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Simplifying the sign in experience on VA.gov

Content design, User research

We’re helping millions of Veterans navigate a critical security transition on VA.gov, designing a clearer and more accessible sign-in experience as VA moves away from legacy sign-in options.

Client

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The challenge

To meet federal security standards, VA needed to transition 1.5 million Veterans from legacy sign-in options to two modern, secure accounts with multifactor authentication and identity verification. The transition surfaced significant challenges, like:

  • Inconsistent messaging across VA.gov without clear, actionable guidance
  • Identity verification that is time-consuming and error-prone, especially for Veterans with disabilities or lower digital literacy
  • A legacy workaround that added verification to older accounts, creating confusion and technical errors

Our approach

User research and content strategy

  • Conducted usability testing with Veterans and user research with VA staff and volunteers
  • Created an identity verification vocabulary library and applied plain language principles to sign-in messaging and headings
  • Partnered with VA design systems and centralized content teams to develop reusable alert components showing dynamic content based on account verification status

Experience design and prototyping

  • Built user flow diagrams, mapping complex sign-in paths and redirection options
  • Built mobile and desktop prototypes in Figma
  • Created and tested a dynamic interstitial page that identified existing verified accounts and guided Veterans toward Login.gov or ID.me

Strategic problem solving

  • Introduced a dedicated page URL to extend authenticated sessions and reduce timeout errors during identity verification, working with the VA content team to embed a call-to-action (CTA) in related support articles
  • Designed temporary sign-in pages for approved exemptions
  • Developed documentation and troubleshooting guides for contact center staff

Keys to success

Blue Tiger brings user experience and content strategy expertise to this ongoing effort led by Oddball.

  • Extensive stakeholder collaboration across different agencies, teams, and systems
  • Content strategy grounded in user research, not assumptions
  • Reusable, scalable design patterns that will outlast our engagement
  • Documentation and knowledge transfer supporting contact center staff and VA teams

Results and impact

We’re helping VA move towards a simpler, more secure sign-in experience for millions of Veterans across VA.gov.

  • Guided over 115,000 Veterans to switch to a modern account through the interstitial page with a nearly 10% conversion rate
  • Ensured uninterrupted access for Veterans and VA staff with approved exemptions
  • Successfully removed DS Logon sign-in option without reducing the number of Veterans signing in overall
  • Standardized sign-in messaging across VA.gov through reusable alert components
  • Designed sign-in experiences for approved exemptions and edge cases, ensuring no Veteran lost access
  • Successfully transitioned to two secure, government-wide sign-in options