Gian Mendoza
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Case study · 01 / 04
Redesigning Veteran Legal Guides to Be Readable Under Stress
Redesigning Veteran Legal Guides to Be Readable Under Stress
Redesigning Veteran Legal Guides to Be Readable Under Stress
Swords to Plowshares Self-Help Guide Redesign
Swords to Plowshares Self-Help Guide Redesign
Role
Lead UX/UI Designer (2-person team)
Timeline
August — December 2025
Platform
Web, responsive
Tools
Figma, Webflow
Status
Shipped · 22 guides live
In short
Veterans use Swords to Plowshares’ self-help guides to navigate discharge upgrades, benefits claims, and other legal next steps, often alone and under stress. The original guides were dense, hard to scan, and weak on mobile. Over four months I led the research and redesign, treating the project as a cognitive load problem rather than a layout cleanup, and shipped a reusable Webflow CMS structure that now powers all 22 guides. Lawyers and advocates confirmed the redesigned guides are clearer and easier to share with veterans they cannot directly serve.
Veterans use Swords to Plowshares’ self-help guides to navigate discharge upgrades, benefits claims, and other legal next steps, often alone and under stress. The original guides were dense, hard to scan, and weak on mobile. Over four months I led the research and redesign, treating the project as a cognitive load problem rather than a layout cleanup, and shipped a reusable Webflow CMS structure that now powers all 22 guides. Lawyers and advocates confirmed the redesigned guides are clearer and easier to share with veterans they cannot directly serve.
The problem
A high-stakes guide that broke down under stress.
A high-stakes guide that broke down under stress.
A high-stakes guide that broke down under stress.
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Swords to Plowshares is a San Francisco nonprofit that supports veterans, service members, and their families. Their self-help legal guides are used by people figuring out a discharge upgrade, a benefits claim, or another legal next step, often without an attorney directly representing them. The guides are also used by lawyers and advocates as referral material when they cannot take someone on as a client.
Swords to Plowshares is a San Francisco nonprofit that supports veterans, service members, and their families. Their self-help legal guides are used by people figuring out a discharge upgrade, a benefits claim, or another legal next step, often without an attorney directly representing them. The guides are also used by lawyers and advocates as referral material when they cannot take someone on as a client.
The original experience made high-stakes content feel more overwhelming than it needed to be. Long guides ran up to 18 sections without usable hierarchy. Wayfinding was weak. Required forms were scattered through the body. Mobile broke down quickly.
The original experience made high-stakes content feel more overwhelming than it needed to be. Long guides ran up to 18 sections without usable hierarchy. Wayfinding was weak. Required forms were scattered through the body. Mobile broke down quickly.
The constraint was clear from the start: do not simplify the legal content. Make it readable, not less accurate.
The constraint was clear from the start: do not simplify the legal content. Make it readable, not less accurate.
My role
End-to-end, with a senior reviewer.
End-to-end, with a senior reviewer.
End-to-end, with a senior reviewer.
03
03
I led the redesign end-to-end as the only designer doing the day-to-day work. I owned UX research, information architecture, content structure, navigation patterns, responsive design, and Webflow implementation. Alyana Feliciano, a Senior UX Designer at Swords to Plowshares, served as my reviewer and provided direction throughout. The 2-person team framing means I was responsible for the work, not that the work was split evenly.
I led the redesign end-to-end as the only designer doing the day-to-day work. I owned UX research, information architecture, content structure, navigation patterns, responsive design, and Webflow implementation. Alyana Feliciano, a Senior UX Designer at Swords to Plowshares, served as my reviewer and provided direction throughout. The 2-person team framing means I was responsible for the work, not that the work was split evenly.
Research & discovery
Where the experience actually broke down.
Where the experience actually broke down.
Where the experience actually broke down.
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I started by auditing the existing guide system and writing interview and survey instruments for veterans, advocates, and legal aid workers. The goal was not to confirm that the guides looked dated. It was to figure out where, specifically, the experience broke down for people in stressful situations.
I started by auditing the existing guide system and writing interview and survey instruments for veterans, advocates, and legal aid workers. The goal was not to confirm that the guides looked dated. It was to figure out where, specifically, the experience broke down for people in stressful situations.
01
Content had no usable hierarchy.
Long instructions ran without section anchors or visual breaks, which made it hard to follow a multi-step process or pause and return.
02
Wayfinding was weak.
Once a user landed on a guide, there were few clear paths between sections of the same guide or between related guides. People had no way to orient.
03
Mobile broke the experience.
Long guides became unscannable on a phone. This mattered because veterans were accessing the guides on mobile, sometimes without immediate help.
