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Making it easier for Veterans to ask questions online

Content design, Service design, User research

We redesigned how Veterans ask questions about VA benefits and healthcare, simplifying the submission experience through user research and stakeholder collaboration. We ensured accessibility for assistive technology users and established VA.gov consistency.

Client

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The challenge

In 2024, Veterans submitted 500,000 questions to VA through Ask VA. Getting answers to questions is critical for Veterans to access their benefits and healthcare.

However, Ask VA was originally built as a standalone Microsoft portal with significant usability and accessibility issues, like:

  • Not mobile friendly
  • Failed Section 508 accessibility standards
  • Burdensome contact form with up to 42 fields
  • Complex navigation and routing logic
  • Involves over 50 stakeholders across 18 different business lines

Our approach

User research and stakeholder engagement

  • Conducted user research with Veterans including those using assistive technology
  • Led workshops with 50+ specialists across 18 VA business lines
  • Understood organizational constraints and needs

Human-centered, accessible design

  • Reduced 42-field form by identifying minimum necessary data
  • Applied plain language principles to rewrite form labels and content
  • Created high-fidelity prototypes using VA.gov design system components

Technical integration

  • Created integration diagrams showing frontend to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data flows
  • Minimized impact on existing agent workflows and compatibility with existing systems

Keys to success

Blue Tiger was a key partner in ensuring the success of this effort led by Oddball.

  • Extensive stakeholder collaboration
  • User-validated designs
  • Reusable design patterns
  • Scalable, forward thinking documentation
  • Careful balance between user needs and internal constraints

“Veterans can now submit support questions to VA through a more accessible, usable, and integrated experience. This is one small step for Ask VA, one giant leap for Veteran digital customer support on VA.gov.”
— Government Partner

Results and impact

In 2025, Ask VA launched on VA.gov, with significant improvements to the user experience, security and reliability, and accessibility.

  • Designed for mobile and meeting VA.gov design standards
  • Accessible to Veterans who use assistive technology
  • Simplified form structure, reducing burden while collecting necessary data
  • Improved comprehension and trust through plain language
  • Laid the groundwork for future enhancements like automation