[CAIA Intake] Pension-Benefits: Usability Improvements 527EZ

[matt4su]

Content, accessibility, information architecture (CAIA) new initiative collaboration request

Use this ticket to request collaboration on a new initiative with the sitewide content, accessibility, and information architecture (CAIA) team.

About your team

• Team name: Pension-benefits
• OCTO product owner: `Ryan Powers
• Product name: `Pension, 527EZ
• Product manager: Matt Reilly
• Slack channel: benefits-pension
• **Dedicated content writer on your team n/a
• Dedicated a11y specialist on your team (if you have one): n/a

About your initiative

Which of these descriptions best fits the work we’ll partner on?

Select all that apply.

• [ X] Digitizing a new form
• [ ] Creating a new digital tool
• [x] Updating an existing form or tool
• [ ] Translating a form or tool into Spanish
• [ ] Adding new unauthenticated content to VA.gov
• [ ] Updating existing unauthenticated content on VA.gov
• [ ] Something else: insert description

What's the nature of your initiative and desired outcomes?

Tell us briefly about your work and the outcomes you’re aiming to achieve.

Our team re-launched the online Pension application (527EZ form) in January 2024. Our research team performed a Usability Study that identify improvements that can be made for the 527EZ form. We'd like to partner with CAIA on an ongoing basis as we define these improvements.

The first two improvements we'd like to collaborate on are:

Clarify dependents assets questions

Clarify medical evidence request

Collaboration timeframe

Note: We work on nearly every OCTO product and manage all unauthenticated content on VA.gov, so we will need to prioritize intake requests based on overall workload and VA and OCTO priorities.

Is this work tied to a Congressional mandate, change in law or policy, or upcoming event with a specific deadline?

• [ ] Yes
• [ X] No
• [ ] I’m not sure

Where are you at in your timeline?

Tell us briefly about what you're working on now (such as initial discovery, wireframing, or usability research planning) and add any known dates for upcoming milestones or deadlines.

We are currently in the design phase with. these improvements.

Will you release this new product incrementally (for example, release to 25% of users to start)?

• [ ] Yes

• [ X] No

  *Note: **If you check yes, we’ll reach out to discuss details about the content in the react widget. We use these widgets to display entry points for new products to a certain percentage of users who visit our static pages. Please refer to this GitHub reference for dynamic content.

• [ X] I acknowledge that if I change the launch to be incremental, or change it from incremental to 100%, I must notify CAIA of this change as there is additional work involved that may impact deadlines.

Collaboration cycle

Which phases of the collaboration cycle have you completed?

Select all that apply.

• [ ] Design intent
• [ ] Midpoint review
• [ ] Staging
• [X ] None. Our intent is to schedule a Midpoint Review in the near-term.

Collaboration cycle ticket

If you’re going through the collaboration cycle, provide your ticket number and link:

• Ticket Number: 89097

Supporting artifacts

Provide links to any supporting artifacts that can help us better understand your initiative and begin collaboration. Include artifacts like your product outline, user flows, mockups and prototypes, or any draft content.

• Supporting artifact: Figma File for Medical Evidence Support ticket
• Supporting artifact: Figma File for Dependents + Assets ticket

Research findings: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nI0g96Or0_sOsjnvyno9bzh_HxIuPt3n3Imb1tNIamw/edit#heading=h.kdz1ermzo8pq

Next steps

• [ ] Post a link to this issue in the #sitewide-content-sitewide-content-accessibility-ia slack channel and tag @Terry Nichols, and we’ll then acknowledge receipt. We'll then review the artifacts in more detail and work with you to determine timing for collaboration. Depending on the work, we may schedule a kickoff meeting to better understand how we'll partner together.
• [ ] Review the remaining next steps in the VFS team tasks section here.
• [ ] If you also need engineering support from the public websites team, fill out their intake request form as well: Open a public websites intake request
• [ ] If you're requesting a page/URL redirect, a URL change, or a vanity URL, submit an additional request for this work: Open a redirect, URL change, or vanity URL request
• [ ] If you're creating an experimental design, also contact the design system team: Read more about experimental designs
  Suggest an addition or update to the design system team
• [ ] If you're requesting a11y support for usability research, submit a research support request next: Open an a11y research support request
• [ ] If you are requesting content support, please share your content source of truth (preferably as a SharePoint document).

### Follow-up tickets
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/83740#issue-2310640168

### Content tasks
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/85080
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/86677
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/85129
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/84252

### A11Y Tasks
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/84084
- [x] Attend Kickoff Meeting Sara and Jamie 6/5/2024

[strelichl]

@matt4su thanks for sharing the resources on this. I wanted to let you know that we have a handful of projects in the queue to close out before we can turn to this, so I'll keep an eye out as you move into design intent and can keep you updated as things progress on our end. We appreciate your understanding.

[strelichl]

@matt4su looking ahead as a next step, we'd like to schedule a kickoff with your team. We’re available Wednesday 6/5 at 12 or 12:30pm Eastern, would either of those work for you?

[matt4su]

@strelichl our team is going through a transition from an outgoing to incoming Designer on this. Let me get back to you on timeline shortly if that's ok with you.

