User Experience Design to Synchronize Government Acquisition Strategy and Schedule

Abstract

The government acquisition process requires a significant amount of research and planning due to its inherent complexities and interdependencies. In particular, in creating a request for proposals (RFP), contract specialists must manage a multitude of tasks and deadlines. The current tools fail to appropriately support their workflow. To create a tool to help better synchronize project planning, we followed an iterative process in designing a novel user experience for use on mobile devices. The design incorporates the three primary phases in generating an RFP, i.e., market research, requirements development, and acquisition strategy and planning. The final design supports a) the retrospective review of project status at high- and low-levels of detail, b) the promotion of personal achievement through goal setting, c) a high level of customizability with numerous filtering options, and d) gamification to engage and guide users. Data visualization indicators were devised to distinguish the completion status of tasks, person-specific goals, interdependencies between actions, and the task completion timeline. Prototype usability walkthroughs with contract specialists evaluated the effectiveness of these design elements.