Modernizing a Federal Business Operating System

A federal defense client relies on our team to maintain and evolve internal applications supporting account management, budgeting, and operational workflows.

However, these applications were:

• Built by fragmented teams over time
• Inconsistent in UX patterns and accessibility
• Running on outdated frontend frameworks
• Accumulating significant UX and technical debt

In short, there was no centralized UX governance or shared design system.

1. Establish a scalable, cross-application design system
2. Modernize legacy UIs alongside required technical migrations
3. Identify and resolve usability friction as the sole user advocate on the team

Since direct access to end users was limited, I conducted research using alternative methods:

• Performed an end-to-end site audit to understand current workflows
• Collaborated with helpdesk staff to gain insight into user needs and pain points
• Reviewed 100+ support tickets and performed affinity mapping to identify recurring issues

• Navigation and IA were inconsistent and cognitively heavy
• Visual patterns and color contrast failed modern accessibility standards
• Users developed workarounds outside the systems
• Permission updates in the Access Management Application were destructive by default, forcing users to rebuild configurations

Overall, the products suffered from accumulated UX debt. Systemic issues, not isolated screens, required a program-level solution.

• Developed a program-wide style guide aligned with our federal defense client’s brand standards
• Defined typography, color usage, spacing, and accessibility standards
• Centralized and simplified styling requirements to reduce engineering friction

• Audited components across multiple applications
• Standardized core UI patterns (forms, buttons, navigation, data displays)
• Documented usage guidelines and interaction states
• Collaborated with engineering leads to ensure cross-stack feasibility

Rather than designing for a single app, the system was structured for long-term adoption across the program.

The portal was intended to be a central resource hub, and the entry point to all applications. However it was underutilized. Users bypassed it via bookmarks and described it as unintuitive.

My proposed redesign was approved and sparked leadership discussions on the need for IA evaluation and UX governance.

The frontend framework had reached end-of-life, requiring migration. I conducted technical discovery to explore options for a stable, maintainable frontend while aligning with the emerging design system.

My Process

1. Researched and compared modern frontend frameworks for maintainability, ecosystem support, and security
2. Partnered with engineering to align on feasibility and migration effort
3. Prototyped example UIs using finalist component libraries to evaluate flexibility and integration

Outcome

The team decided to migrate to React with a component-based architecture and UI library, enabling:

• Improved maintainability, accessibility, and security
• Standardized UI components aligned with the design system
• Reduced frontend and backend technical debt