Reducing operational overhead by 80% for the USDA
Overview
Nutrition Incentive Hub
A coalition created by the USDA to support nutrition incentive and produce prescription projects. It connects practitioners, researchers, and experts to build stronger, more effective programs that put healthy food on the tables of families who need it most.
The problem
The network was transitioning from various platforms, spreadsheets, and systems, lacking a single source of truth for data. Grantees were spending more time chasing paperwork than running programs, and the people supporting them were buried in operational friction.
The solution
We designed an interactive, consolidated website and Power BI solution that served as a single source of truth. The platform replaced anxiety with orientation, and gave both grantees and administrators a system they could trust to be current, accurate, and accessible.
My approach
User experience design process
A structured path from raw data to a working solution that the people running the programs could actually use.
Size of circle = Amount of effort
Research
Before designing anything, we needed to understand where the friction actually lived. We paired a system audit with stakeholder interviews to map how grantees, administrators, and researchers experienced the network day to day. The data told us what was slow. The interviews told us what was stressful, and the two rarely pointed at the same thing.
System audit & analysis
- Identified bottlenecks in spreadsheet processes
- Mapped federal reporting to system constraints
- Documented ecosystem to replace manual paper trails
Stakeholder inquiry
- Interviewed users to pinpoint burdens
- Shifted strategy to dynamic portal
- Isolated confusion points in application lifecycle
Persona development
- Created personas for all user types
- Identified high-friction user groups
- Humanized data for development team
Journey mapping
- Mapped journeys from application to funding
- Pinpointed moments of user confusion
- Added guidance at critical moments
Information architecture
A coalition this size accumulates content faster than anyone can organize it. We restructured the information around how people actually look for things, not how the organization happened to be filed. The goal was simple: anyone, from a first-time grantee to a seasoned administrator, should be able to find what they need without already knowing where it lives.
Strategic content org
- Restructured terminology into intuitive navigation
- Ensured resources are two clicks away
- Built framework for 40% network growth
Workflow optimization
- Reduced processing time from 55 to 10 hours
- Visualized logic trees to prevent dead ends
- Connected submission to administrative review
Visual design
Public-sector tools often feel cold, and that coldness quietly tells people the system wasn’t built for them. We developed a visual language that balanced the authority a federal program requires with the warmth its community deserves. Consistency here wasn’t about looking polished. It was about making the platform feel trustworthy and calm under the weight of real work.
Conceptual exploration
- Balanced authority with community focus
- Explored directions for compliance and usability
Prototyping & validation
- Validated assumptions with low-fidelity frames
- Applied WCAG standards early
- Simulated data entry to catch errors
User interface
The last layer was making the system durable. We built a component library and design system so the platform could grow without fragmenting again. Every pattern was documented, checked for accessibility, and handed to the development team ready to use, so the clarity we designed would outlast the launch.
Digital design system
- Built robust grid for all devices
- Defined feedback states to reduce anxiety
- Baked accessibility into design foundation
Scalable component library
- Established single source of truth
- Delivered production-ready specs
- Designed atomic components for expansion
The impact
A scalable platform supporting a growing network of grantees and grants at high weekly request volume. The system gave program administrators their time back, gave grantees confidence in the information they needed, and lifted the operational ceiling for the whole network.