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As a UX designer, my responsibility is to create empathetic and accessible designs that positively impacts the user. To accomplish this mission I need to look at the user as a whole human being. This includes their needs, desires, goals and dislikes however, one commonly overlooked detail of a persona is trauma.  Trauma is a deeply disruptive event that impacts a person’s worldview often affecting their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. It can possibly manifest as persistent stress, anxiety, fear, cognitive difficulties (such as impaired focus or working memory), and even flashbacks. Trauma can range from the anxiety a child experiences at parks after a playground injury to the post-traumatic stress a veteran develops after wartime military service. Regardless of the severity, UX designers should account for potential user traumas.
 

Evolving Persona Development

My experience at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transformed my approach to user persona development. Unlike previous roles that only approached  personas at the surface-level, designing for Veterans and their families required a deeper understanding of their traumas. This was crucial to avoid increasing their stress, especially given the severe disabilities or loss many experienced due to military service.
 

Diverse Traumatic Experiences

To better understand post-war Veterans I began studying that affects that combat can have on a persons mental state as that reintegrated back in the society. My research revealed a new nuance: the reception a Veteran receives upon returning home can be a critical factor in their post-service experience and the level of trauma they carry. For example, the warm welcome given to Veterans of the Korea War and Post 9/11 when they returned home stands in stark comparison to Vietnam War Veterans were often disrespected and treated as traitors to their country. This experience can contribute to added trauma such as increased moral injury, shame and distrust of government agencies. While reemergence in civilian life is difficult for any Veteran, these other traumas can increase this difficulty and lead to homelessness and untreated mental ailments. 
 

When designing for user personas, it's important to recognize that trauma is not exclusive to military service. Many individuals, both within and outside the VA, carry the weight of traumatic experiences that impact their daily lives. These can be the result of personal hardships like divorce, the death of a loved one, or severe financial or medical issues.

For instance, a person who has lost a close family member might struggle to complete medical forms asking for family history. Similarly, a college student with a history of food and housing insecurity could feel increased stress when filling out financial aid forms. Understanding these different sources of trauma is key to creating empathetic and accessible user experiences.

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So how can a UX designer help with a person’s trauma? 

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Return Power to the User

UX designers can give their users a sense of empowerment by allowing them control over their own experience and not forcing them into a rigid process. VA healthcare forms, for example, serve a diverse population including senior citizens who may not be tech-savvy. Instead of a one-size-fits-all digital form, my team worked on creating user experience that offers flexibility and choice. This meant offering  multiple options to submit documents in the format that the user felt most comfortable either online, mailed or faxed and presenting a clear option to contact program staff for help if they needed it. 
 

Empowering the user also means building forms that are not overwhelming and that accommodate a user's need to take breaks or complete the process in multiple sessions. By allowing users to save, edit, and return to their progress, a UX designer can prevent them from feeling helpless or trapped by the system.

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Offer Support

Great UX designs anticipant the user’s needs. This can be thought of anticipating their feelings as well. When I started designing VA healthcare forms, it was crucial to consider the significant percentage of homeless Veterans, as this can be a deeply traumatic experience. For many, simply being asked for a home address can trigger feelings of shame and lead users to abandon a form, losing access to vital benefits.
 

To address this, I worked on the content strategy of the address and contact pages to proactively communicate empathy and support. By acknowledging that it's acceptable to have insecure housing, UX designer can build trust with their users. Based on our research into common mailing solutions for people experiencing homelessness, our team developed a feature that provides pre-filled address options, such as General Delivery or the nearest VA medical center. This will ensuring more Veterans can successfully complete the form and receive the assistance they need.
 

Build back trust 

user interviews with Veterans and their families, I found that many have trust issues that stem from past experiences with VA's bureaucracy. One Veteran I interviewed described the VA's communication as "robotic and forced," expressing a desire for the organization to act more like a personal caretaker. Lengthy processing times and errors in their benefit records have led some to abandon the process entirely feeling helpless and skeptical about VA capabilities and intent. This feeling of powerlessness is especially severe among ex-combat Veterans, whose past trauma has often left them with a deep lack of trust in government agencies.

 

As UX designers, our most powerful tool for rebuilding this trust is positive communication. This means being transparent by explaining why VA needs specific information from the user and what they will do with it. If an error occurs on the form or VA needs more action to be taken adding friendly an helpful communication that clearly directs the user to take proper actions to resolve the errors. Shifting away from a one-way conversation by creating communication touchpoints throughout the user's journey can also earn trust back. Simple actions like sending email confirmations and status updates can assure users that their requests are being handled. Offering an easy way for users to contact a person directly if they have concerns can also help restore a sense of control and build confidence in the organization.

Create a Safe Space

Anxiety, fear, and a misunderstanding of complex systems like VA benefits, healthcare, or finance can be barriers for users seeking help. For some, obtaining these benefits is a way to address past trauma, such as managing debt or finding a mental health provider. The path to getting this help should be simple and not overwhelming or demeaning.
 

My team applied several techniques to reduce anxiety for VA healthcare applicants. The previous application process was complex and documentation-heavy and was loaded with VA and military jargon. We found that breaking down the process and questions into simple, understandable steps greatly reduced feelings of being overwhelmed. We also evaluated the content on the original form and transformed into plain language that non-military family members can understand. By combining this approach with the other methods previously discussed in this article, we created more than just an accessible product; we built a safe space that gives users peace of mind and empowers them to navigate a complex system.

 

Ultimately, while a designer can't heal a person's trauma through UX, they can use a trauma-informed approach to ensure their products do no harm. By being mindful of how each user experience is perceived, we can create experiences that are not only usable and accessible but also deeply empathetic, promote a safe space, foster a sense of control and build trust that can ease a user's journey.