s adoption. Employees will use tools that feel intuitive, personal, and responsive. They’ll ignore those that don’t.