California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Overview #

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) aimed to modernize its parole system, requiring a comprehensive design system to streamline engineering workflows while enhancing transparency and fairness.

Given the high-stakes environment, they also needed to embed human-centered design practices throughout the organization.

Approach #

My approach integrated human-centered design deeply into CDCR’s processes. Every decision was:

• Anchored in user insights
• Ensured solutions minimized harm
• Were empathetically driven
• Met genuine user needs.

Extensive user research, iterative testing, and rapid prototyping were fundamental to our success, enabling informed and effective outcomes.

Design system #

I developed a multiplatform design system supporting Vuetify and PrimeVue frameworks, significantly simplifying implementation for engineering teams while maintaining visual and functional consistency across platforms. This eliminated friction between design and engineering, enabling teams to focus on solution effectiveness rather than technical discrepancies.

Effective collaboration between engineers and designers was central. By establishing clear communication and fostering cross-functional understanding, we accelerated product launches dramatically—from timelines measured in years down to weeks. This success was a collaborative achievement, with CDCR’s capable team adapting to workflows optimized for speed and precision.

Human-centered design training #

In parallel with building the design system, I created comprehensive training programs covering human-centered design methodologies, user interviews, prototyping, and testing.

This training empowered CDCR teams to conduct independent user research, quickly validate hypotheses, and iterate effectively. The programs offered both self-guided and instructor-led formats, each personally developed by me, featuring tailored coaching and live collaborative sessions.

Results #

• Increased Engineering Efficiency: Standardized components and documentation streamlined workflows, substantially reducing complexity and overhead for engineers.
• Human-Centered Design Integration: Training and systems integration embedded a user-first approach into CDCR’s culture, leading to solutions that closely matched user needs.
• Improved Parole Reporting Transparency: Enhanced communication tools provided clearer expectations, accurate progress tracking, and more reliable evaluations.
• Bias Reduction in Reporting: Restructured language and reporting formats mitigated potential biases, promoting fairness across processes.
• Enhanced Safety and Accountability: Improved systems enabled better tracking of parolees, particularly in critical, high-risk scenarios, bolstering safety for all parties involved.
• Accelerated Product Launches: Improved collaboration and clarity between design and engineering facilitated significantly quicker product development cycles.
• Streamlined Parole Completion: The introduction of a clear scoring system offered parolees straightforward guidance and predictable paths toward successful parole completion.