Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Unemployment Insurance Equity Grant Project
Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a critical benefit that provides temporary assistance to people who have lost their job through no fault of their own. However, research has shown that some groups of workers have historically faced barriers to accessing UI benefits for which they are likely eligible. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted these challenges.
A key part of addressing access barriers is making sure that claimants know what they need to do to access and maintain eligibility for benefits. Unclear communications can make the claims process burdensome for claimants and inefficient for UI systems.
To support the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) in implementing its UI Equity Grant, and in collaboration with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) Center for Employment Security Education and Research, AIR executed the following:
- Assessed how well UI customers understand UI benefits-related communications;
- Identified behavioral barriers to acting on the communications; and
- Redesigned over 100 UI benefits-related communications materials by incorporating plain language, behavioral insights, and human-centered design principles.
AIR conducted discovery research to understand the existing UI claimant journey and identify pain points and opportunities for improvement. We met with frontline staff, claimants, and representatives from community groups to learn about the challenges that claimants experience with their UI claims and common points of confusion or misunderstanding when interacting with the UI system. Additionally, we conducted a rapid literature scan and administrative data analysis to contextualize what we heard.
Alongside the discovery research, AIR conducted a behavioral review of the existing UI communication materials to observe their current state and prepare for the revision process. We then redesigned the materials by applying plain language, behavioral insights, and human-centered design principles. AIR also conducted user testing on a subset of the materials with representatives from community groups to assess whether the redesigned materials sufficiently addressed common pain points across claimants. Based on findings from the user testing, AIR made further revisions to the materials.
Project Outcome
By collaborating with NASWA and ODJFS throughout this project, AIR was able to deliver to the state a redesigned set of materials that are easier for UI claimants to read, understand, and act on. Centering the experiences of claimants and those who support them is important for communicating information in a way that best supports claimants’ understanding, alleviates confusion, and encourages behaviors that could reduce errors and delays in receiving benefits.
