Pathfinder
Role
Designer/UX Research
Service
UI/UX
Deliverables
Mobile app
Overview
PathFinder is a mobile app designed to improve communication within the VR&E (Veteran Readiness & Employment) program. Veterans often rely on email to contact counselors, which can lead to long delays, missed updates, and uncertainty about their case status.
This project focuses on creating a more transparent and structured communication system that allows veterans to track their progress and stay informed without increasing counselor workload.
Problem
Why is this problem worth solving?
Veterans using the VR&E (Veteran Readiness & Employment) program often struggle with inconsistent communication and limited visibility into their case status. Because most communication relies on email, long periods of silence can lead to missed updates and uncertainty around important steps like tuition approval or program progress.
This lack of transparency creates stress and makes it difficult for veterans to plan their education and future. As a veteran who has been part of this program, I experienced this firsthand. Communication was initially consistent but eventually stopped for months, leaving me without clarity on important documents and next steps.
Goal
The goal I want to achieve
Design a system that brings clarity and transparency to the VR&E process by giving veterans clear visibility into their case and structured communication with counselors. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and stress while maintaining an efficient workflow for both users and counselors.
Research
Research methods
To better understand the challenges within the VR&E program, I explored a mix of real user experiences, research articles, and UX principles focused on communication and anxiety. This helped ground the project in both lived experiences and research-backed insights
Key Findings
Through my research and competitor analysis, I found that while tools like the VA benefits app and e-VA provide basic functionality such as checking claim status and uploading documents, they are not tailored specifically to the VR&E experience. These platforms focus more on general claims and passive updates rather than providing structured communication or clear case visibility. This creates a disconnect for veterans, who need more personalized guidance and reassurance throughout their process. The lack of a dedicated system for VR&E highlights a gap in transparency, making it difficult for users to fully understand their progress and next steps.
Audience Interview
Insights from user interviews revealed that the biggest frustration wasn’t the wait time, but the lack of clarity throughout the process. Users expressed that not knowing what’s happening with their case creates anxiety and leads to repeated follow-ups. Communication through email feels unorganized and difficult to track, making it harder for veterans to stay informed and plan their next steps.
User Personas
Background
Marcus served 6 years in the military and is now pursuing a college degree through the VR&E program while working part-time to support his family. Recently, he has been unable to reach his counselor and hasn’t received responses to important questions about his case, leaving him uncertain about his tuition and next steps.
Age : 32
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Status: Veteran, enrolled in college using VR&E (Veteran Readiness & Employment)
Occupation: Part-time warehouse worker
Marcus Rivera
Current Situation:Unable to reach his assigned VR&E counselor and not receiving responses to important questions about tuition approval and program status
Goals and Challenges
Dependency on program for financial and academic stability
Limited control over process and response time
Would like to receive confirmations of what has been done
Focus on school without constant stress about benefits
What I got out of my reseach
Through my research, I found that the core issue wasn’t speed, but clarity. Users needed visibility into their case and reassurance that progress was being made, which became the foundation for the design.
Define
Defining the process
To guide the design, I reframed the problem into a focused design challenge. This helped align the solution around clarity, transparency, and user needs.
How might we?
How might we create a transparent communication system
within Veterans Rediness And Employment program that
reduces uncertainty without increasing counselor workload?
This flow diagram outlines the overall structure of the PathFinder app, showing how users navigate between key features like case tracking, communication, appointments, and document management. The system is designed around a central dashboard, allowing users to easily complete tasks and return to a familiar starting point.
Ideate
Using insight to create concrete designs
I explored early ideas through sketches, focusing on how to organize case information, communication, and scheduling in a simple and accessible way. These concepts helped shape the overall structure of the app.
Prototype
Prototyping my designs
The design evolved from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity screens, improving clarity and usability at each stage. The home screen became the central hub, allowing users to quickly access important information.
The counselor communication portal centralizes all interactions between the veteran and their counselor in one place. Instead of relying on scattered email threads, users can send messages, schedule calls, and share documents within a structured system, creating a clearer and more reliable communication experience.
The document submission flow guides users through uploading and completing required documents in a clear, step-by-step process. By breaking it into simple stages like adding files, notes, and signatures, the experience reduces confusion and helps users confidently complete submissions.
Final designs
The final design brings together case tracking, communication, scheduling, and document management into one centralized system. By organizing everything into a clear and structured experience, PathFinder reduces uncertainty and helps users stay informed throughout their VR&E process.
What I learned
My next steps
This project showed me how important clarity and communication are in UX design. Even when systems function properly, a lack of transparency can create stress and frustration for users.
Moving forward, I would continue refining the experience through additional user testing and improving communication flows. Expanding features like real-time updates and counselor-side tools would help make the system more effective