HRSA Data Warehouse—Reimagined.
A design overhaul of a convoluted data resource library to improve accessibility and navigability.
Overview
This public sector project required a complete overhaul to address fundamental structural issues. The goal was to create an intuitive experience for data experts while simplifying the interface for novices.
Our three-person design team was responsible for actionable design recommendations, detailed mockups, and a robust design system to enhance accessibility and consistency, all while balancing the diverse needs of stakeholders and user groups.
My Role
Experience Designer II @ Publicis Sapient
Timeline
10 months (September 2023 to July 2024)
Tools
Figma, Screaming Frog, Optimal Workshop, Oracle Infinity
Deliverables
Design System, High-Fidelity Mockups, Usability Testing & Analytics Report
The Problem
The HRSA Data Warehouse (HDW) is a central hub for tools and data, supporting HRSA's six major health care programs. It serves both public users and employees through an internal platform with additional tools and data.
As the site scaled, the site's design became outdated and failed to meet accessibility standards. Contributions from various bureaus led to inconsistencies in design and navigation, making it difficult for data experts to locate tools efficiently. Meanwhile, novices were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.
The internal-facing site faced additional challenges, including a lack of cohesive branding and alignment with the public-facing site, resulting in a disjointed user experience. Many stakeholders were unaware of its purpose, revealing the need for a strategic direction to enhance its relevance and usability.
This high-impact project—for one of Sapient's largest clients—focused on tackling critical usability challenges for both the public-facing and internal-facing site.
Research
Current State Audit
I partnered with a senior designer to audit both the public and internal-facing sites, documenting design and accessibility issues, identifying page types, and preparing questions for deeper exploration.
Taking the lead on site analytics, I analyzed metrics like traffic sources, bounce rates, and device usage to uncover user behaviors and platform performance trends. I compiled a report highlighting key insights, including HDW's 200K monthly views, top-performing pages, and areas for improvement, which informed early design recommendations.
I also created a detailed site map for the public-facing site, identifying discrepancies in content and URLs. Using Screaming Frog, I validated and refined the site structure, helping the team assess the current architecture and identify opportunities for improvement.
Competitive Analysis
To understand best practices for managing and presenting datasets, we analyzed platforms like USAspending.gov, Census.gov, and Kaggle.com. We expanded our research to include websites like UNICEF.org to explore approaches for structuring complex information in a user-friendly way. These insights deepened our understanding of effective data organization and usability, providing a b foundation for the design process.
User Research
This project marked the first collaboration between the CX&I (Customer Experience & Innovation) Sapient team and the HRSA account, combining their innovation-focused approach with our user-centered design expertise. Together, we conducted over 10 stakeholder interviews to uncover user pain points, understand site usage and goals, and gain insights into potential opportunities for improvement.
I documented these conversations in detail, capturing feedback and nuances to ensure stakeholder voices were accurately represented. This documentation provided a valuable reference for empathy-driven design decisions, helping align the team and client around user needs.
“Without hurting the current data, if we could just tell a story that would be good.”
“Build a culture where people are comfortable with the data.”
Key Findings
Our research revealed critical challenges in usability, navigation, and content organization. These insights shaped the priorities for our upcoming design phase:
- Other Platforms Set the Bar: Other platforms excel with clear data descriptions, real-world use cases, educational resources, and collaborative features.
- Lack of Oversight Impacts Scalability: Over 10 years of use without regular clean-up or oversight resulted in untracked page types, unused pages, and a disorganized structure that affects the website's scalability.
- Navigation Causes Confusion: Overlapping categories and similar page titles hindered the navigation menu's usability and clarity.
- Content Lacks Balance: Pages either overwhelmed users with excessive information or offered too little to be useful.
- Tools Miss the Mark for Users: Some tools like Data Explorer and Map Tool were too complex for beginners and insufficient for experts, making them ineffective for diverse user groups.
- Internal Platform Lacks Direction: Many stakeholders were unaware of the internal site or unclear about its purpose.
Design Process
Data-Driven Design
Research findings highlighted three key opportunities—intuitiveness, personalization, and confidence-building. A card sorting exercise further clarified how users intuitively grouped content, directly shaping the site's navigation structure and design priorities. This foundation ensured a balance between user needs and business goals, allowing us to define a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) that prioritized feasibility, value, and impact.
Wireframes
I led efforts to define page requirements, reviewing them with the client and subject-matter experts (SMEs) to ensure accuracy and alignment before starting the wireframing process. Working iteratively in an Agile environment, we created low-fidelity wireframes, reviewed them with clients and SMEs, and refined them based on feedback. High-fidelity wireframes were then developed, incorporating usability testing insights, ensuring technical feasibility through developer reviews, and integrating the new design system.
Usability Testing
We conducted usability testing with stakeholders on five core pages and the navigation menu. I led several sessions, engaging directly with participants to uncover key insights. Using the low-fidelity wireframes, we gathered rapid feedback to refine our designs before transitioning to high-fidelity wireframes.
One significant finding was that expert users preferred quick access to the data without excessive scrolling or searching. This insight informed the inclusion of a "quick links" section, which catered to expert users' needs while allowing novice users to explore content more gradually, aligning with the progressive disclosure principle.
Low-fidelity:
High-fidelity:
I put together the prototype that was used during testing. It's a straightforward prototype meant to gather users' first impressions.
To document our findings, I created a comprehensive Usability Testing Report as a key client deliverable. This report detailed page-specific insights and design recommendations, providing a clear and actionable record to guide iterative improvements.
Design System
To kick off the design system, I created and presented two moodboards to the client, setting the direction for HDW's visual style and tone. We chose to retain blue call-to-action buttons to maintain simplicity and familiarity, ensuring they complemented the data-heavy interface without competing for attention. Additionally, a key objective was to differentiate HDW from other HRSA sites while maintaining a cohesive organizational identity.
As the project progressed, a senior UI designer joined the team, and together we established a Figma-based design system inspired by the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) to meet accessibility guidelines. We focused on building and refining components tailored to HWD's unique needs, such as custom tables and tabs. By the end of the project, we delivered the design system to the client with comprehensive documentation, clear guidelines, and over 100 reusable components. Designed as a living document, the system can be continuously updated by future designers to evolve alongside the platform.
Results & Impact
During usability testing sessions with the low-fidelity wireframes, stakeholders expressed excitement and praised the designs, validating that we were on the right track. Their positive feedback highlighted how closely the design aligned with their needs and expectations, reinforcing the importance of involving users throughout the research and design process. Seeing users connect with a product they helped shape was a powerful reminder of how collaboration fosters user-centered solutions.
The iterative approach ensured that the designs not only met stakeholder expectations but also supported business goals by creating a platform that balanced usability, accessibility, and scalability. The inclusion of a comprehensive design system further set the foundation for future enhancements, providing long-term value to the client.
Reflection
Working on this 10-month project was an incredibly rewarding experience. I'm proud of what we accomplished and how much I grew both personally and professionally. It was an honor to contribute to a meaningful product while collaborating with an amazing all-female, all-star team whose talent and dedication inspired me every step of the way.
This project reinforced the importance of user-centered design, teamwork, and adaptability, lessons I'm excited to carry forward into future endeavors. If you'd like to dive deeper into any aspect of this project, I'd love to share more—feel free to reach out!