Social Security Administration Design System - User Experience Framework (UEF)
I spent several years as a direct contributor to the formation, development, and maintenance of the agency's first design system. This system predates that developed by US Digital Services but several years, but evolved over time to accommodate new platforms such as mobile-first, strict adherence to ADA Section 508 Accessibility compliance, and rigorous user-research driven iterative design.
Framework's Target Users
- The public; the UEF is used on all public-facing platforms for the agency, this could be websites as well as mobile apps, not to add the limitless number of potential users with disabilities and skill levels
- The employees; agency employees had their own "internal" UEF optimized for developing in-house applications; we had to ensure the UEF did not get in the way of doing their jobs
- The developers; one of the main drivers for the establishment of the UEF was to unify and expedite development and maintenance of agency web properties; so efficiency was critical
- The product designers; I was one of them, but my team at large relied on the UEF to help them build out the numerous public and internal-facing products, each with their own unique business needs. We had to ensure that the pattern library itself met their needs, but the workgroup was tasked with accepting and developing new patterns as well as providing reviews and guidance on UEF-implementation compliance.
An exploration in responsive upload widgets. The one thing about dealing with the SSA is that there is a high likelihood that you'll need to provide proof of something, so file uploading is key.
Same upload widget but this being for tablet/desktop
The meat and potatoes of a pattern library, input patterns. An aperitif if you will, as we had a whole bunch of these.
User research snapshot. Here's an example of our user research documentation for the facilitator and note taker, including prompts, screenshots, and "happy path" (where appropriate)
Some examples of components in use in a mockup application
What I Learned
- Design Systems is like running a business, with the strategy, the marketing, the communication, and the feedback loop. I loved it. I was able to gain immense insight in working with developers, exploring the ins and outs of Section 508 Accessibility compliance, as well as providing design leadership and guidance to product designers and managers. I was also able to scratch my graphic design itch, I don't always "pixel push" but this was a fun exercise.
