Explore VA is an initiative from the VA that is aimed at centralizing all of the Department of Veterans Affairs benefit information into an easy ‘one-stop-shop.’ The redesign improved organic search rank while also bumping the conversion rate to a staggering 24% (from 8%).
Helping Veterans Access Benefits They've Earned
What
Multi-page site with quote tool
Role
Design, Front end
Client
Department of Veterans Affairs
Year
2014
Collaborators
Brett Holt
Project Goals
- Create a “One stop shop” for the 9 main benefit areas within the VA. Previously, each benefit area had it’s own independent site.
- Increase throughput for each of the 9 benefit areas.
- Create a site that meets the VA’s rigorous 508 compliance standards.
Wireframes
The first day of my new job I was tasked with working on these wireframes.
Visual Design
The big win with this project turned out to be the hero images. Per the contract with the VA, we were not allowed to use stock photography. The images you see here are real veterans photographed on site in Dallas.
Post Launch Analysis
During the initial site launch, the VA was worried that users would find the new navigation confusing. To our surprise, these heat maps show high engagement on the nav.
