Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (BAUASI)
Simplifying Systems. Strengthening Security.
A unified platform built to streamline training, improve workflows, and protect critical funding for Bay Area security efforts.
Project Overview
Every year, the Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (BAUASI) trains over 30,000 responders to handle the region’s biggest threats — from terrorist attacks to natural disasters.
But outdated systems made it hard to track participants, prove program success, and protect critical funding.
This project reimagined BAUASI’s training experience, creating a smarter, centralized platform to simplify operations and strengthen the region’s security.
My Role
Led UX research and product design to uncover user pain points, streamline workflows, and shape the product vision.
Collaborated with stakeholders, mapped user stories & flows, and ensured the solution met real needs, from registration to certification.
Tools
The Problem
BAUASI relied on fragmented, outdated systems to deliver and track training. This led to a poor user experience, internal inefficiencies, and unreliable reporting—putting the organization’s ability to secure future funding in jeopardy.
The Opportunity
Design a centralized platform that simplifies the training journey, streamlines internal workflows, and strengthens reporting, improving the experience for all users while protecting future funding.
The Solution
We developed a new BAUASI Portal integrated seamlessly with the main BAUASI website, transforming the training experience — from registration to certification.
The solution streamlines processes for BAUASI members, instructors, and managers by simplifying course registration, improving communication, and enhancing progress tracking.
See key features and screens below!
Key Screens & Feature Highlights
A Personalized Experience for BAUASI Members
Personalized Profiles: Members create profiles that tailor course recommendations based on their role, qualifications, and training history.
Customized Dashboard: Once registered, members access a one-stop hub for course details, schedules, and progress tracking.
Clear Communication: No more scattered emails — members have everything they need in one place and can easily track their progress and next steps.
Visibility and Insights for BAUASI Managers
Real-time Reporting: Managers can track registrations, course completions, and program success through detailed reporting tools.
Data-driven Decisions: With real-time insights, managers can confidently request funding for successful courses, ensuring the continuation of critical training programs.
Empowering Instructors with Better Tools
Class Management: Instructors can easily view class rosters, track attendance, and monitor participant progress.
Completion Tracking: Instructors can ensure participants meet training requirements, helping with career advancement and organizational accountability.
The Impact
With the launch scheduled for this summer, the new platform is set to streamline operations, improve participant engagement, and safeguard critical funding through more complete reporting.
Post-launch, key metrics such as course completion rates, administrative time saved, and the ability to secure additional funding will be tracked to assess the platform’s long-term impact. Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with stakeholders excited about the improvements ahead —>
“The new portal is a huge leap forward. It’s not just simplifying our internal processes, but it’s also making the entire training experience more user-friendly and efficient. This is exactly what we’ve needed to keep up with the growing demands of our program and ensure that everyone has the tools to succeed.”
“This portal is a game changer for how we operate. For the first time, we have a centralized, intuitive system that brings clarity to complex processes.”
The Process
A high-level look at the process. Want the full breakdown? Keep scrolling.
Industry Research
Stakeholder Interviews
User Interviews
Competitive Analysis
Affinity Mapping
User Personas
User Flows & Stories
Card Sorting Exercises
Information Architecture
Wireframes & Protoypes
Stakeholder Meetings
UX/UI Design
Visual Design
Content Design
Collaboration with Developers
Usability Testing
Transparent Setback Analysis
UX/UI Improvements
Research & Discovery
Industry Analysis
Exploring BAUASI’s Structure and Homeland Security Landscape
I began by exploring research articles and government resources to understand the broader landscape of homeland security training requirements and federal grant funding regulations. This helped me identify a major challenge:
“92% of U.S. Homeland Security grant recipients face challenges tracking participant data for reporting requirements.”
Key Insight: No data, no dollars! Without a reliable way to track who’s being trained, BAUASI could risk losing vital DHS funding — putting critical training (and public safety) on the line.
Current Platform Evaluation
Overview of Existing BAUASI Training and Exercise Site (BATEP.org)
Before diving into design improvements, we conducted a UX audit of the current BAUASI platform to identify usability issues and friction points.
