Michigan State Department of Human and Health Services
MDHHS utilized the 1171 Form as an application for citizens in need of Public Assistance including Food Assistance, Childcare and Cash Assistance. This application was 45 pages long, filled with complex language, and was difficult to navigate. MDHHS service design issues, including the 1171 Form, created animosity between the people of Michigan and MDHHS. So we decided to redesign this application process, including the form, in order to better service the needs of citizens applying for Public Assistance, and of caseworkers tasked with guiding residents and processing applications.
CLIENT
Michigan Department of Human and Health Services (MDHHS)
ROLE
User Research Lead
COMPETENCIES
Design Research, Strategy, Prototyping, User Testing, Co-Design, Service Design, Story Design & Storytelling Artifacts
DELIVERABLES TO MDHHS
Working Form Prototypes, Service Prototypes, User Research & User Insights
Process
Ethnographic Research >> Synthesis >> Prototyping >> User Testing >> Service Design Blueprinting >> Storytelling
Ethnographic Research
I lead multiple ethnographic user interviews with residents who applied for public assistance in Detroit. In these interviews, it was important to not only capture the users' experience with DHHS, but to also understand their everyday lives, from the challenges of the Detroit busing system to difficulty of the public education system, in order to obtain information that would best shape the redesign of the public assistance application process. I also performed multiple observations at a local MDHHS office, spending time with caseworkers in their day to day interactions with clients and multiple case management softwares.
Synthesis
With the design team, I assisted in drawing out points of views and insights utilizing different design methodologies, including ecosystem maps, journey maps, and empathy maps. These insights were then utilized to scaffold ideation sessions framed by a wide array of “How Might We…” statements pushing the team to explore area of technology, gamification and services.
Prototyping
I then assisted in bringing ideas to life through prototyping. I partnered with fellow members to create prototypes. Each prototype was created in order to test specific aspects of initial design insights, including how color might affect the user experience in filling out the form, what a "cheat sheet" might look like for the citizen filling out the form, etc.
User Testing
I lead user testing with residents and caseworkers in order to test initial design insights through prototypes. User testing lead to the coordination of co-design sessions with caseworkers and residents which lead to new iterations of prototypes. I lead co-design sessions with a caseworkers in order to better understand their perspectives, including understanding what content was necessary to keep on the 1171. This work was then utilized by the Design Lead to fabricate higher fidelity prototypes that would be presented to MDHHS.
Service Design Blueprinting
The team journey mapped the pathway of citizens obtaining social services and caseworkers processing applications. Visually creating a modified service design blueprint of these journeys, the team was able to zero in on opportunities for design shifts within the services provided by the MDHHS.
Storytelling
As a part of the core design team, I co-lead the storytelling of our design process and insights. I co-created an immersive storytelling experience utilizing visual, auditory and tactile experiences in order to convey to MDHHS officials what the design team had learned through our design research process.
