Overview
This project was part of a collaboration between Försäkringskassan and our educational program.
Challenge
Försäkringskassan found that parents and expectant parents often had trouble finding and understanding information about parental leave and VAB (care of sick children).
Many users were unsure about their responsibilities, how to track days, and how to complete applications confidently.
Our goal was to make the available information easier to understand, help parents feel more confident while using Försäkringskassans services, and make them feel supported during this important, and sometimes stressful, time in their lives.
Försäkringskassan asked us to explore:
approach
We combined quantitative and qualitative methods to understand user needs and pain points.
We conducted:
Insights
Two insights strongly shaped our design direction:
Many parents were unsure if they were doing the right thing, even with simple tasks.
Users had trouble remembering how to go from “My Pages” to the right application flow, especially when they were in a hurry.
Design direction
Based on our research, we focused on reducing cognitive load rather than adding new functionality.
Our design direction was guided by four principles:
We iterated through three design concepts and two rounds of usability testing, gradually refining the prototype to make complex tasks clearer, easier to navigate, and more reassuring for parents.
From Early Concepts to a Clearer Dashboard
In the early stages, we explored several ways to organize the dashboard so parents could easily find what mattered most.
As the design took shape, we moved away from giving every function the same visual weight and introduced clearer groupings and hierarchy.
Ongoing cases, common tasks, and support became easier to distinguish, helping parents focus on what they needed to do.
Outcome
Försäkringskassan responded positively to the concept, especially appreciating the clearer VAB information and the dashboard overview.
Although this was only a concept project, it showed that making navigation simpler and organizing complex information can help users feel more confident when completing important tasks.
Reflections
This project reminded me that simplifying a complex service doesn’t always mean taking information away. With something like parental leave, some complexity is simply part of the territory.
The challenge is figuring out what people need to know at each step, and organizing it so it’s easy to take in. That matters even more when people are already stressed. New parents, or parents caring for a sick child, shouldn’t have to wade through information or second-guess what matters.
It’s a lesson I’ve carried into my work since, especially when designing for complex products.
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