State of Alabama — SNAP & TANF Client Application

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Led the UX design of a unified digital application for Alabama’s SNAP and TANF programs, translating complex policy-driven paper forms into a structured, accessible workflow serving hundreds of thousands of households statewide.

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Overview

The State of Alabama administers SNAP and TANF programs that support over 376,000 households and 330,000 children statewide, along with 5,000+ families receiving TANF assistance. At the time this project began, both programs already had online application systems. However, the experiences were fragmented and difficult for applicants to navigate. Key issues included:

• Separate access points for SNAP and TANF applications
• Systems managed by different vendors
• Applications built on different technologies
• Completely different UI patterns and user experiences

As a result, applicants often struggled to locate the correct application and navigate inconsistent interfaces across programs. The state’s goal was to move toward a more cohesive and accessible application experience while introducing updated eligibility requirements and program criteria.

For the design, no existing digital product context or UX documentation was provided. The only reference materials available were the official paper application forms, which served as the primary source of policy and eligibility requirements. This meant the UX process involved:

• Interpreting policy requirements directly from paper documentation
• Translating those requirements into a structured digital workflow
• Introducing new sections required for the updated application system
• Designing components and patterns that could be shared across SNAP and TANF applications

First step of the online SNAP/TANF application, designed to make a complex paper process approachable and accessible for applicants.

The Challenge

This project presented a unique set of UX challenges: