Tested Design

I iterated and refined based on feedback from my UX team. I then worked with developers to review technical feasibility, use cases, and edge cases we'd need to plan for.

Desktop Filter

Detail Page Filter

Adapting for Mobile

Minimum Viable Prototype - QA

Due to a tight timeline, we decided to run usability tests within our QA environment so we could launch quickly.

Usability Testing

I created a usability test script based on our design objectives and 'how might we' questions. We conducted moderated usability testing via the Userlytics platform. We conducted 4 tests using the desktop prototype, and 3 test using the mobile prototype. Participant screening criteria was the same as earlier tests.

Usability Task Flows

Flow #1 - Using the filter on the landing page and then the detail page

Flow #2 - Using the filter on the detail page right away

Flow #3 - Using the filter on the landing page and resetting the filter

Flow #4 - Using the income filter and binary filters on the landing page ‍

Iterations, Creating V2

We went ahead and implemented low effort or high impact design changes. We're continuing to track and provide recommendations for further optimizations that can be rolled out progressively.

Next Steps

We’re tracking items that were either high-effort or low-impact for the initial release. Additionally, we're gathering feedback for further improvements:

• Feedback box: We added a feedback box and have already started gathering feedback about the user experience and expectations such as types of programs they expect to find and more.
  
• Establishing analytics: I pulled initial analytics to establish a baseline on traffic, bounce rates, program popularity, and user behavior. We also identified some unexpected behaviors that will guide future refinements.
  

I kept analytics from Affordable Seattle (the old site) to compare with traffic on Assistance and Discounts once it is allowed sufficient ramp up time. The Innovation and Performance team also provided me with data on applications received each month from 2021 through 2024. I found the 6-month average for the period directly before we launched Assistance and Discounts, and the 6 months post-launch and found applications received increased from 499 to 1,180.

While this initiative is complex and this data boils outcomes down to one business-based metric that cannot be owned solely by my team's design work; such a significant increase in average enrollments in the period directly after launch in conjunction with successful usability tested designs shows me that our work to improve these content offerings and customizability surely had a positive influence on conversions.

What I learned...

Designing a high-impact, user-facing component and page has been incredibly rewarding, especially knowing my work helps citizens find relief in our high-cost city.

As a designer, I’m always an advocate for users. In this project, I navigated stakeholder priorities that sometimes conflicted with user needs. I gained valuable experience in finding compromises that met business goals without sacrificing usability. However, there were times when we stood firm to maintain the design's usability and equitability.

Receiving recognition through the GovX and Smart Cities awards was gratifying. We also received internal recognition: My CTO also shared a story in a newsletter, contrasting his mother’s frustrating experience using a cumbersome website to her positive experience using our Assistance and Discounts page, which she found intuitive. In the future, I hope to continue working on projects that make a real impact for users.