Delaware Industrial Affairs

Enterprise Government UX · Workflow & Information Architecture

Role: Lead UX Designer
Client: Tapp Network · State of Delaware (Division of
Industrial Affairs)

The Division of Industrial Affairs (IA) is responsible for enforcing labor laws and protecting workers across Delaware, particularly vulnerable populations.
The platform needed to serve multiple audiences—employees, employers,
and community organizations—while navigating high-stakes, compliance-driven workflows.

Primary challenge:
Making complex government services understandable, approachable, and safe to access without overwhelming or intimidating users.

The Problem

Users often:

  • Didn’t know which IA office applied to their situation

  • Were hesitant to reach out due to fear of retaliation or legal complexity

  • Faced dense, policy-driven content that didn’t match real-world mental models

The existing experience prioritized organizational structure over user intent, making it harder for people to find help quickly.

Constraints

  • Regulatory and policy accuracy required

  • Multiple IA offices with distinct responsibilities

  • Highly sensitive user scenarios (wages, discrimination, safety, immigration concerns)

  • Accessibility and clarity were non-negotiable

  • Content needed to work for both employees and employers

My Role & Approach

I led UX end-to-end, partnering with stakeholders to translate policy and enforcement processes into a clear, human-centered information architecture.

Instead of starting with UI, I focused on:

  • Clarifying user intent (“What problem am I trying to solve?”)

  • Mapping services to real-world scenarios

  • Reducing cognitive load through progressive disclosure

  • Designing clear pathways to action without legal intimidation

UX Challenges

The visuals below show the old platform and its clear challenges. Our user research showed:

  • Users needed shorter more focused sections

  • Clear hierarchy

  • Distinct user intent and easy to understand differentiation

  • Simple step-by-step process

The image on the left is the old hi-fi wireframe, and the image on the right shows the wireframe and the challenges we observed:

Solution

Information Architecture & Flow

The platform is structured around user needs first, not internal departments:

Platform Redesign

  • Clear CTA’s in the hero

  • Audience separation for quick identification

  • Simple, straightforward value proposition that is understandable

  • Two columns with side by side comparison and less scrolling

  • Clear, numbered steps that are easy to follow

    Below is a visual of the new hi-fi platform design on the left, and the wireframe updates on the right:

Outcomes & Impact

  • Improved clarity around which IA office handles specific issues

  • Reduced friction for users seeking help in sensitive situations

  • Stronger stakeholder alignment around user-centered service delivery

Key UX decisions:

  • A service-driven landing page with clear CTAs (“View All Resources”)

  • Office sections framed with real examples, not abstract descriptions

  • A centralized contact flow that routes users correctly without requiring prior knowledge

  • Resources segmented for employees, employers, and community groups

Key Takeaway

Designing for government services requires balancing clarity, empathy, and compliance. This project reinforced the importance of grounding enterprise UX in real human scenarios—especially when users are navigating risk, fear,
or uncertainty.

Before

  • Services were disorganized and policy language confused users, leading to low completion rate

  • Users needed prior knowledge of government structures to determine where to start

  • Dense content increased cognitive load and hesitation, especially for first-time users

  • Unclear pathways led to confusion and drop-off in high-stakes scenarios

After

  • Services are framed around real-world user needs and scenarios, not just internal office structure

  • Clear examples help users quickly self-identify the correct service and next step

  • Simplified language and hierarchy reduce cognitive load and decision fatigue

  • Focused buttons and calls to action guide users confidently toward assistance without requiring prior expertise

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