Background

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants all teams working on digital projects to build consistent, responsive, and accessible experiences. According to Scott Weber, Managing Staff Designer for the CMS Design System,

“A design system is a collection of reusable components both in design and in code, guided by clear documentation and standards, that can be assembled together to build web experiences and can be easily updated within products.”

Scott argues that CMS’ design system is important because it:

• Allows designers and developers to create quickly and at scale.
• Allows product teams to focus on larger, more complex problems.
• It creates a unified language within and between cross-functional teams and products.
• It creates visual consistency across products, departments, and experiences.
• It can serve as a tool and reference for junior-level product team members.

Further, in a government setting like CMS governed by many isolated contracts, adherence to a design system can increase public trust while reducing taxpayer resource costs.

Getting Started

We encourage you to review the the CMS Design System resources for developers and designers and consider watching an overview presentation from Scott at our May 2022 Community of Practice event. If you need help sharing this resource with your teams or determining best practices for leveraging and contributing to the design system, please reach out to us.

Additional Resources

For more information on the CMS Design System, click here to visit our CMS Design System page.

Background 

Customer satisfaction research allows an organization to gather feedback from its customers about how well it is delivering its products and services and how it might improve delivery. We often prioritize research methods that answer specific and immediate questions for our projects at hand. How much time do users spend on a critical task? Do customers understand our instructions? Though, questions that yield insights for the totality of the customer experience (CX), such as customer satisfaction questions, help us to strategically inform project planning and prioritization across the enterprise. 

While customer satisfaction as an idea is a general one, a customer satisfaction survey is more defined and refers to a particular type of customer feedback survey. CSAT surveys allow customers to assess and provide feedback, both quantitative and qualitative, on customer service and product quality. 

These surveys are an ‘always on’ method of continuous data collection that allow us to measure aspects of the CX. These surveys typically provide insights related to: 

• Overall customer satisfaction 
• Ease of use 
• Efficiency 
• Open-ended, qualitative feedback 

Most commonly, CSAT surveys are delivered to customers via email or in the context of a user interface, with a site intercept survey tool/form. The latter has many benefits, most importantly that customers can answer questions while immersed in the experience when it is most fresh in their minds. 

Measuring the CX with a CSAT survey is an excellent step toward continuous improvement, but it’s what we do with the insights to drive and improve the experience that really counts. For this reason, it’s crucial to have a process in place for making sense of data, especially open-ended, qualitative feedback. 

We're Here to Help!

The HCD Center of Excellence is here to support you as you participate in the CCSQ-wide goal of increasing customer satisfaction research. We can partner with you through key tasks, such as: 

• Establish and test a site intercept survey tool
• Determine questions for satisfaction, ease of use, and efficiency
• Define a statistically relevant sample for continuous data collection
• Resolve PRA coverage and Information Collection Request (ICR) for site intercept survey
• Complete and submit Third Party Website and Applications (TPWA) form for the site intercept tool
• Determine approach for survey display 
• Establish a plan for leveraging ongoing customer data

 Use the buttons below to email us or submit a project intake through Confluence and our team will follow up with you shortly.

Additional Resources

For more information, resources and case studies, click here to visit our Measuring Customer Satisfaction Initiative page.

Background

Heuristic evaluation is a methodical and systematic inspection of your digital interface or product, where our experienced team of evaluators assesses its usability against a set of recognized usability principles, known as heuristics. These heuristics are industry-accepted guidelines that have been proven to enhance user satisfaction and overall usability. At our core, we believe that good design is intuitive, efficient, and delightful.

A heuristic evaluation is a rigorous assessment of a digital product's usability based on a set of predefined principles or heuristics. It involves a systematic examination of the interface, interaction patterns, and overall user experience. The evaluation aims to uncover usability issues, such as confusing navigation, unclear labeling, or inconsistent feedback, that may hinder users' ability to accomplish their tasks efficiently. By conducting a heuristic evaluation, businesses can gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their product, allowing them to make informed design decisions and improve user satisfaction.

How We Work

At our core, we believe that good design is intuitive, efficient, and delightful. Conducting heuristic evaluations can save businesses time and resources in the long run. By proactively identifying usability issues early in the design process, companies can avoid costly and time-consuming redesigns or redevelopments later on. Addressing usability concerns at an early stage not only improves the user experience but also minimizes the need for extensive user testing or costly customer support efforts in the future.

If you'd like to partner with our team to complete a heuristic evaluation, here's what you can expect from the process:

Initial Consultation:
We begin by understanding your specific goals, target audience, and the unique challenges you face. This initial consultation allows us to tailor our evaluation process to your specific requirements.

Evaluation Planning:
Our team of experts carefully designs a customized evaluation plan based on the unique characteristics of your product. We consider various factors, such as your industry, target audience, and usability objectives to ensure the evaluation aligns with your goals.

Heuristic Evaluation:
Our evaluators conduct a thorough inspection of your product, employing the established heuristics as a framework. They identify usability issues, areas for improvement, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance the overall user experience.

Detailed Report:
Following the evaluation, we compile a comprehensive report that outlines the findings, highlights the identified usability issues, and provides prioritized recommendations. Our report is designed to be clear, concise, and actionable, enabling you to implement changes effectively.

Consultation and Support:
We believe in establishing a partnership with our clients. Our team is available to provide further guidance and clarification on the evaluation findings. We support you throughout the implementation phase and help you track the improvements made to ensure optimum results.

We're Here to Help!

To engage with our team for a heuristic evaluation of a digital product, please use the buttons below to email us or complete a request support form.