Civiform application

simplify and make the application process more accessible (a11y)

Civiform is a universal application system that lets the public apply for benefits. I worked for continuing user experience and product design for application and civiform admin side and oversaw city admin and CBO admin side after the Q1 google UX designer roll-off.

When I joined the project was in the developing stage, the Google team had done the discovery path and design sprint as part of early design. I was responsible for fostering accessibility to the design, advocate for the users and worked with the cross-functional Google team across PT, CT, ET and GMT+8 time zones.

* I have omitted confidential information in this case study. All information is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Google.org.

What I do

UX/Product design
Product vision
Re-define the problem
Advocate user research result and data to the team
Align the information to the team

Fostering accessibility (a11y) and user-center design to the team
Align the information to the team
Mentor and onboarding the rolling-base teammate
Focus on application and admin side and oversees city admin and CBO admin part

Team

Google’s product managers, project manager, front and back end engineers, user researcher, ux writer, creative lead and interaction designer

Status

Soft launch, grow and maintain

Platform

Responsive website

Location

Remote from GMT+8, work with PT, CT and ET timezones

overview

background

Mayor Durkan established Seattle Affordability Portal in 2017, and the affordability portal report brought recommendations for a path forward in 2018. After the completion of a screening tool in 2019, Google.org joined Affordable Seattle in January 2021 to develop a universal application tool, now called CiviForm.

problem

How might we improve the application (process) experience for residents and community-based organizations (CBOs) applying for multiple City of Seattle assistance programs?

solution

For application:
An end-to-end web app application platform to allow residents to apply applications from their mobile phone directly with 7 different languages supported. And if they allow the platform can save their information for future use.
For city worker, CBO:
A content management system to better manage all the application in one place.

outcome

Google.org and seattle.gov have positive feedback for the results. It was recorded as a success model in google.org.
Additional funding was secured through the Seattle Rescue Plan passed by City Council on 6/21/2021 for $128.4 million.
Other city requests to use civiform, new collocation between Google.org and US Digital Response continue investing and planning civiform to expand from seattle to the national.