Web Development
HUB International is a leading global insurance brokerage headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. With over 18,000 employees and more than 540 offices across North America, HUB is one of the largest insurance brokers in the world. The company provides a wide range of insurance, risk management, and employee benefits solutions tailored to businesses, individuals, and organizations across various industries.
The Challenge
HUB International faced significant limitations with its legacy application used for managing student insurance enrollment. Much of the enrollment and waiver process required manual intervention, creating inefficiencies, slower processing times, and operational strain. The outdated design also raised concerns among students about entering sensitive information, and the application offered a poor mobile experience, which made it difficult for students to complete submissions confidently and conveniently. With these challenges in mind, HUB turned to Marcel Digital, a trusted partner from previous development work, to rebuild the student portal into a modern, secure, and user-friendly platform.
Manual, Inefficient Enrollment Processes
Critical steps, such as sending email updates and processing waivers, required manual work, resulting in delays and increased administrative effort.
Outdated and Unreliable User Experience
The dated interface made students hesitant to submit sensitive information and created usability issues, especially on mobile devices.
Need for a Modern, Secure, and Scalable Platform
HUB required a rebuilt portal that improved trust, streamlined workflows, and delivered a seamless experience for students while reducing internal workload.
The Analysis
Marcel Digital began with a collaborative discovery process to understand the specific obstacles created by HUB International’s legacy system. By evaluating the outdated UI, manual workflows, and limited mobile functionality, the team gained a clear picture of the pain points preventing the portal from delivering a secure, streamlined experience for students and administrators.
Evaluating System Pain Points & User Experience Gaps
The initial assessment highlighted key challenges, including manual processing steps, a dated interface that eroded user trust, and a lack of mobile-friendly design. Understanding these issues provided the foundation for defining the technical and UX improvements the new portal needed to deliver.
Collaborating Closely With HUB to Define Requirements
Developers, project managers, and designers from Marcel Digital worked closely with HUB stakeholders through ongoing discussions to refine requirements. This collaboration ensured the new system could support diverse institutional needs, including single sign-on integrations and customizable waiver questions.
Establishing a Clear Roadmap for a Flexible, Scalable Solution
The detailed analysis allowed the teams to break the project into manageable phases, establishing a development plan aligned with HUB’s operational goals. This roadmap ensured the rebuilt portal would be adaptable, efficient, and capable of supporting each school’s unique workflows.
The Solution
Marcel Digital rebuilt HUB International’s student portal with a modern, user-friendly interface and a strong emphasis on automation. The redesigned system not only improved the student experience but also reduced administrative workload and supported the diverse needs of multiple institutions.
A Guided Enrollment Experience
To simplify the student journey, we created an intuitive enrollment wizard that walked users through each step of the process. This helped students feel assured that they were entering information correctly while receiving real-time updates on their enrollment status, minimizing uncertainty and reducing the need to contact support.
Automated Workflows to Reduce Administrative Burden
On the backend, key workflows were automated to streamline operations. Submissions were funneled into a queue for HUB staff to review, while automated notifications alerted students to issues or updates related to their enrollment or waiver submissions. This allowed administrators to prioritize critical cases rather than manage routine communication manually.
A Flexible Platform Designed for Diverse School Requirements
Because each institution had unique needs, the system was engineered for adaptability. The platform supported varying login methods, such as single sign-on, and accommodated custom questions or additional data fields required by specific schools. All of this flexibility was managed through a centralized admin interface, giving HUB full control over tailoring the process for each partner institution.
The Results
The redesigned student portal delivered a modern, intuitive experience for students and a far more efficient workflow for HUB administrators. With clearer guidance and automated updates, students completed enrollments and waivers with fewer issues, while HUB’s team benefited from reduced manual effort and faster processing.
Faster Processing & Reduced Administrative Burden
Automation significantly shortened processing times for enrollments and waivers, allowing HUB to manage a higher volume of submissions without increasing staff workload.
Improved Student Confidence & Fewer Support Requests
The user-friendly interface and step-by-step enrollment wizard led to fewer errors and fewer student questions, streamlining the submission process for everyone involved.
A Flexible System That Scales Across Institutions
Built to adapt to each school’s unique requirements, the portal easily supported variations in login methods, data collection, and workflows, strengthening HUB’s ability to serve diverse partners.
