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The Problem

 

* HARP (HCQIS Access Roles and Profile) is a secure identity management portal provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Creating an account via HARP provides users with a user ID and password that can be used to sign into many CMS applications. It also provides a single location for users to modify their user profile, change their password, update their challenge question, and add and remove two-factor authentication devices.

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A primary focus is to discover the common situations or issues that lead users to seek Help pages, such as technical difficulties or questions when using HARP, and redesign Help pages to provide better user experience on the Help pages. By examining the effectiveness of the newly-designed Contact Help Desk page, we can identify any usability issues or areas of improvement that may hinder users' ability to access the help they need. Additionally, we explore users' preferences and expectations regarding how they want to receive help when facing challenges with HARP, whether it's through self-service Help resources or direct communication channels. 

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Screenshot 2023-06-24 at 1.49_edited.jpg

How to Improve Help Pages
in HARP

# User Research, # Online Survey, # Usability Testing, #Redesign

The Approach

Secondary Research: Conduct comprehensive desk research to identify common user cases or situations that lead users to access the Help pages in HARP

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Help page Redesign: Based on the findings from the desk research, design/update the current Help pages to align with the identified use cases and provide more effective support

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Validation of updated Help Pages: Validate the effectiveness of the newly updated Help pages through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

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Approach
Process
The Process

1. Secondary Research

  •  Identify the most common cases that lead users to get on the Help page in HARP​

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2. Redesign Help Pages

  • Based on findings from the desk research, update the current Help pages to provide more effective  support to HARP users

    • Redesign content structure and UI to enhance overall user experience​

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3. Plan research based on research goals and objectives

  • Define research objectives

  • Define research questions

  • Choose research methodologies

    • Online survey to gather feedback from as many participants as possible​ with the detailed survey questionnaire

    • 1:1 interactive usability testing to understand how the newly updated Contact Help Desk page works in the user context

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4. Conduct quantitative and qualitative research 

  • Online survey

    • 41 participants​

  • 1:1 interactive usability testing with selected participants based on the online survey answers

    • 4 participants

    • Up to 1 hour in remote Zoom meeting

    • Using the production environment for testing

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5. Analyze research data

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6. Document findings report

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7. Readout and create user stories for future enhancements

  • Present and share research findings and log user stories for future enhancements

Outcomes
The Outcomes

  • Findings from the online survey (+18) and usability testing (+15)

    • "Help Desk is the most used to get help."​

    • "Participants tend to ignore the explanatory text below drop-down menus and links"

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  • Recommendations (+10) for UX enhancements to the Help pages in HARP

    • ​"Rework the guiding text to remove unfamiliar terms, and provide more explanatory guides for users."

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  • Created user stories for future implementation

* Due to the NDA restrictions, the final outcomes of this project are confidential and cannot be posted on this website. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about this project.

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