Benefactor SSD Application Tool
A UX Evaluation of Benefactor, a SSD Application Tool
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Social Security Disability (SSD) programs provide critical benefits to 10.5 million disabled Americans and their families. Applicants who qualify for benefits must first apply, but the application process is complex, confusing, and time consuming, particularly for a population facing significant barriers. Moreover, in Alaska, if an initial application is not approved, the chances of approval for an appeal are much lower.
To address this concern, Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) created Benefactor, a new digital tool that helps guide case managers, social workers, and community navigators through the SSD application process to help them create high-quality applications for their clients that get approved the first time. ALSC developed an early version of the tool and then partnered with UX4Justice to improve the usability of Benefator before conducting a pilot with navigators in Alaska.
In Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, UX4Justice collaborated with system actors and community members in Alaska to conduct a user experience (UX) evaluation and discovery. The UX evaluation identified actionable opportunities for improving the usability of Benefactor, and the UX discovery built a human-centered roadmap for future product development, legal empowerment, and market growth.
View Project Brief: Benefactor User Experience (UX) Evaluation and Roadmap
Read Reports: Benefactor Phase I Report and Benefactor Phase II Final Report
UX4Justice Student Leadership Team Takes Home Best in Digital Health Award for Benefactor
The UX4Justice Student Leadership team won the Best in Digital Health Award at Bench to Bedside, Utah's top health care innovation competition. The UX4Justice team presented their work on Benefactor, a digital tool designed to help navigators and their clients submit high-quality, comprehensive applications for Social Security Disability benefits that are more likely to get approved the first time around, getting Americans the benefits they need and qualify for more quickly and easily. The team won a $5,000 award to advance Benefactor’s continued development.
From left: University of Utah MBA student Michelle Shuman, UX4Justice Director Sarah Mauet, University of Utah MBA student Sophie Schwabacher, University of Arizona Law Student Amber Shepard and University of Utah MBA student Troy McIntire.