Los Angeles County Assessor's Office (LACA)

Public Sector / Government

Transforming a legacy government assessment system


ROLE: UX Research, UX Design and Strategy, Product Design

METHODS: Stakeholder interviews, Contextual inquiry, Workflow analysis, Task analysis, UX research synthesis, Card sorting, Persona development, Journey mapping, Experience mapping, Design workshops, Solution mapping, Priority matrix, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability testing, Iterative design, Design validation

TOOLS: Figma, InVision, Adobe Creative Suite, Miro

TEAM: Oracle NA UX Practice


Business challenge

The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office relied on a legacy General Case Management (GCM) system to manage property assessments and valuations. While mission-critical, the system was slow, fragmented, and heavily dependent on manual and paper-based workflows. Users were required to move between multiple systems (GCM and AMP), manually track work, and re-enter data, resulting in inefficiencies, frustration, and risk of error. The county needed a modernized, scalable solution that improved productivity while supporting strict regulatory and operational constraints.

Key challenges:

  • Manual, paper-driven workflows for time-sensitive assessment work
  • Disconnected systems (GCM + AMP) requiring redundant effort
  • Slow performance and non-intuitive UI
  • Limited automation for assigning, tracking, and reviewing work
  • High cognitive load for assessors and supervisors

My role & leadership

As Experience Design Lead at Oracle Consulting, I owned the end-to-end UX strategy for the LACA modernization initiative. I led discovery research, usability testing, and design validation while partnering closely with product, engineering, and client stakeholders. My role focused on translating complex government workflows into intuitive, efficient digital experiences grounded in real user behavior. Some of my responsibilities included:

  • Led UX research, synthesis, and usability testing
  • Conducted interviews and workflow observations with assessors and supervisors
  • Created personas, journey maps, and opportunity frameworks
  • Directed wireframes and interactive prototypes for multiple roles
  • Collaborated with engineering to ensure technical feasibility

Strategic approach

The project followed a research-driven, iterative approach designed to reduce risk and build confidence in modernization decisions. We began with deep discovery to understand real-world workflows, then moved into prioritization, prototyping, and validation through usability testing. Insights from testing directly informed design refinements and system recommendations, with the following approach:

  • Discovery research and contextual interviews
  • Experience mapping and pain-point prioritization
  • Ideation workshops and solution mapping
  • Role-based prototyping (Assessor, Supervisor, Responsive)
  • Usability testing and iterative refinement

Key Research Insights

Initial research revealed that productivity pressures heavily shaped user behavior. Assessors and supervisors were motivated by speed and output but were slowed by manual processes, fragmented systems, and UI clutter. Many users had adapted to inefficiencies rather than expecting the system to support them, masking deeper usability issues. Some insights collected:

  • Users are highly time-driven and productivity-focused
  • Paper trails remained central to daily workflows
  • Critical tasks could not be completed in GCM alone
  • Supervisors performed many manual tasks that could be automated
  • System slowness and redundancy reduced efficiency and morale



Usability Testing Insights

Usability testing validated that the redesigned experience significantly improved clarity, efficiency, and confidence. Participants responded positively to the cleaner interface, consolidated workflows, and improved visibility into work status. Testing also revealed targeted areas for refinement, such as clearer change indicators and navigation affordances.

Findings:

  • Average usability rating: 4.25 / 5
  • Work Unit features rated 4.5 / 5 for ease of use
  • 100% task completion success across participants
  • Users preferred the consolidated, list-based layouts
  • Supervisors valued visibility into review workload

Key refinements identified:

  • Improve visibility of old vs. new data values
  • Replace dot navigation with clearer directional controls
  • Increase prominence of work unit counters and labels




Key design decisions

Design decisions were grounded in both discovery research and usability testing. The focus was on reducing cognitive load, eliminating redundant steps, and making system status visible at all times. Small UI changes were intentionally prioritized when they delivered outsized gains in speed and clarity:

  • Consolidated fragmented assessment tasks into a single workflow
  • Introduced automation concepts for assignment and tracking
  • Added visual indicators for work status and changes
  • Simplified navigation and removed unused tabs
  • Designed confirmation states for critical actions
  • Optimized layouts for readability and performance




Results and business impact

While the engagement focused on research and design validation, measurable improvements were demonstrated through testing and pilot feedback. The redesigned experience established a strong foundation for county-wide modernization and future automation initiatives.

  • 30% improvement in workflow efficiency through automation and consolidation
  • Faster task completion and reduced navigation friction
  • Improved system satisfaction among pilot users
  • Reduced onboarding effort due to improved learnability
  • Scalable design system validated for future county use

Strategic lessons
The LACA modernization effort reinforced that meaningful efficiency gains in government systems come from deeply understanding real operational workflows rather than layering on new features. Assessors and supervisors had adapted to system limitations over time, masking critical usability issues that only surfaced through direct observation and testing. By prioritizing workflow clarity, consolidation, and visibility into system status, the design team was able to reduce cognitive load and improve speed without increasing complexity.

The project also demonstrated that performance and usability are inseparable in high-volume, time-sensitive environments. Even small delays or unnecessary navigation steps compounded frustration and reduced productivity. Incremental improvements (such as consolidating tabs, clarifying data changes, and surfacing work status) had an outsized impact on user confidence and efficiency. Finally, iterative usability testing proved essential for building trust with stakeholders, validating modernization decisions, and establishing a scalable design foundation that could support future automation and integration across county systems.