1. BYO consulting uses design + technology to
help our clients make the world a better place

2. I’m Yasmin. I founded and run BYO.
Areas of Expertise
General Government and Public Policy; Veterans Services; Education; Libraries;
Technology + Governance; Press and Politics; Community Building and Organizing;
Civic Engagement
Capabilities
Research and Strategy Development; User Analysis; Conceptual Product Design;
Social Innovation + Entrepreneurship; Business Development; Process Improvement;
Services Design
Education
MPP, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
B.A in Government, Cornell University
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3. We solve public problems through digital innovation.
BYO was chosen to lead this project because of our strong background in government
technology and our focus on solving public problems through human-centered digital
strategy and design.
We focus on the user.
Working across the government and non-profit sectors, we help our clients leverage social
technology for the greater good by understanding their audiences and crafting impactful
digital strategies, products and services that meet their needs.
We understand government and social change.
We have deep expertise in government and social sectors, and our clients span a variety of
sectors; from arts administration to aerospace, the media to the military, and architectural
design to education reform – we speak our clients language. We understand their
motivations. We feel their challenges. And we take great delight in crafting innovative
solutions that solve their problems in meaningful and engaging ways.
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4. We design strategies and products…
• Digital Technology Product Requirements
• Public Services
• Social Media Engagement
• Training and Curriculum
• Web Development
• Graphic Design
…using human-centered research and design techniques:
• Interviews
• Field Observations
• Focus Groups
• Surveys
• Design Charrettes
• Ideation Sessions and Workshops
• Desktop Studies
• Literature Reviews
• Quantitative // Qualitative Data Analysis
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5. We have some awesome clients and partners:
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6. MA Veteran and Family Portal
Human-Centered Digital Service Design
BYO consulting Case Study
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7. Project Goal: design the requirements for a portal that
improves the online lives of veterans and their families.
Project Sponsors: Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI),
MA Department of Veteran’s Services, and the Homebase
Program
Design Timeline: January – August 2011
Website Launch: May 2012
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8. We use a human-centered model
to design our strategies
We believe that the most effective products and services are those that tap into the needs, desires,
behaviors, and motivations of their intended audience.
However, in the government / social sector, the funding, policy and political ecosystem,
organizational constraints, and project capacities are all important factors to include in the analysis.
What are the
How can we leverage the Eco-System political, policy, managerial
expertise and resources from and legal contexts in which
the organization to support our efforts take place? What
this project? Organizations
is the context within which
What are our funding and we are operating?
sustainability constraints?
Products
How can we ensure that
the project meets our
What do your stakeholders intended organizational
care about? What are their goals while engaging our
People
motivations? How can we audience?
innovate while meeting their
needs?

9. Our design process started with participatory
ideation and ended with focused user input
HOW IT WORKS - We start by collecting data and running ideation sessions with stakeholders to
develop a large solution set. Then we test those potential solutions with our core users through
design charrettes, site visits, and focus groups to refine and select the most meaningful solution.
Project Kick-off
Discovery Discovery:
desktop studies,
user surveys,
and expert
interviews
Refinement
Refinement: design
charrettes, site
visits, focus groups
Design Sign-off Most meaningful solution 8
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10. VA Portal Design Tasks and Timeline:
1. Project Kick-off (Jan)
1.1. Project Management Structure
1.2. Confirm Methodology
1.3. Organizational/Stakeholder Analysis
2. Discovery (Feb – March)
2.1. Inventory of Veterans Websites
2.2. Desktop Study
2.3. Expert Interviews (veteran’s community + gov/tech community)
2.4 User Surveys
3. Refinement (March – June)
3.1. Design Charrette
3.2. Needs Assessment (focus group)
4. Design Sign-off (June – July)
4.1. Development of Final Requirements
Project Kick-off Discovery Refinement Design Sign-off
Jan Fe March Apri May June July
b l 2011 9
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12. There are many resources and supports
available for veterans:
Food, Women’s Issues, Legal Service, Healthcare + Mental
Healthcare, Recreation, Housing, Financial and Tax
Services, Educational
Credits, Employment, Transportation, Faith, MA Dept of Veterans
Services, Veterans Administration, Department of Health and Human
Services, VA Hospitals, etc...
However, the eligibility and application
process can be prohibitively complicated.
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13. “Tell us what we need to know; don’t make
us look through complicated information that
doesn’t apply to us.”
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15. Furthermore, veterans and their family
members use the web, and are used to
the clarity of commercial websites.
They want to be able to get everything
done easily online.
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16. “Zappos knows what I want…why don’t you?
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17. While we can give veterans more clarity,
we are unable to build a transactional
system as an external organization.
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18. Our organizational analysis showed us that we
were limited to working at the 1st and 2nd stages of
development:
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS
1. Presence Simple posting of information
2. Interaction (i.e. “2.0”) Turning words into data
3. Transaction (aspirational goal) Authority over dispensing benefits
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19. Even though younger users reported
that their primary method of obtaining
information about resources is through
other veterans…
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20. “We helped each other in combat, and we help
each other at home.”
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21. …the majority of veterans in
Massachusetts are elderly.
