Design + Research
Service Designer | Government + Public Service Sector
The following are three notable projects I led during my time at Deloitte. Due to the sensitive nature of government consulting, specific project details are subject to strict confidentiality. As a result, certain information has been intentionally omitted.
Employment Benefits
Government Focus Area: State Benefits Firm Research
Audience: Paid Family Leave (PFL), Disability Insurance (DI), and Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants
Role: Service Design Lead - research planning and facilitation, synthesis and insights documentation
The Goal
To gain a better understanding of the current benefits system, focusing on pain points, needs, and opportunities for future improvements.
The Research
Conducted leadership-informed research aligned with ongoing benefits work, including 4 days of interviews with PFL, DI, and UI applicants. Participants were selected using state-specific unemployment data to ensure demographic diversity across age (20–85), race, education, gender, and claim type.
17 Claimants Interviewed
12 Hours of Interviews
1200+ Data Points
The Findings
Modes
Claimants typically follow a general path, but their journey varies based on individual circumstances. There are five key modes that claimants may experience when navigating state benefits for UI, DI, and PFL. Depending on their situation, a claimant might begin in a different mode than someone new to the process.
Mindsets
Claimants’ behaviors vary based on their diverse backgrounds and experiences. Research identified two key spectrums that capture how they approach applying for and maintaining UI, DI, and PFL benefits. While individual circumstances differ, these spectrums remain relevant, with nuances explored within each mindset.
Experience Principles
Common themes and sentiments that repeatedly emerged across PFL, DI, and UI were identified to inform the principles guiding the design effort at both the macro and micro levels, with a focus on prioritizing pain points, needs, and opportunities.
Current State Journey Map
Considering the complexity of each claimant's experience across various modes, the process for each benefit was first analyzed separately. This approach enabled the development of the current-state journey map, which highlights key pain points and offers targeted recommendations across all benefits.
The Results
A collection of opportunity areas across all three benefits was compiled, highlighting how each opportunity tied to a guiding "How might we" question from the experience principles, along with supporting insights from each mode. Each step shown below contributed to a holistic understanding, which was a key factor in winning a $220M, three-year contract with potential extensions.
