In my early days at Optum—during a period of rapid growth and acquisition—I created a suite of strategic placemats designed to support enterprise sales conversations. Commissioned by our CEO, these double-sided tools helped define and communicate Optum’s evolving capabilities across key sectors: Employer, Payer, Provider, State, and Federal Government.
Each placemat followed a consistent framework anchored in a high-level continuum of needs. For each stage, we outlined the client or end-consumer pain points, articulated how Optum could help, and mapped relevant products, services, and foundational capabilities. This work required deep discovery—synthesizing fragmented offerings, identifying gaps, and surfacing new capability opportunities back to the business. In several cases, the placemats became a catalyst for innovation, prompting teams to accelerate the development of new solutions.
While originally created as sales tools, the placemats proved so effective at demystifying our complex organization that they were adopted more broadly—including as onboarding tools for new employees—helping internal teams quickly understand how we deliver value across a diverse and rapidly evolving portfolio.
Series included maps for employer, payer, provider, state and federal government.
Design Challenge: Create a clear, compelling tool to support B2B executive conversations—one that demonstrates how Optum’s capabilities address client business needs while also showcasing the downstream impact on the end-consumer experience.
Project Date: January, 2015
My Role: Sole Contributor
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