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22. 70000
There are 400k+ veterans in Massachusetts, the majority of
whom are >50
60000
50000
Number of Veterans
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Age of Veteran
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23. The portal will untangle the benefits and services process for
veterans, creating a “TurboTax” for veterans benefits and
services, giving them easy access to the critical information
they need and deserve.
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24. How accessing information about benefits and
services online will change:
FROM: TO:
empty jargon plain english
a generic experience based in static text a personalized online experience that
from pamphlets and websites responds to the unique needs of individuals
point of entry = info about the benefit/service point of entry = information about the veteran
or family member
quantity quality
even though a veteran might only be eligible veterans will only be presented with specific
for a small number of benefits and benefits and services that are relevant to
services, they still have to comb through the them and for which they are eligible
1000s that exist
uncertainty confidence
veterans are unsure if they are eligible for veterans will feel confident that the
the benefits they are interested in recommendations they receive are targeted
and robust
reliance independence
veterans often rely on others to recommend veterans will be able to quickly and simply
services because the benefits research navigate a site and help others do the same
process is exhausting Prepared by BYO consulting LLC 2011
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25. The features.
1 2 3
Input Information: Receive Recommendations: Rate Quality:
Unlike traditional search As the veteran // family member Although veterans expressed an
functions that utilize category or completes the diagnostic interest in working together, they
keyword searches, the Portal will questionnaire, the user will be already use a number of popular
guide users through a diagnostic presented with recommended social networking sites.
process. By asking questions in services along with concrete Accordingly, on our site veterans
simple language about their steps to take to access those will be able to:
current condition, the Portal will benefits. Finally, the user will be 1) leave comments on services
map to all relevant benefits and able to save, print or email the and benefits
services for which they are list and associated 2) “like” a benefit or service.
eligible, leaving out those which documentation. These ratings will be visible to all
are irrelevant for the user. users of the site, giving them the
opportunity to help their peers
without developing yet another
social networking site.
The Portal be based on a new database of Federal and Massachusetts veterans’ programs
and benefits, communicated through a simple and intuitive user interface, effortlessly
guiding veterans to the specific information they need and deserve.
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26. The features.
1 2 3
Input Information: Receive Recommendations: Rate Quality:
Unlike traditional search As the veteran // family member Although veterans expressed an
functions that utilize category or completes the diagnostic interest in working together, they
keyword searches, the Portal will questionnaire, the user will be already use a number of popular
guide users through a diagnostic presented with recommended social networking sites.
process. By asking questions in services along with concrete Accordingly, on our site veterans
simple language about their steps to take to access those will be able to:
current condition, the Portal will benefits. Finally, the user will be 1) leave comments on services
map to all relevant benefits and able to save, print or email the and benefits
services for which they are list and associated 2) “like” a benefit or service.
eligible, leaving out those which documentation. These ratings will be visible to all
are irrelevant for the user. users of the site, giving them the
opportunity to help their peers
without developing yet another
social networking site.
The Portal be based on a new database of Federal and Massachusetts veterans’ programs
and benefits, communicated through a simple and intuitive user interface, effortlessly
guiding veterans to the specific information they need and deserve.
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27. The features.
1 2 3
Input Information: Receive Recommendations: Rate Quality:
Unlike traditional search As the veteran // family member Although veterans expressed an
functions that utilize category or completes the diagnostic interest in working together, they
keyword searches, the Portal will questionnaire, the user will be already use a number of popular
guide users through a diagnostic presented with recommended social networking sites.
process. By asking questions in services along with concrete Accordingly, on our site veterans
simple language about their steps to take to access those will be able to:
current condition, the Portal will benefits. Finally, the user will be 1) leave comments on services
map to all relevant benefits and able to save, print or email the and benefits
services for which they are list and associated 2) “like” a benefit or service.
eligible, leaving out those which documentation. These ratings will be visible to all
are irrelevant for the user. users of the site, giving them the
opportunity to help their peers
without developing yet another
social networking site.
The Portal be based on a new database of Federal and Massachusetts veterans’ programs
and benefits, communicated through a simple and intuitive user interface, effortlessly
guiding veterans to the specific information they need and deserve.
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28. The features.
1 2 3
Input Information: Receive Recommendations: Rate Quality:
Unlike traditional search As the veteran // family member Although veterans expressed an
functions that utilize category or completes the diagnostic interest in working together, they
keyword searches, the Portal will questionnaire, the user will be already use a number of popular
guide users through a diagnostic presented with recommended social networking sites.
process. By asking questions in services along with concrete Accordingly, on our site veterans
simple language about their steps to take to access those will be able to:
current condition, the Portal will benefits. Finally, the user will be 1) leave comments on services
map to all relevant benefits and able to save, print or email the and benefits
services for which they are list and associated 2) “like” a benefit or service.
eligible, leaving out those which documentation. These ratings will be visible to all
are irrelevant for the user. users of the site, giving them the
opportunity to help their peers
without developing yet another
social networking site.
The Portal be based on a new database of Federal and Massachusetts veterans’ programs
and benefits, communicated through a simple and intuitive user interface, effortlessly
guiding veterans to the specific information they need and deserve.
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29. What we got rid of.
• Include social elements, including but not limited to photo and
video sharing, social
networking, commenting, rating, tagging, forums, etc.
• Calendar functions.
• Community announcements.
• Connect with external social networking sites
(facebook, twitter, etc).
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