Washington Unemployment Eligibility Checker Re-Design
Deliverables
Final, high-fidelity mobile and web prototypes
Context
Class project
Digitizing, simplifying, and improving the user experience of the Washington Unemployment Eligibility Checker
Collaborators
4 other students
My role
User Research Coordinator
UX Designer (mobile)
Overview
Problem
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The current unemployment site and eligibility form are proven to cause Washingtonians, who are trying to determine whether they are eligible for unemployment benefits, to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and confused.
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Goal
Our primary assignment was to digitize the Washington State Unemployment Eligibility Checker PDF. We also sought to simplify and improve the form to streamline unemployment benefits and create a more positive user experience.
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Outcome
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We created an interactive, "assessment-like" eligibility checker that allows users to determine, with significant certainty, their unemployment eligibility status.
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As Research Coordinator, I designed user research and usability testing sessions. In these sessions, I sought to determine our users' needs and translate them into design requirements. I was also the lead designer of the high-fidelity mobile prototype, in which I satisfied these design requirements through simple, user-friendly design.
Original Eligibility Checker
Final Design
Process
Research
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
User Research
We recruited 4 participants who had been unemployed in Washington State sometime in the last year for in-depth user interviews. We asked our participants to walk us through the process they had taken to apply for unemployment benefits. We sought to understand the emotions they felt during the process.
Did they use the unemployment eligibility checker when determining whether they were eligible for benefits? If so, was the PDF useful? If they hadn't seen it before, we asked them about their reaction to the eligibility checker.
Insights
Unresponsive website
Process is long and strenuous
Unclear feedback about eligibility
Emotional Distress
Poor website accessibility
No resources for support
Empathy Map
User Personas
Fresh
MARKET
Problem Statement
The current unemployment site and eligibility form cause applicants to feel stress and uncertainty about their eligibility status.
How might we create a positive user experience that allows users to determine, with significant certainty, whether they are eligible for unemployment benefits?
Storyboard
How might an ideal interaction with the digital unemployment checker go?
user becomes unemployed
user is stressed/anxious
user searches for unemployment options and finds WA unemployment site
user begins eligibility assessment
creates profile to receive updates
user consults the chat bot about confusing terminology
finishes assessment -they are eligible! Applies for benefits on the official site
user can spend time with their loved ones
Low-fidelity Wireframes
We created 2 versions to test with users:
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1. Clickable Checklist
2. "Assessment"-like Checker
Clickable checklist
After creating an account, the user fills out the checklist and receives an estimate of their eligibility status and benefit amount.
A Closer Look
Assessment-style
The user traverses the assessment one question at a time, only answering questions that apply to them.
A Closer Look
Concept Testing
We tested each low-fidelity prototype with 5 users.
Questions:
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Would users rather use a clickable checklist or a question-by-question assessment?
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Which design is more intuitive?
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Are any of the questions still confusing?
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Do users clearly know when to answer "yes" or "no"?
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Do users know where to click on each wireframe and do they have an accurate idea of what will be accomplished if they do so?
Results
Overwhelmingly, users preferred the "assessment-style" interface.
Iteration
While users enjoyed the concept of the assessment-style eligibility checker, they wanted more clarity - some terminology was still confusing, and the order of the questions was confusing. Users only want to traverse the questions that are relevant to them based on their previous answers (i.e. COVID-19 related questions, questions about being laid off, etc.)
Eligibility Assessment User Flow
We mapped out the different journeys users could take through the assessment that would get them to an answer in the most efficient way possible. Thus, creating a "reactive" assessment that changes course depending on each answer.
High Fidelity Prototype
Style Guide
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Final Design
