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UX Research

Reservists – Making rights accessible 

Background & Target Audience

During the "Swords of Iron" war, approximately 300,000 reservists were recruited, highlighting the need for full support during and after their service.
The user base is diverse, ranging from young individuals in the midst of their studies or careers to people with families and children who put their personal lives on hold to serve their country in an emergency.

Research Objective

The goal of the research is to simplify, make accessible, and clarify the process of exercising rights.
Why is making rights accessible important?

While exercising rights won't solve all challenges for reservists, it can significantly improve their experience!

✔️ Provides a sense of appreciation and encourages continued reserve service.
✔️ Offers practical solutions for daily challenges (from housing assistance to mental health support).
✔️ Enhances quality of life (e.g., leisure activities, bonding, and community support).
✔️ Encourages the utilization of resources allocated for reservists.

The underutilization of rights is a global phenomenon where factors such as fear of stigma and cognitive overload lead individuals to forgo their rights - often affecting the most vulnerable populations.
According to research from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, many believe that "the effort is not worth the benefit."

Research Methods

For this research, we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a deep understanding of reservists' needs. We conducted a comparative review to analyze existing solutions, user interviews to gather personal experiences, and a survey distributed among reservists to identify common pain points. The collected data was synthesized into key themes, allowing us to build personas that represent different types of reservists and their challenges, guiding our design decisions.

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What exists today? - Comparative Review
What do users think and feel? - Interviews
What are the major pain points? - Survey
 

I identified three key axes:
 

  • Information overload vs. Lack of information

  • Active vs. Passive engagement

  • Leisure vs. Practical need fulfillment

Personas

Following the interviews and survey, I created personas that represent different perspectives on reservists' needs, challenges, and frustrations.

Meet:

  • Tal, "The Busy One" - A 30-year-old startup entrepreneur with no time to search for benefits. He feels overwhelmed by the excessive information, and the perception of a complicated bureaucratic process discourages him from even trying. Tal needs an interface that highlights only the benefits relevant to him.
     

  • Dana, "The Maximizer" - A 28-year-old student who actively seeks out benefits and shares them with friends. She experiences long wait times for reimbursements and constantly fears missing out on opportunities she isn't aware of. Dana needs a system that reflects the status of her claims and provides real-time updates on new benefits.
     

  • Roi, "The Young Reservist" - A 23-year-old recently discharged soldier who quickly gets frustrated by scattered information and bureaucratic hurdles. If he encounters obstacles in claiming grants, he simply gives up. Roi needs clear guidance and a centralized platform where all necessary information is easily accessible.

Findings from the Research

Research findings indicate that users face significant challenges throughout the process:

  • Unclear eligibility – Users are unsure what they are entitled to

  • Constant FOMO – A feeling of missing out

  • A draining battle to claim benefits – Struggles on multiple fronts

  • Uncertainty about reimbursements – Users don’t know when or if they will receive them
     

I divided the insights into three key phases:

  1. Searching for benefit information

  2. The process of exercising rights

  3. Receiving the actual reimbursement

Key Insights

Lack of reliable and up-to-date information

  • Without a reliable and comprehensive source, most information is spread by word of mouth.

  • Relying on unofficial sources creates uncertainty and fear of missing out.
     

Survey results:

  • 80% of respondents receive information from informal discussions (friends, colleagues, social media).

  • ⅓ of users experience information overload, leading them to abandon their rights.
     

Information overload leads to giving up on benefits

  • Users who struggled to claim their benefits reported being overwhelmed with excessive, unstructured information.

  • "There's too much information, it's overwhelming and confusing."

  • "Every time I visit the reservist website, I get redirected to another site, and it's exhausting—I just give up."
     

Uncertainty about reimbursements

  • Lack of transparency in the process creates confusion and loss of control.

  • "I have no idea when I'll receive anything—there's no clear answer."

  • "Even when I submitted for a couples' therapy reimbursement, I wasn’t sure if I’d actually get the refund."

Recommendations

Improving and Making the Interface More Accessible
 

  1. A centralized website - A simple, clear, and easy-to-navigate platform that presents all benefits and rights a logged-in user is eligible for.

  2. Simple language and clear structure - Use everyday language and present information in an actionable checklist format (rather than legal jargon). Introduce a one-click claim button to eliminate the need to navigate multiple websites.

  3. Personalized questionnaire - Suggests relevant benefits based on user preferences and needs. The homepage should display the most relevant information. A review system allows users to rate benefits based on their experiences.

  4. Smart filtering of benefits - Organize and categorize benefits based on marital and employment status, as well as different life aspects (housing, health, leisure, etc.), enabling users to differentiate between essential needs and additional perks.

Empowering Reservists

  • A "Points Wallet" system - Allows users to redeem benefits without direct expenses. Users receive point allocations based on eligibility and can redeem them using coupons or QR codes for direct payment to vendors.

  • Utilizing reservist officers as an information hub - Expanding their role to provide verified information on benefits through existing communication channels like WhatsApp groups. This reduces dependence on unofficial sources and enhances rights utilization.

  • A transparent refund tracking system - A personal dashboard displaying real-time refund status, expected payment dates, and AI-based prediction of reimbursement timelines, improving transparency and user experience.

Reducing Friction in the Process

  • Support beyond the platform - A smart WhatsApp service that sends personalized notifications, tracks benefit claims, and updates users on new offers.

  • Automatic form-filling - Reduce the number of steps required to claim benefits by pre-filling known information.

  • Standardizing and integrating forms - Allow users to fill out and submit forms directly on the central platform instead of searching for them elsewhere.

Conclusion

The research findings indicate that reservists face significant difficulties in every stage of the rights-claiming process.

  • Information on benefits is hard to find and often outdated.

  • The process of claiming benefits is complex and bureaucratic.

  • There is uncertainty about reimbursements.

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Each stage involves challenges that require clear and effective solutions to improve the experience for reservists.

To alleviate these challenges, we recommend:

  • A centralized and well-organized platform providing reliable and updated information.

  • Organizing information into relevant categories for easier navigation.

  • Utilizing technologies like chatbots and AI to support users.

  • Streamlining the claiming process to reduce bureaucracy.

  • Enhancing transparency in reimbursements.

Next Project

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