Everywhere you look, usability problems exist everywhere.

Sometimes those usability problems are a direct result of branding.

Let's take this example. Health insurance! Now, there's plenty of usability problems in the health insurance industry, but I want to focus on one tiny little problem, a direct result of branding conflicting with usability.

In the US, if you have health insurance, you get a card that describes your health insurance plan, account numbers, group numbers, deductibles, etc. Inevitably, when you take this card to your doctor or to the hospital, they make a photocopy of it. I have never been in a situation where this did not happen.

Recently, I joined Blue Cross - Blue Shield's Tonik plan, available here in New Hampshire and a handful of other states. Tonik was originally created for those between 18 and 30 years old and very healthy. In general, this age group does not have a lot of money and they don't feel they need health insurance if they're currently healthy. The message of the plan is that insurance is smart, that you never know when the crazy things you do in your life will get you injured, and we also cover standard things like the doctor's visit for acute illnesses and so forth. The plan actually covers more than that, but that's how they're trying to sell it.

Recently they expanded coverage to anyone who's relatively healthy at any age. But the branding did not change.

If you go to the website, you'll see that they tried very, very hard to be overly hip and cool. The colors are fluorescent, the site is Flash based, it jiggles a lot -- it's like they tried to rip off MTV or something.

But then, they copied this branding on to their insurance card. One would expect they'll carry over the logo, sure. But this time, they also carried over the fluorescent colors and the screened back images of people. My card features some weird cowboy guy (?) with long hair. The cowboy is light orange and the rest of the card is darker orange. The back side of the card is pink.

And guess what? Because of this fabulous branding -- like you're going to remember it from the website? -- the card is too dark to photocopy very well.

Had they just made the card white, like every other insurance card I've ever had, with black writing, it would copy just fine.

But no, they had to be sure the branding was incorporated into the health insurance card. Because your health insurance card should also be hip and cool, like you. It looks so awesome next to your boring driver's license, boring credit cards, boring ATM card, and the other boring cards in your wallet. It makes you want to run out and use it! (Wait, that's NOT what the insurance companies want you to do!)

C'mon, Blue Cross. Think about how this silly health insurance card is going to get used. It lives in your wallet. If you're young and healthy, you never look at it anyway. When you do need it, you give it to the receptionist who immediately photocopies it. Then it goes back to the dusty recesses of your wallet.

Don't let your branding get in the way of the purpose of the card.