CMS – Identity Management Modernization

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Identity Management (IDM) platform is the gateway for thousands of external partners and vendors. Due to fragmented development initiatives, over time, the interface and processes to manage roles and onboard new vendors became confusing, dated, and difficult for both CMS staff and partner organizations to navigate.

As UX Design Lead, I guided a full redesign through a human-centered design process. The goal was to simplify onboarding, improve usability, and align the experience with modern federal standards like USWDS and Section 508.

The existing system created friction at every step:

• Long and unclear registration workflows.
• Duplicate or missing information fields.
• Limited visibility into request status.
• Inconsistent interface patterns across pages.
• Accessibility issues that blocked some users entirely

The result was frustration for both partners and CMS staff, leading to support backlogs and wasted time.

We began with stakeholder interviews and user sessions that mapped pain points across multiple roles—vendors, CMS administrators, and access approvers.

Using those insights, we restructured the entire onboarding experience. The redesign prioritized clarity and predictability over aesthetic overhaul. Each step focused on making sure users knew what to expect, what information they needed, and where they stood in the process.

We prototyped multiple task flows and tested them with real users, refining layout, language, and logic based on feedback. The final design matched USWDS components and met Section 508 compliance standards.

Collaboration was key. We held weekly working sessions with developers, product owners, and security stakeholders to ensure technical feasibility and compliance alignment as we went.

• Streamlined registration and approval flows reduced completion time for new accounts.
• Standardized interface patterns and improved consistency across applications.
• Accessibility compliance ensured full keyboard and screen-reader support.
• CMS staff gained clearer visibility into approval queues, reducing duplicate requests and help desk volume.

Human-Centered Design (HCD) · Design Systems (USWDS) · Accessibility & Section 508 Compliance · Prototyping & Usability Testing · Cross-Functional Collaboration · Agile Product Development · Workshop Facilitation

The CMS IDM project reminded me that great UX often means simplifying what already exists, not reinventing it. By bringing users and technical teams together early, we reduced complexity and built trust. The new experience feels not only more modern, but also more transparent and respectful of users’ time.