The Challenge
As VA’s catalog of publicly available APIs grew in both quantity and complexity, its developer portal where customers could access these APIs struggled to scale with it. The site’s structure made it hard to find the right API, the “Lighthouse” brand name lacked clarity, and the self-service onboarding access process created confusion.
VA needed a platform that could scale alongside its ecosystem, strengthen brand authority, and improve adoption.
My Role & Approach
As Design Lead & Manager, I proposed, secured buy-in for, and led a redesign of developer.va.gov, guiding a cross-functional team to reimagine the information architecture (IA), simplify onboarding, and align the site’s branding with VA’s broader ecosystem.
I partnered with the portal's PM to scope the work, then tackled the IA challenge by leading a workshop that asked the team to design for a catalog of 100+ APIs. This set a clear, scalable direction. From there, I supported the designers through hands-on feedback and collaborative sessions, refining the solution through usability testing.
Results & Impact
- Accelerated onboarding by redesigning the signup flow, reducing users’ cognitive load.
- Eliminated brand confusion by renaming the portal from "VA Lighthouse APIs" to "VA Developer," creating an instantly credible and recognizable destination for developers.
- Enabled long-term platform growth with a scalable architecture designed to support an expanding API catalog.