VA Form Builder: A No-Code Tool to Digitize Veteran Forms at Scale

Accessing VA benefits often starts with a form, but paper forms and PDF downloads create significant barriers. Veterans benefit from completing digital forms online because they are more accessible and enable pre-filled data (when authenticated), reducing the need for retyping known information. Online forms offer shorter completion times, lower error rates, and faster processing.

The process of making a paper form available for online completion involves a highly skilled team of engineers, designers, researchers, accessibility specialists, and more. The timeline for digitizing forms is anywhere between 3-9 months. VA needed an efficient, scalable, cost-effective way to digitize its 260+ remaining paper forms and reduce delays that create frustration and distrust in government services.

My role

  • UX lead

Tools used

  • Figma

  • Mural

  • GitHub

  • Slack

  • VA Design System

  • VA Forms Library

Skills applied

  • UX for Internal Tools

  • No-Code Platform Design

  • Inclusive Design & Accessibility

  • Stakeholder Facilitation & DesignOps

Goals

VA Form Builder needed to be a no-code tool to help VA staff quickly create and manage digital forms without needing technical expertise. Our goal was to simplify the process of digitizing over 260 backlogged forms, reduce delays for veterans, and improve the overall experience. Key goals included:

  • Enable faster publishing of forms without custom engineering; VA staff can launch or update a form in days instead of months

  • Embed accessibility and design system compliance into the workflow

  • Reduce governance review effort and error-prone manual processes

  • Empower internal users while preserving veteran trust and usability

  • Veterans experience shorter forms and fewer errors

  • Faster benefit delivery due to less manual processing

  • Complete MVP within 12 months

Process

I co-led the design of this tool, focusing on ease of use, scalability, and accessibility. We relied heavily on review and collaboration with a VA forms accessibility expert and guidance from our product owner.

During this initiative I:

  • Led UX strategy, user flows, and high-fidelity UI design

  • Collaborated closely with engineering and product to shape feasible MVP scope

  • Facilitated weekly working sessions with accessibility and governance SMEs

  • Structured stakeholder demos and feedback loops to guide iteration

  • Documented design decisions, component logic, and handoff workflows for future teams

  • Aligned the interface with VA’s brand, voice, and inclusive design principles

Early sketch from discovery and strategy discussions.

Another early sketch from discovery and strategy discussions.

Result

Design highlights

  • Step-by-Step Form Builder UI: Guides staff through form creation using pre-approved field types and logic

  • Preview-as-you-build Mode: Shows how the form will appear to the veteran, reducing the need for design knowledge

  • Built-in Accessibility & Validation: Reduces the risk of errors by using form components aligned with WCAG and the VA Design System

  • Submission-Ready Output: Generates a governance-reviewable package for approval and publication

  • Findable, Documented Design Decisions: Linked throughout GitHub, Mural, Slack, and sprint tools to support continuity and reuse

Key impact

  • Supported the VA’s service mission by reducing form turnaround time

  • Enabled non-technical staff to participate in digital transformation

  • Embedded accessibility and design compliance from the start

  • Delivered a proof of concept in under 12 months

  • Recognized by VA stakeholders as meeting all performance and design expectations

Reflection

Challenges We Navigated

  • No VA precedent for no-code tools

  • Short MVP timeline (under 12 months)

  • CMS platform limitations and third-party dependencies

  • Complexity in guiding non-designers through flow logic and conditional inputs

  • Limited availability of usability testing opportunities

  • Despite meeting success criteria, funding for continuation was not renewed, so we ensured handoff documentation was future-ready

Wins

This project was a rare opportunity to address systemic digital equity from within a government agency. The most rewarding part was designing a tool that enabled others to scale accessibility and service delivery, even after our work wrapped.

I’m especially proud of the way we:

  • Built strong cross-functional alignment through structured, inclusive working sessions

  • Made complex form logic accessible to non-designers

  • Left behind thorough documentation that ensures continuity for future teams or technologies