UX Designer

BERT Moderization Project

Transforming a Legacy Government Application Through Human-Centered Design

The BERT modernization project focused on redesigning and modernizing an existing government application to create a more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly experience. While visual modernization was an important part of the effort, the true goal was improving usability and reducing friction for users navigating complex workflows and large amounts of data.

A major challenge of this project was limited direct access to end users, a common reality in government environments due to security, operational, and organizational constraints. Rather than allowing that limitation to stop the UX process, I adapted my approach and leveraged every available resource to uncover user needs and workflow pain points.

This included:

Reviewing existing user manuals and training documentation
Analyzing current workflows and system behavior
Partnering closely with stakeholders to understand operational goals and recurring challenges
Applying UX best practices and heuristic evaluations
Identifying opportunities to simplify navigation, reduce cognitive load, and improve decision-making efficiency

The modernization effort focused on:

Streamlining complex reporting and filtering workflows
Improving information hierarchy and data visibility
Designing faster paths to commonly used tasks
Creating clearer navigation and drill-down structures
Enhancing readability and scanability for large data sets
Supporting quicker decision-making through improved visualizations and dashboard organization
Reducing reliance on manual calculations and spreadsheet-heavy processes

This project demonstrates my ability to:

Lead UX strategy even in constrained environments
Pivot and adapt research methodologies based on project realities
Translate stakeholder goals into practical, user-centered solutions
Work collaboratively with developers in accelerated timelines
Balance modernization, usability, and technical constraints within government systems

While I always advocate for direct user research and validation whenever possible, this project highlights an important part of UX leadership in federal spaces: the ability to extract meaningful insights from limited inputs and still deliver thoughtful, human-centered solutions that improve the user experience.

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