U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

User-centered strategy for TANF data reporting

Scaling user research practices and modernizing a data system supporting 800,000 beneficiaries

User-centered procurement Coaching Audience segmentation Stakeholder mapping

Overview

Approximately 800,000 low-income American families receive cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) every month. A $16.5 billion TANF federal block grant provides funding to states, tribes, and territories, who then administer benefits to their low-income residents.

Each quarter, 50 states, 75 tribes, 3 territories, and D.C. have to report the work activities and characteristics of families receiving cash assistance through the TANF Data Reporting System (TDRS).

18F partnered with OFA to prototype and procure a new data reporting system and replace their 20+ year old system. This new portal would upgrade the data reporting experience, improve data quality, and inform better policy and programs to support low-income families that receive TANF.

My research findings and approach directly informed the roadmap and team practices that delivered a more secure, user-centered system

I was the lead user researcher during the assisted acquisition, which means I:

Within three years, OFA deployed a more secure, user-centered system that's actively used by over 85% of users.

I worked closely with a product manager, software engineer, acquisition specialists and our partners at OFA.

Section of a service blueprint detailing how states, tribes, and territories submit data to OFA.
To inform the RFP and lay a user-centered foundation to future work, I interviewed multiple OFA analysts and six grantees with varying processes and resources for submitting data to OFA. I created a service blueprint to map the current process, which identified areas of focus for the upcoming roadmap and key elements of the RFP.

Key contributions

  • Led research to assess the current data upload process and mapped "the last mile" for how data travels move from state, tribal, and territory systems to OFA systems.
  • Set up collaborative research environments with OFA staff to increase comfort and awareness of user research practices ahead of the build.
  • Identified preliminary user types and user stories for the RFP to communicate scope to prospective vendors and model user-centered, agile ways of working.
  • Advised on vendor selection and provided expert review of research plans, design staffing proposals, and vendor responses in interviews.
  • Onboarded vendor design team and collaborated on a vendor kickoff schedule that became a resource for future 18F projects.
  • Presented on market research and iterative design practices for federal IT projects to 300+ federal contracting officers.

Additional resources