Context: Nearly 10% of US adults deal with identity theft each year. Cases range from common credit card misuse to incredibly complex and costly fraud. The FTC receives over a million identity theft reports each year.

The Challenge: Reimagine the federal messaging and approach to assisting identity theft victims to better align with their recovery journey.

IdentityTheft.gov was driven by empathy for identity theft victims. Grounded in insights from mixed-method research, my goal was to help people feel less overwhelmed and more confident in their next steps.

I initiated a fresh series of user interviews and gathered data from all of our existing channels, drawing on a wealth of experience within the agency.

Based on this data, I created personas that helped internalize the variety of needs and challenges faced by our user base.

I produced wireframes, front-end design comps and various documentation.

I also collaborated on all aspects of usability testing and QA.

Results:

Prior to launch, only 37% of identity theft reports were submitted online.

After launch, online reports rose to 68% - both saving money and providing better citizen service in the form of more tailored recovery plans.

Honors:

2017 Service to America Medal Honoree (The Sammies) hosted by the Partnership for Public Service, recognizing “the many ways our government is making our country better, safer and stronger.”

Won the 2016 Center for Plain Language Grand ClearMark Award recognizing the highest achievement of “clarity and simplicity.”

Won the 2016 ACT-IAC Impacter Award recognizing “greatest magnitude of innovation results and benefits” among “the brightest minds in government IT problem solving.”