My Role
• UX/UI Design
• Design System Contribution
• Usability Testing
• Developer Handoff
• Design System Contribution
• Usability Testing
• Developer Handoff
The Impact
Updated the wizard and created a new editing flow, which led to a 126% increase in customer satisfaction. The new flow was introduced into the design system, enabling teams to build more efficient forms.
The Project
To make it easier for Veterans to understand the discharge upgrade process, the Discharge Upgrade Wizard needed to be updated. Previously, all questions in the wizard would appear on one screen. When a question was answered, a new question would appear below it. If a user needed to change an answer to a question they had previously answered, all questions below the changed answer would disappear. This functionality made it difficult to use the wizard on mobile devices and wasn’t accessible when using assistive technology.
Having all questions appear on one page was also no longer recommended because previous research at the VA indicated that showing one question at a time reduced cognitive load for users. A new pattern needed to be implemented that only showed one question per page. At the VA, this is called the sub-task pattern. This pattern has a review page at the end of the flow that allows users to check and edit their answers. While implementing this pattern, I found that there wasn’t an existing design that allows users to edit their answers on questions that contained complicated branching logic.
Having all questions appear on one page was also no longer recommended because previous research at the VA indicated that showing one question at a time reduced cognitive load for users. A new pattern needed to be implemented that only showed one question per page. At the VA, this is called the sub-task pattern. This pattern has a review page at the end of the flow that allows users to check and edit their answers. While implementing this pattern, I found that there wasn’t an existing design that allows users to edit their answers on questions that contained complicated branching logic.
The Challenges
While creating a new edit flow, I identified a gap in our documentation. Before quality assurance testing or usability testing, we needed to understand all of the branching logic in the wizard. This would help us ensure that the wizard was correct and would help us properly test it with Veterans. I created flow charts that showed all of the possible question branches. This simplified approach made it easier for developers to understand how to create and check the flow. The image below shows one possible flow.
Another challenge was that the edit flow design needed to be replicated across multiple forms of this type. Collaboration with other teams that were working on this problem was essential in order to create a solution that would scale across the organization.
Another challenge was that the edit flow design needed to be replicated across multiple forms of this type. Collaboration with other teams that were working on this problem was essential in order to create a solution that would scale across the organization.
The Solution
The new edit flow that I proposed allowed users to select which question to edit from the review screen at the end of the flow. Once a question was edited, the user would go back through the flow and answer any new questions that appeared as a result of changing their answer. Alerts were strategically placed throughout the editing experience to inform users that they may have new questions to answer.
For usability testing, the team wanted to verify that users could navigate the edit flow with ease and understand why new questions may appear. I led this effort by writing a research plan and conversation guide, conducting moderated research sessions with 10 participants, and compiling research findings in a report. Usability testing showed that participants were able to navigate the edit flow, making the new design an overall success.
The new design and the research study both had to pass checks from the VA Platform team to get approvals along the way. Findings were shared with the VA to contribute to future design and research efforts around form patterns. Other teams are now able to take this solution and replicate it on their own forms.
For usability testing, the team wanted to verify that users could navigate the edit flow with ease and understand why new questions may appear. I led this effort by writing a research plan and conversation guide, conducting moderated research sessions with 10 participants, and compiling research findings in a report. Usability testing showed that participants were able to navigate the edit flow, making the new design an overall success.
The new design and the research study both had to pass checks from the VA Platform team to get approvals along the way. Findings were shared with the VA to contribute to future design and research efforts around form patterns. Other teams are now able to take this solution and replicate it on their own forms.
