my NDIS app

Industry

Government

Client

NDIA

Service

Product Design

Date

2021-2023

Two-year engagement within a large-scale government app supporting NDIS participants. Worked as part of a cross-functional delivery team alongside multiple designers, developers, and policy stakeholders.

SCOPE

My role at the National Disability Insurance Agency focused on iterative UX/UI refinements within the my NDIS app, contributing to usability testing and improving accessibility across financial and claims-related components. Alongside design contributions, I also worked as a Digital Producer, providing end-to-end visibility across requirements, backlog refinement, stakeholder alignment UAT/BVT testing, and delivery.


This dual perspective strengthened my ability to design within real technical and policy constraints, ensuring solutions were not only user-centred but practical, scalable, and implementation-ready.

CONSTRAINTS

The app serves a diverse user base, including participants with varying cognitive, visual, and motor accessibility needs. All work operated within strict WCAG compliance requirements and government policy constraints.


Design changes were incremental and component-based, ensuring scalability across the wider system. The focus areas below highlight selected examples of this work.

FOCUS AREA 1

BUDGET BREAKDOWN & CATEGORY COMPONENTS

PROBLEM

During usability sessions, participants expressed difficulty:


  • Understanding how much funding remained in each category

  • Interpreting the relationship between Approved, Spent, and Available amounts

  • Navigating expanded budget breakdowns efficiently


Many users relied heavily on the “Available” amount but struggled to visually prioritise it within the hierarchy.

DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS

Refinements focused on improving financial clarity through component hierarchy and accessible interaction states:


  • Increased prominence of “Available” amount using visual hierarchy and spacing

  • Clear separation between Approved, Spent, and Available values

  • Expand/Collapse controls with clear affordance and consistent placement

  • Improved touch targets for expandable categories

  • Consistent spacing to reduce cognitive overload

  • Percentage indicators paired with dollar values for faster scanning

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

  • Ensured sufficient contrast ratios for financial values

  • Maintained predictable expand/collapse behaviour

  • Reduced visual noise in nested category structures

  • Preserved consistent component behaviour across all budget types


These updates improved scannability and reduced cognitive load when reviewing funding breakdowns.

FOCUS AREA 2

CLAIM STATUS & FILTERS

PROBLEM

Participants managing multiple claims reported difficulty:


  • Understanding claim status at a glance

  • Distinguishing between processing and action-required states

  • Filtering large lists of historical claims


Status labels were often overlooked when scanning vertically.

DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS

Refinements focused on component consistency and clarity:


  • Paired icon + label status indicators for improved recognition

  • Standardised placement of claim amount and status across cards

  • Improved contrast and spacing for status visibility

  • Introduced clearly styled filter chips (Timeframe, Status, Payee)

  • Ensured active filter states were visually distinct

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

  • Clear icon semantics to support quick recognition

  • Large tap areas for filter chips

  • Consistent alignment to reduce scanning effort

  • Avoided relying solely on colour to communicate status


These updates improved clarity for users managing multiple transactions.

FOCUS AREA 3

EDIT CLAIM FEATURE

CONTEXT

The Edit Claim feature was introduced in response to repeated participant feedback requesting greater flexibility when managing existing claims. Previously, users were required to recreate or resubmit claims to correct minor errors, creating frustration and unnecessary duplication. Given the financial implications of claims, the new editing capability needed to balance flexibility with clarity and reassurance, ensuring users felt confident making updates without fear of unintended consequences.

PROBLEM

Participant feedback revealed friction around:


  • Understanding what could be edited versus fixed

  • Required vs optional fields

  • Dropdown discoverability

  • Character limits and input expectations

  • Confidence when saving changes


Participants were cautious when modifying financial information and required clear feedback before committing updates.

DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS

Refinements focused on improving clarity, hierarchy, and confidence within the editing flow:


  • Clear visual distinction between editable and non-editable fields

  • Improved field grouping and consistent vertical rhythm

  • Explicit “optional” indicators where relevant

  • Larger, more discoverable dropdown tap targets

  • Clear primary action styling for Save

  • Consistent placement of secondary actions such as Back and Delete

  • Improved spacing to reduce cognitive load during data entry

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

  • High contrast form inputs and labels

  • Predictable input and focus states

  • Clear button hierarchy to avoid accidental actions

  • Reduced reliance on colour alone to communicate meaning

  • Structured layout to support assistive technologies


These updates improved participant confidence when modifying sensitive financial information while maintaining alignment with system-wide design standards.

COLLABORATION

Improvements were delivered within an established design system and governance framework.


I worked collaboratively with:


  • Other designers contributing across the wider app experience

  • Developers implementing component-level updates

  • Accessibility specialists ensuring WCAG compliance and inclusive design

  • Policy and stakeholder teams ensuring compliance alignment


Given the scale of the app, changes were iterative and component-based, designed to scale consistently across the broader claims experience.

OUTCOME

The improvements strengthened clarity and accessibility within key areas of the claims experience while remaining fully aligned with the existing design system and governance constraints of the NDIS platform.


Iterative component updates helped streamline several interaction patterns across the claims workflow, contributing to a ~20% increase in positive feedback within internal app feedback channels and public app store reviews.


The updates also supported fewer user-reported issues related to claim submission steps, helping reduce friction within a critical part of the participant journey.