Health and Human Services

Role: UX Research Manager & Lead Designer
Team: Collaboration with DSS, DPH, OEC, Product Management, Engineering, and Policy Teams
Tools: Figma, AI research tools, Miro, Typeform

overview

The HHS Portal (https://health.ct.gov) is Connecticut's single-entry point for residents to discover, prescreen for, and access 28 unique state services provided by the Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Public Health (DPH), and Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

I led user experience research and design for the benefits eligibility screener, ensuring it was intuitive, accessible, and efficient. Our goal was to empower residents—especially those experiencing life transitions—to easily track benefits, discover new programs, and receive guidance through a personalized dashboard.

The Challenge

Residents often struggled with:

• Fragmented access to state services, requiring multiple logins and redundant data entry.

• Complex eligibility criteria, making it difficult to determine benefits.

• Confusion and abandonment due to bureaucratic language and poor mobile usability.

• Equity & accessibility gaps, disproportionately affecting underserved populations.

The approach

We conducted:

• Stakeholder interviews with DSS, DPH, and OEC leaders to understand policy constraints.

• Usability testing with residents across diverse demographics.

• Surveys and behavioral analysis of existing state portal usage.

• Support call audits to identify common questions and pain points.

Key Findings:

• Plain-language UX copy was essential for user comprehension.

• Many users relied on mobile devices, making a mobile-first approach critical.

• Residents wanted to track their benefits in one place, reducing uncertainty.

• AI-powered chat and guided decision trees could improve self-service.