Require mobile web designs at DI and MPR, and user flow at MPR

User Story

As a Governance team member supporting the Collaboration Cycle, I want VFS teams to prioritize mobile web designs at the DI and MPR so that I can review the their product and give them helpful feedback.

As a Governance team member supporting the Collaboration Cycle, I want VFS teams to share their user flows at Midpoint Review, so that I can verify changes in flow from the DI, or so that I can see their intended flow if they skipped DI.

Assignee: @briandeconinck Peer Reviewer: @erinrwhite

Description

Governance team still sees many VFS teams come to DI and/or MPR with desktop designs only. While this is helpful, and better than no design at all, desktop designs don't allow Governance to fully test and/or understand the product. When VFS teams design for mobile first (instead of web first) they're solving for the problem in limited space, and are solving for accessibility concerns that don't exist in desktop. Also, mobile web traffic has grown significantly. We know that many of our veterans are accessing VA.gov via their mobile device vs. their computer.

Mobile first is important bc smartphones ~ 400% zoom, also designing for low vision users. Sometimes teams will take desktop features not available on mobile. Younger, blind veterans don't have desktop typically. Can do everything on mobile.

Because of all of the above, Governance will begin requiring VFS teams to share mobile web designs at DI and MPR.

In addition, we will also begin to ask VFS teams to share an up-to-date user flow at Midpoint Review. We do currently require a user flow at Design Intent. Of the 38 Midpoint Review's that have occurred so far in 2024 (as of 8/29), 13 of them did not have a Design Intent. This means that Governance potentially did not see a user flow for 13 of those products, making it more difficult for us to understand the products purpose and intentions. It is also possible that VFS teams skip DI intentionally and go straight to MPR because of the laxed requirements.

Impacted Artifacts

Live pages

DI Touchpoint page (Platform Website)
MPR Touchpoint page (Platform Website)
Change history (Platform Website)
Collab Cycle kickoff- code blocks (Confluence VFS facing)

Tasks

[ ] Make copies/drafts to update platform website pages to accurately reflect required artifacts for design intent and midpoint review
[ ] Draft a change announcement on slack and platform website for announcing this change to VFS teams
[ ] Get peer review on change announcements on updated pages and code blocks
[ ] Publish platform website pages and updated code blocks
[ ] Make announcement

Peer Review

To be completed by peer reviewer

[ ] User story and acceptance criteria are met

Acceptance Criteria

[ ] Governance team has added mobile web designs as a required artifact to the Design Intent and Midpoint Review
[ ] Governance team has added user flows as a required artifact to the Midpoint Review
[ ] The code blocks for DI and MPR have been updated to reflect the new required artifacts
[ ] The DI and MPR touchpoint pages have been updated to reflect the new required artifacts
[ ] We have announced to VFS teams the changes in required artifacts at DI and MPR

Team Notification

[ ] Slack post on #platform-governance-team
[ ] Presentation at Weekly Initiative Meeting
[x] No notification needed

How to prepare this issue

Refinement

[x] Ticket has user story, description, tasks, and acceptance criteria
[x] Ticket has been sized
[x] Once all above items are checked, add the 'Ready' label.
Planning

If this ticket is picked up from the Backlog mid-sprint, connect with Shira to ensure the below items are completed correctly
[x] Ticket has been discussed as a team at Planning
[ ] Ticket has been assigned to appropriate initiative or quarterly epic
[x] Ticket has been assigned to a Sprint
[x] Ticket has been moved to the Planned pipeline in the Governance team board
[x] Ticket as an assignee and peer reviewer

department-of-veterans-affairs / va.gov-team