[matt4su]

@strelichl @mtri After speaking with the team we will take you up on the Wednesday 6/5 at 12 or 12:30pm Eastern, whichever you have available, just let me know, thanks!

[aprocik1]

@matt4su, thanks for following up. Lily is out of office this week, so I just sent everyone an invite for a kickoff meeting on Wednesday 6/5 at 12 pm ET. I'm looking forward to connecting then.

[coforma-jamie]

Accessibility design review

I reviewed the Figma pages you linked to. They're largely in good shape, accessibility-wise. I found 3 items of note, which I discussed during kickoff but will add here for reference:

• Hint text only allows for strings, no formatting (including paragraphs). You have hint text throughout that has some paragraph formatting. Consider using the forms pattern single pattern if you need formatting.
• Recommend removing the H5s (just make them paragraphs) here - headings aren’t required here and add to screen reader “noise”
• Link in additional info component here needs to open in a new tab (it’s taking users out of the form flow).

@mtri

[jennymayoco]

Hi @matt4su @mtri - dropping our IA feedback here.

• The initial feedback is on the flow for uploading documents. How might this flow look for immediate upload, such as option 1, versus uploading in CST or snail mail? How can we minimize any confusion for folks who uploaded their docs only to see another step to upload docs in the confirmation page?

  Happy to support and collaborate with y'all on the flow. As A mentioned during the kickoff call, we will continue to collaborate with y'all through the collab cycle. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime!

• This was covered during the kick-off call, but just keeping in mind how this page will look if someone selected "no" for any of the supporting documents (which sounds like it will be the case!)

[aprocik1]

@mtri, I just completed my review of your first round of usability improvements. I left comments in these Figma files:

• File 1 includes my recommendations for the financial information screens, supporting documents screens, and confirmation screen
• File 2 includes my recommendations for the introduction screen, resources and support page, and About VA Form page
• File 3 includes my recommendations for the health and employment information screens

Let me know if I've missed anything in my review, or if you have any questions about my recommendations. I'm happy to iterate on this together.

[mtri]

Adding a follow-on initiative here.

We have a new usability improvement task for the 527EZ. Clarify income sources - #79213

Context and direction: Summary of context from the original PPB ticket Content direction needed and questions for CAIA.

Design options: Proposed Gross monthly income flow 1 Proposed Gross monthly income flow 2

More context: Current flow

A sync would probably be best for explaining and any questions like we did with the first batch. Please let us know when we can get on your calendar. Thanks!

CC: @matt4su

[aprocik1]

@mtri, thanks for your follow-on request. Are you available to discuss this with us on Wednesday 6/26 from 12-12:30 or 12:30-1 pm ET? I can send a calendar invite and Zoom link.

[mtri]

@aprocik1 We'll take the Wednesday at 12:30-1PM ET meeting. Thanks!

Can you please add Matt Reilly and Sanja Bajovic from our team to that meeting as well?

CC: @matt4su

[aprocik1]

@mtri, thanks for meeting with us today. I created a new CAIA recommendations board in your Figma file. That board captures our accessibility, content, and IA feedback for round 2 usability improvements. I'm not a Figma expert, so you'll need to correct some of the components, formatting, spacing, etc. Let us know if you have any questions.

[mtri]

@aprocik1 Circling back on a minor change to the hint text for

Supporting artifact: Figma File for Medical Evidence Support ticket Supporting artifact: Figma File for Dependents + Assets ticket

Comment with context

Happy to sync/async on anything there! Thanks!

[aprocik1]

@mtri, thanks for following up. I left a few comments in your Figma file. Let me know if there's anything else to align on. Thanks!

[mtri]

Thanks @aprocik1 !

There is one more question in this set to tweak on the Dependent assets page. I have linked it here.

Then we'll have this built out in staging and the plan is to test it from there. Thanks again!

[aprocik1]

@mtri, you asked me to consider any necessary updates to entry points during the first round of usability improvements. Your goal was to clarify the eligibility requirements for a Veterans Pension and distinguish it from a military retirement pension.

My recommendation is to update these 2 entry points:

1. About VA Form 21P-527EZ
   • Include a link to the new resources and support page about Veterans Pension v. military retirement pension
   • Exclude eligibility information, since the online form intro page and the PDF form intro pages contain this information
2. Apply for Veterans Pension benefits
   • Reference the recommendation in this Figma comment

Here's a Mural board that visualizes my recommendations. If you'd like to move forward with them, we'll need to publish the new resources and support page first. Here's a SharePoint document for your SMEs to review.

Let me know if you'd like to move forward with these updates. And if so, let me know your tentative timeline for publishing them. Thanks!

[sara-amanda]

a11y Support

[!NOTE] Cross-posting @coforma-jamie 's chat with the team in the #benefits-pension channel, via the OCTO Slack channel. Here is a link to the thread.

Status & Next Steps

• Jamie connected with @matt4su and @djones2113
• Gretchen @gmaciolek is the designer who has been working on the accessibility-related work, and will be following up on the thread.
• Note: Gretchen has been OOO and will be responding upon returning from being OOO.

cc: @NaomiPMC @strelichl