Root Insurance,
an American car insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio, wanted to encourage new and existing users to use their Root mobile app. In the app, users take a test drive to assess their driving skills, and their driving score is used to determine the insurance rate they receive.
Root wanted to turn their driving data into a fun, gamified experience with regional sweepstakes, achievements, and a big “Best Driver in America” challenge. Our job was to create an engaging and effective solution that would boost test drive app adoption and retention—all while keeping the process lean, agile, and based on smart assumptions.
Through our discovery workshops, we found out that many users felt misled by the test drive process—their initial rate estimate almost always went up after completing it. Root’s data showed that most drivers weren’t as good as they thought they would be. We then shifted our focus on gamification that would encourage safer driving, helping users improve their scores and get better rates. However, due to technical and security constraints, this experience had to be separate from the test drive app while still using its data. This meant working within existing API and token limitations.
To make safe driving fun, we researched popular apps and games to understand what keeps users engaged. We learned that achievements work best when they build over time, and daily engagement is key—just like in fitness and language-learning apps. Focusing on time-locked challenges and daily stats, we collaborated with Root’s stakeholders and refined our ideas in an MVP workshop. This led to four key features: Challenges, Personal Summaries, Achievements, and Leaderboards.
To design the best user experience, we mapped out user flows and explored Root’s telematics data for challenge ideas—ranging from casual habits to competitive rivalries. Since driver scores used a 100-point scale, we needed a more dynamic leaderboard. Inspired by chess, we introduced an Elo ranking system, which fairly compares users based on driving safety. This made challenges more competitive while ensuring less skilled drivers weren’t overly penalized.
As we progressed into high-fidelity designs, we closely collaborated with both Root’s marketing team and developers to ensure the features were feasible and onboarding graphics are cohesive and polished.
Working with Root was an exciting challenge that pushed us to rethink how to make safe driving more engaging while supporting their mission to transform car insurance. This project has given me more experience in blending gamification, habit-forming design, and data-driven insights to create an engaging and intuitive user experience
