The document analyzes the user experience of Oregon's unemployment application system and identifies several areas for improvement. It finds that the system provides little guidance to users, allows for easy data loss, lacks consistency and clear error messages. This creates undue stress and risk of users not being able to complete the important process of applying for unemployment benefits. The analysis recommends frontloading key information, adding the ability to save progress, using consistent design, providing in-context help and fixing issues that cause data loss and errors.

1. Daveena Tauber Ph.D.
Oregon Unemployment Application
Heuristic Analysis

2. Need Statement
As of March 2020, applying for unemployment became a user experience
shared by millions of Americans.
In some situations, users may find themselves struggling with outdated
and unclear UIs that impose undue burden during this high-stakes task.
This case study from Oregon is a case in point.
State governments should incorporate UX research to make sure that
critical access to benefits are accessible by citizens at all educational and
ability levels. They should present information clearly, reduce cognitive
load, and prevent data loss.

3. System Status Visibility
● No initial mental map of steps involved
● No cues about where the user is in this
long process.
● Conflicting and threatening warnings
about time-outs
● References to specific days of the week
may add to confusion
● Provide a clear mental map of the steps
● Provide temporal orientation
○ How long will the process take?
○ How long do users have before
they are timed out?
● Provide progress bar or other visual
indicator of system status
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

4. Confusing messages about time-outs and order of operations
So is it 10
minutes or 30
minutes?
Why would I
cancel before I’ve
even begun the
application?

5. Confusing messages about days of the week
Sunday of which week?
What if I lost my job
two weeks ago?
What if today is
Friday? Do I call today
or next week?

6. Match Between System and Real World
● Announced as an “online” process, but
there is no signal that a critical step
involves receiving a Customer ID by mail.
What if I don’t have a current address?
● No information in the mailed form about
where to re-engage in the online process
of setting up payment
● Instructions (on where to call for help)
appear without links or phone numbers.
● Orient users to all steps, online and
offline
● Create bridges between online and
offline parts of the process
● Provide links and phone numbers for all
offices and call centers
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

7. Lack of links to real world resources
Here it says to call a local WorkSource office. Below it
says local offices are not handling claims. Are these
the same thing? Do I really need to know this? I’m
confused!

8. User Control and Freedom
● No data is saved until the final
submission, forcing a single high-stakes
session with a high probability of redo
● Use of browser back function will end
the session and lose all data
● Currently a few pages have an edit
ability, but low trust makes this them
risky proposition
● Over use of scare warnings create
anxiety rather than security
● Develop a back-end solution to save
sessions so that users are not in danger
of losing data
● Allow users to return, edit, and review
data
● Create clear ways to navigate in and out
of the application and payment set-up
process
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

9. Little control or freedom
Gah! This process sounds stressful.
What if I make a mistake? Do I have to
start over?

10. Consistency and Standards
● Low consistency in
○ design patterns
○ information hierarchy
○ warning messages
○ headings
● Information not introduced in logical
sequence
● Key terms are not defined
● Use a consistent design pattern that uses
information hierarchy and color to
express importance, reducing reliance
on scare warnings
● Introduce and reinforce information
where the user needs it
● Offer in-context definitions of important
terms
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

11. Use standards such as having buttons become active when ready
Am I really finished? This button
doesn’t give me any clues.

12. Define key terms
What does processed mean? Does that
happen online? Offline? How/will I know
when it’s done?

13. Error Prevention
● System currently presents ample
opportunities for errors that lead to
having to re-enter data
● Active “cancel transaction” and inactive
“continue” button mean users have to
actively overcome the stronger call to
action
● Little in-context help raises risk of error
from users exiting to find help
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR
● Frontload clear information about the
process
● Save session data and allow editing and
review
● Use conventional button design
● Provide in-context help

14. Opportunities for error
This link looks active, so I’m likely
to click it thinking it’s the way
forward!

15. Recognition Rather than Recall
● Users have to remember which centers
can be called for help (confusing
information at the beginning) since links
are not always present
● Users are told not to “go back” except in
a few situation, creating tension between
recall and functionality
● Offer consistent, intuitive functionality so
that users don’t have to remember what
is ok to do and not do in the system
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

16. Need for recall
This info appears before I start the
claim, but not while I’m doing it. I don’t
remember where to go for help. I’m
also likely to have questions during the
process.
This link appears before I
start but not during the
application.

17. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
● Little flexibility in the timeline for
inputting data
● Saving sessions will allow greater
flexibility
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

18. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
● Use of single font size is minimalist but
not aesthetic or functional, resulting in
over-reliance of “scare tactics” rather
than information hierarchy
● Use of multiple patterns for attention
grabbing adds to cognitive burden
● Inconsistent use of background pattern
doesn’t add to visual clarity
● Extreme visual density reduces legibility
● Very small font size and tiny form fields
add to visual strain and reduce
accessibility
● Use information hierarchy to
communicate importance
● Reduce visual density. Where dense text
is necessary, increase white space
● Increase font size and form fields
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

19. Multiple ways of signaling importance creates attention fatigue

20. Dense text adds to cognitive burden
What’s important here? I can’t
tell at a glance.

21. Inconsistent use of background pattern
doesn’t add to visual clarity

22. Recognize and Fix Errors
● Because the form doesn’t save data,
users have few chances to fix errors until
after submission
● Conflicting messages about error
correction result in low system trust
● One error message doesn’t map to
actual form fields, making it difficult to
correct error
● Allow users to review data prior to
submission
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

23. Conflicting messages about error correction create
low system trust
Here I am told I can’t
go back and fix
anything
But these two forms
suggest I can. I’m too
scared of losing all my
data to try these
options.

24. Help Documentation
● Information is not introduced where it’s
needed
● In-context help appears in relation to
seemingly random items, rather than in
relation to high-need items
● Lacks links to help documentation
● Missing links to “real world” help
● Introduce information when and where
it is needed
● Provide in-context help where it is most
needed
● Provide clear and consistent links to help
documentation
● Provide links to “real world” help clear
throughout
OpportunitiesChallenges
POOR

25. In-context help isn’t attached to most important interactions

26. Initial Recommendations
● Provide back-end solution to save sessions once users have
entered their social security number, pin, and security
questions. Forcing a single session may result in high rates
of start-over and possible difficulty accessing benefits.
● Create a clear mental map for users of the entire workflow,
including online and offline components
● Use best practices in information hierarchy to provide clear
information and reduce reliance on “scare warnings”
● Use clear, consistent design patterns to reduce visual and
cognitive burden

27. Initial Recommendations
● Introduce information where it’s needed
● Online and offline components of the process should refer to each
other and set clear expectations of next steps and timelines
● Provide meaningful in-context help to reduce reliance on external
help documentation, as well as providing links to all external
documentation referenced
● Inline error validation should help users fix errors
● Use 508-compliant designs