Case Study · State Government
CalPERS
Member Portal
Improving the member experience at the nation’s largest public pension fund — serving over two million California public employees with a more intuitive, accessible digital interface.
2M+
MEMBERS SERVED
ADA
ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANT
Largest
US PUBLIC PENSION FUND
CA GOV
STATE GOVERNANCE STANDARDS
Client
California Public Employees’ Retirement System
Sector
Public Finance / State Government
The Challenge
Modernizing the Digital Face of California’s Largest Pension Fund
CalPERS — the California Public Employees’ Retirement System — is the nation’s largest public pension fund, managing retirement benefits for over two million current and former state employees. As a critical public service, the member portal needed to serve an exceptionally diverse user base: state workers ranging from new employees to retirees in their 80s, spanning every agency and department in California.
“When your users span 60 years of age and digital literacy, requirements can’t start with assumptions. They have to start with the user — every workflow, every label, every click path.”
I was brought in to lead requirements analysis and UX design to improve member self-service, increase task completion rates, and ensure full ADA and California accessibility compliance across the platform.
My Approach
Accessibility-First Requirements for a Diverse Member Base
- Member research & requirements elicitation — Worked with CalPERS stakeholders and representative member groups to identify the most-used workflows, map task completion barriers, and document business and functional requirements for the redesign.
- Accessibility requirements documentation — Translated ADA and California accessibility standards into specific functional requirements, ensuring the redesigned interface met WCAG guidelines and served members with varying levels of digital literacy and physical ability.
- User type & workflow analysis — Documented the distinct needs of active employees, retirees, beneficiaries, and employer contacts — creating clear workflow paths that surfaced the right information without overwhelming the interface.
- Interface design & prototype validation — Designed an accessible, task-based interface tested with representative members, iterating based on usability findings before development handoff.
- CA state governance alignment — Ensured all deliverables aligned with California state digital governance standards and procurement requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
Key Deliverables
What I Produced
- Business and functional requirements for member self-service workflows
- ADA and WCAG accessibility requirements documentation
- User type definitions and workflow mapping for four member groups
- Redesigned information architecture and navigation model
- Wireframes, interaction specifications, and validated prototypes
- California state governance compliance documentation