Overview

The Social Security Administration (SSA) website, SSA.gov is one of the most visited federal websites. It gets about 280 million visitors every year. It’s a key place for people to access and manage their benefits, like Retirement and Disability, and to keep track of personal information, such as their Social Security number. Almost every American interacts with the SSA at some point in their life.

Challenge

The website’s legacy design, siloed content, and disconnected services made it difficult for people to complete essential tasks, especially those unfamiliar with government processes or facing language barriers.

Key pain points included:

• Low task findability due to unclear navigation and fragmented pathways
• Inefficient access to self-service tools
• Poor support for users with limited English proficiency (LEP)
• Content not meeting plain language standards

Approach

The website’s legacy design, siloed content, and disconnected services made it difficult for people to complete essential tasks, especially those unfamiliar with government processes or facing language barriers.

Human-Centered Redesign

• Led a full redesign grounded in user research, usability testing, and web analytics
• Reorganized content around top user needs, rather than internal structures
• Simplified pathways for high-volume tasks like replacing a Social Security card or applying for benefits

UX + Service Integration

• Integrated online services directly into task flows to reduce user friction and increase self-service adoption
• Designed a responsive, mobile-first interface optimized for accessibility and clarity
• Created new homepage, topic hubs, and service landing pages tailored to real-world tasks

Inclusive Design & Multilingual Support

• Oversaw the full Spanish translation of SSA.gov, ensuring parity with the English site
• Prioritized plain language and cultural context, not just direct translation
• Collaborated with LEP and accessibility advocates to refine approach

Operational Leadership

• Directed daily operations of SSA.gov and coordinated across content, design, development, and executive teams
• Set KPIs and led continuous improvement sprints informed by live site data
• Managed governance across service owners to align site strategy with agency goals

Key Contributions

• Led the end-to-end redesign of SSA.gov using iterative, user-centered methods
• Created scalable design templates and content models for key service pages
• Improved task architecture, leading to faster task completion and better comprehension
• Championed multilingual equity, overseeing inclusive Spanish site delivery
• Drove cross-agency collaboration, aligning CX, policy, and IT around a shared digital vision