Dashboard (Screenshot)
❌ Lacks clear entry points for new users
❌ Overwhelming amount of text with no visual hierarchy
✅ Some key resources are available, but hard to find
Course Registration Page (Screenshot)
❌ No confirmation message after form submission
❌ Manually updated spreadsheet links—high chance for error
Communication & Notifications (Email Example)
❌ Users rely on email chains to receive updates
❌ No centralized notifications area
Key Insight: The current BATEP site feels pretty outdated and isn’t very interactive. It doesn’t give users a clear or personalized experience, which makes even simple tasks—like registering for a training—harder than they need to be. There’s no way to track progress or get updates easily, and that ends up creating a lot of inefficiency for both users and admins.
Stakeholder Interviews
Listening to Stakeholders: Understanding BAUASI’s Core Challenges
To gain deeper insights, I conducted stakeholder interviews, organization process mapping, and an overall system analysis to uncover the organization's internal struggles. I was able to speak to the Head of Program Management, a training instructor, and the General Manager for the BAUASI. In speaking to them, a key finding emerged:
Screenshot of the Excel document Managers and Instructors use to track courses currently.
UASI instructors and managers were spending an overwhelming amount of time manually managing course registrations, tracking progress, and reporting training completions.
Key Insight: The messy and outdated system made life harder for staff and messed with reporting — which meant funding could slip through the cracks, putting key training programs in jeopardy.
User Interviews
Hearing Directly from Users: Understanding Pain Points & Frustrations with the Current System
Conversations with UASI members, managers, and instructors revealed just how frustrating the system had become:
"The training system is a nightmare. I never know if I’m registered for a course until the day of, and even then, I can’t find all the details in one place. It’s really frustrating trying to get the information I need, especially when it affects my job performance."
"Managing the training process is incredibly time-consuming. We’re relying on spreadsheets to track attendance and course completion, which is both inefficient and prone to errors. If the system doesn’t change, we risk not being able to properly report and secure the funding we need to keep this training going."
"The current training system is a constant headache. As an instructor, I’m often left in the dark about who’s registered and when courses are happening. It’s frustrating not having all the details in one place. On the administrative side, managing everything through spreadsheets is a nightmare. It’s time-consuming, error-prone, and puts our funding at risk. If this doesn’t change, we’re in danger of losing the support we need to keep training effective."
Key Insight: The current training system is not just inefficient — it actively undermines job performance, operational efficiency, and funding stability across all levels of the organization.
This exercise was super helpful for the next steps in the UX process — it gave us a clear picture of what each user was struggling with and how we could start solving for those pain points.
Affinity Mapping
We began by organizing all the insights gathered from our research through an affinity mapping exercise.
This process helped us identify common themes, core problems, and potential solutions for each user group.
Main Insight Leading into the UX Process: As we mapped out everything we learned from the research, one big challenge kept coming up: BAUASI needed a centralized, streamlined system to make things easier — from signing up for courses to staying on top of training and communication.
It wasn’t just about fixing clunky processes. Users wanted something that helped them stay organized and confident they were meeting their goals. That insight became the core of the new portal’s design, shaping every feature to better support the people who rely on it every day.
UX Process
User Personas
Building User Personas to Better Understand the User and How They Will Interact with the System.
To design a platform that truly met the needs of BAUASI's community, we needed to deeply understand the people who would rely on it every day.
User Role Mapping
Clarifying Responsibilities, Defining Access Levels, and Laying the Foundation for Flows and Dashboard Architecture
To build an effective system for a wide range of users, we began by mapping out user roles based on their responsibilities, goals, and access needs. This helped us clarify who needed what — and why — across the platform. With clear roles established, we translated those into detailed user flows to outline how each role would interact with the system.
This also informed the creation of user stories, which we handed off to the development team to align backend logic with real user needs.
Note: Each user had multiple interaction paths. This is just a snapshot of one role. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to see more detail!
BAUASI Manager - User Role Mapping
User Flows & Stories
Understanding User’s Responsibilities, Defining User Flows, and Writing Stories for Backend Development Process
To design a seamless experience, I needed to understand all of the users and how they would interact with the system. Each user role had unique responsibilities and goals, which directly influenced the design of their personalized portals. From this, we created user flows to visualize how users would navigate the portal. These insights also laid the groundwork for writing user stories that would guide the backend development process.
Note: Each user had more than one flow, but for simplicity, I’ve included only one example here. Please reach out to see more of this process!
