When it comes to the intersection of technology and public service, it’s not just about lines of code or user interfaces. It’s about fundamentally impacting people’s lives for the better. At COREONYX, we are thrilled to share that our collaborative project with the Social Security Administration (SSA) Web Strategy Team has received the distinguished Service to the Citizen Award.
This award honors public servants who excel in delivering services that shape the public’s lives and change the culture within governmental institutions. Katherine Peiffer, SVP of Operations at COREONYX and Executive Owner of the project, highlights its importance: “It is immensely rewarding to see the pioneering efforts of this team acknowledged on such a distinguished platform.”
This accolade underscores the project’s success, which resulted in remarkable performance metrics, reduced operational costs, and an estimated savings of $285 million in front-end processing and infrastructure expenses over five years.
Strategic Overhaul: Crafting a User-Focused SSA.gov
The SSA overhaul of their website, SSA.gov, is a shining example of what’s possible when public service meets innovation. Galina Kalvatcheva, an integral figure in the web design development for the SSA redesign and Content Strategist at COREONYX, elaborates: “Our challenge was to imagine the tool as a task-based interface, designed to intuitively and easily guide individual customers to information most relevant to them.”
Implemented in December 2022, this transformation was not an isolated effort; it followed the guidelines of the President’s Executive Order 12862, which emphasizes the need to improve the federal customer experience.
By adopting a human-centered design approach, emphasizing Federal Plain Language guidelines, and introducing intuitive navigation features, SSA succeeded in flipping the script from a convoluted “clearing house for policy information” to a task-oriented platform. “Nearly two years of research and consolidation, lead to today’s product,” adds Kalvatcheva.
Measurable Impact: Changing Lives, One Click at a Time
The redesigned SSA.gov is more than a website; it is an ecosystem that influences the well-being of millions of Americans. David Polonsky, another key player in the SSA web redesign and Content Strategist at COREONYX elaborated on the team’s decision-making process: “Our ‘North Star’ at all times was the customers’ needs. Guided by the CERTAIN-T™ Methodology, we were able to quickly identify repeating trends and help users facilitate the most pressing tasks like determining their eligibility, applying for benefits, requesting a replacement card, estimating benefit payments, and managing their records.”
Peiffer adds to this, emphasizing the long-term vision, “Through iteration, our CERTAIN-T™ Methodology ensures that subsequent changes to SSA.gov continue to challenge the existing paradigms of how the government interacts with its customers.”
By streamlining processes and enabling easier access to benefits, COREONYX set a new standard in government service design, proving that “best in class” is not just a private-sector accolade. The results are clear: a streamlined, efficient, and agile SSA.gov platform that not only improves customer experience but also reduces the operational burden on SSA field offices.
Charting the Future: Where Innovation Meets Public Service
The Service to the Citizen Award highlights the extraordinary potential when innovative technology and a citizen-centric approach converge. Kalvatcheva, reflecting on the significance of this recognition and the transformative power of the COREONYX approach, adds “…it sets a new standard for what government can achieve. If you’re not transforming, you’re not keeping up.”
For more details about the SSA.gov redesign and how we are reshaping government-citizen interactions, check out our comprehensive case study.
