A website + process redesign that boosts civic participation in local government.

Problem

Utah state board members have the opportunity to influence policy decisions that affect them and their communities, so serving on a board is an simple way for Utah residents’ voices to be heard. However, poor website design and a confusing application process prevent many from applying to open board positions. Staff who manage boards also get stuck during the approval process, wasting time and leaving positions unfilled for months.

Approach

My team's goal was to make the process of becoming a board member easier on both applicants and agency staff to reduce bureaucratic inefficiency and enable a more representative public to serve in Utah's government. Through a cycle of research and iterative human-centered design, I led the redesign of the Boards and Commissions website and application process.

Impact

The redesigned website and application process drove a 98% increase in applicant satisfaction with the overall experience and is now used by 35 state agencies and thousands of Utah residents. The Boards and Commissions Director also observed a decrease in frequency of agency staff seeking support with the process and higher quality data from improved management capabilities.

Role

Lead UX/UI Designer

Timeline

10 weeks

Team

Product Manager ● UX Researcher ● Engineer

Client

Utah Governor’s Office

Serving on a state board is a simple way for Utah residents to have a voice in government…

How might we make the process of becoming a board member easier on applicants and agency staff?

Designs

For applicants

A welcoming homepage

Applicants often didn’t understand what Boards and Commissions are or how to join, so I designed a new, streamlined homepage with a friendly, plain language introduction and clear calls to action.

A customizable position search

Applicants often struggled to find board positions that they were qualified for, so I allowed users to filter by interest area when searching for an opening and included only relevant qualification information so that they could more easily find a position of interest.

A snag-free application process

Applicants often got tangled up in a confusing application process. I cleaned up the unfamiliar language and micro-interactions and included a progress indicator so applicants could know what to expect during the process.

A focus on equity

Many applicants did not have formal resumes, especially those who worked in agriculture or trade jobs. This effectively prevented them from applying to a position, since a resume was a required part of the application.

To ensure that everyone could apply without the additional burden of creating a resume, I designed an option that would allow an applicant to type in basic information about their work experience from which a resume would be created and submitted for them.

A centralized portal

Agency staff often had trouble finding where to approve applications or manage board data, so I designed a simple, centralized portal from which they can easily initiate these top tasks.

For agency staff

A streamlined approval process

Agency staff struggled to find new applications to approve, so I designed a dashboard that put new applications front and center, along with options to sort a larger list of applications.

An expanded set of permissions

Agency staff got frustrated that they couldn’t change incorrect board data. I consulted with our engineer to change staff data permissions in the Salesforce system and designed features that allow agency staff to edit current and historical data within the page of each board and position.