BAUASI Manager - Course Listing Flow
Information Architecture + Site Mapping
Defining Information Architecture and User Access for the BAUASI Portal
By mapping each user's flow and identifying their unique touchpoints, I was able to design an intuitive information architecture for the BAUASI portal.
Each portal experience was tailored to prioritize the most essential information and tasks for that role — ensuring clarity, efficiency, and improved outcomes across the entire system.
Note: We designed a site map outlining what each user sees after logging in. To keep things streamlined, I’ve included just one example in this case study. Please reach out to see more of this process!
BAUASI Manager - Dashboard Site Map
High Fidelity Wireframe & Prototypes
Before jumping into high-fidelity prototypes, here’s a peek at the organized chaos that came before the calm.
This phase was filled with notes and considerations around complex user flows, since each dashboard had its own set of interactions. The challenge was keeping everything structured and easy to follow—while also building a clear narrative to guide the client through the prototype.
My project manager and I collaborated closely, using comments to stay aligned throughout the process.In this phase, I translated the information architecture and user flows into high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes, ensuring that every design element was visually refined and functional. This allowed stakeholders to interact with a realistic version of the portal, providing valuable feedback and ensuring the design aligned with user needs before moving into development. By using prototypes, we could quickly validate design decisions, optimize user interactions, and ensure a seamless experience in the final product.
High Fidelity Wireframe & Prototypes
Transforming Concepts into High-Fidelity Wireframes and Prototypes
In this phase, I translated the information architecture and user flows into high-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes, ensuring that every design element was visually refined and functional. This allowed stakeholders to interact with a realistic version of the portal, providing valuable feedback and ensuring the design aligned with user needs before moving into development. By using prototypes, we could quickly validate design decisions, optimize user interactions, and ensure a seamless experience in the final product.
Design & Build
The Final Product
Working with the UI Designer to Bring Wireframes to Life and Present to the BAUASI Stakeholders in Weekly Meetings to Get Feedback
As we began designing the product, I collaborated closely with the creative director and UI designer to establish a cohesive brand and visual style for the Portal, ensuring it seamlessly integrated with the previously redesigned website. Throughout this phase, we held weekly meetings with key UASI stakeholders, who provided real-time feedback that required quick iterations for each sprint.
Snapshot of part of the styleguide we built for the BAUASI portal
Test & Iterate
Transparent Setbacks
Key Improvements from Stakeholder Reviews and User Testing
While our initial designs were visually appealing, user testing uncovered navigation and messaging issues. We paused to re-evaluate the design, making improvements based on direct user feedback. This process reinforced the importance of flexibility and responsiveness in design, ensuring we created a truly user-centered solution.
Navigation Optimization
One of the main issues discovered through user testing was that users struggled to find key information quickly. By simplifying the navigation and reorganizing the content hierarchy, we made it easier for users to access what they needed, improving the overall experience and reducing bounce rates.
Calendar View
Initially, training and exercises were displayed in a simple list format. However, after discussions with the BAUASI team, it became clear that having a calendar view was also essential for understanding the timing and frequency of offerings at a glance. We explored several design options and ultimately landed on a calendar with interactive pop-ups — allowing users to hover over a date to see more details about each training or exercise without overwhelming the interface.
Responsive Design
Mobile traffic is important to UASI, and we needed the site to work seamlessly across all devices. Our design adjustments included optimizing the layout, font sizes, and interactive elements, ensuring that mobile users had the same high-quality experience as desktop users.
New Feature- Adding in Work Groups
Initially, the BRD didn’t include functionality for users to sign up for specific work groups within UASI, but after further discussion, we decided to add this feature. Fortunately, much of the existing UX/UI design could be leveraged, so our focus shifted to defining the process for joining a work group within the BAUASI team and creating a unique flow to support it in the system.
Reflection
The process was both challenging and rewarding, as it required constant iteration and close collaboration with stakeholders to ensure we were addressing real needs.
We moved from research and strategy to design and development, with every phase bringing valuable insights that shaped the final product.
One of the most important lessons I took away from this project was the need for flexibility, design is a dynamic process, and staying adaptable is key to delivering a user-centered solution.
Ultimately, the project reinforced the value of collaboration, feedback, and user testing in creating a product that is not only functional but truly meets the needs of its users.
