batCAVE
Role
Service
Design Lead
Client
Center of Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS)/
Office of Information Technology (OIT)
​
Industry
Collaboration
Federal Government
6 teams across 2 divisions- IUSG & ISPG
Project Duration
14 months
About the Project
batCAVE is a development and production platform that simplifies and accelerates the deployment of CMS applications to the cloud. It serves as a secure Platform as a Service (PaaS) that reduces the time and effort required to move from an idea to production, allowing Business Owners (BOs) and Application Development Owners (ADOs) to focus on business outcomes rather than administrative, security, and infrastructure tasks.
Solution
Using human-centered design, we developed a seamless onboarding process:
Personalized Guidance: Each user was assigned a dedicated contact to provide tailored support and guide them through the process, reducing the intimidation of a technical environment.
Simplified Onboarding: Complex workflows were distilled into clear, actionable steps, supported by interactive resources and straightforward documentation to empower users at all levels of expertise.
Continuous Feedback Loop: A robust feedback mechanism allowed users to share insights and challenges, enabling iterative updates to refine and adapt the onboarding experience over time.
This approach delivered an onboarding process that simplified complexity, instilled confidence, and continually evolved to meet user needs.
Challenge
The onboarding process for batCAVE presented both technical and human challenges. Users, from seasoned developers to less technical business owners, faced an overwhelming environment with dense technical jargon, convoluted processes, and unclear pathways to get started. These issues often delayed deployment and eroded confidence.
As service designers, our challenge was to craft an intuitive and personalized onboarding experience that made the platform accessible, while creating a system that could adapt and improve through continuous feedback.
This solution was developed using a human-centered design approach, ensuring that the needs and experiences of both customers and internal teams were at the core of every decision.
Each phase was considered a project of it's own.
Using research insights, we created a user-centric onboarding journey map. Cross-functional collaboration ensured the process was intuitive and aligned with technical needs.​