A fourth pattern showed up that deserves separate naming. Advocates and legal aid attorneys were using the guides as referral tools. When they could not take someone on as a client, they sent the guide. That changed the design problem because the guide had to work as a self-serve resource and as something a professional could confidently send to someone else.
01
Content had no usable hierarchy.
Long instructions ran without section anchors or visual breaks, which made it hard to follow a multi-step process or pause and return.
02
02
Wayfinding was weak.
Wayfinding was weak.
Once a user landed on a guide, there were few clear paths between sections of the same guide or between related guides. People had no way to orient.
03
03
Mobile broke the experience.
Mobile broke the experience.
Long guides became unscannable on a phone. This mattered because veterans were accessing the guides on mobile, sometimes without immediate help.
A fourth pattern showed up that deserves separate naming. Advocates and legal aid attorneys were using the guides as referral tools. When they could not take someone on as a client, they sent the guide. That changed the design problem because the guide had to work as a self-serve resource and as something a professional could confidently send to someone else.
01
Content had no usable hierarchy.
Long instructions ran without section anchors or visual breaks, which made it hard to follow a multi-step process or pause and return.
02
Wayfinding was weak.
Once a user landed on a guide, there were few clear paths between sections of the same guide or between related guides. People had no way to orient.
03
Mobile broke the experience.
Long guides became unscannable on a phone. This mattered because veterans were accessing the guides on mobile, sometimes without immediate help.
The reframe
The design problem was not just layout. It was reducing cognitive load at the worst possible moment.
Because veterans were often using these guides alone, under stress, and sometimes on mobile, surface-level cleanup would not be enough. The redesign needed to make the experience feel less mentally demanding during a stressful task.
How might we make complex legal instructions feel calm, doable, and legible on a phone?
The reframe
The design problem was not just layout. It was reducing cognitive load at the worst possible moment.
Because veterans were often using these guides alone, under stress, and sometimes on mobile, surface-level cleanup would not be enough. The redesign needed to make the experience feel less mentally demanding during a stressful task.
How might we make complex legal instructions feel calm, doable, and legible on a phone?
Exploration
Market research instead of wireframes.
Market research instead of wireframes.
Market research instead of wireframes.
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06
The client needed direct implementation in Webflow rather than a long lo-fi exploration phase. Instead of pretending the process included wireframes I never made, I leaned on market research as the exploration step.
The client needed direct implementation in Webflow rather than a long lo-fi exploration phase. Instead of pretending the process included wireframes I never made, I leaned on market research as the exploration step.
I compared how other legal, nonprofit, and government resources structured long-form guidance. The patterns I borrowed:
I compared how other legal, nonprofit, and government resources structured long-form guidance. The patterns I borrowed:
01
Step-by-step sectioning that broke long flows into visible chunks
Step-by-step sectioning that broke long flows into visible chunks
02
Persistent navigation for long pages, including sticky section anchors
Persistent navigation for long pages, including sticky section anchors
03
Clear paths to related resources and forms
Clear paths to related resources and forms
04
Scannable formatting for dense instructions
Scannable formatting for dense instructions
Key decisions
Four decisions shaped the design.
Four decisions shaped the design.
Four decisions shaped the design.
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07
01
01
01
Kept the legal content intact and redesigned only the structure around it.
Kept the legal content intact and redesigned only the structure around it.
Kept the legal content intact and redesigned only the structure around it.
Rewriting legal language was out of scope and would have introduced risk. I focused on hierarchy, spacing, section labels, and scannable formatting, which improved readability without touching accuracy.
Rewriting legal language was out of scope and would have introduced risk. I focused on hierarchy, spacing, section labels, and scannable formatting, which improved readability without touching accuracy.
Rewriting legal language was out of scope and would have introduced risk. I focused on hierarchy, spacing, section labels, and scannable formatting, which improved readability without touching accuracy.
02
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02
Restructured the existing CMS to scale across 22 current guides and future ones.
Restructured the existing CMS to scale across 22 current guides and future ones.
Restructured the existing CMS to scale across 22 current guides and future ones.
A template existed before I started, but it did not flex across all 22 guides. I reworked the CMS structure so any new guide could be added with consistent information architecture, navigation, and form handling, without redoing the design every time.
A template existed before I started, but it did not flex across all 22 guides. I reworked the CMS structure so any new guide could be added with consistent information architecture, navigation, and form handling, without redoing the design every time.
A template existed before I started, but it did not flex across all 22 guides. I reworked the CMS structure so any new guide could be added with consistent information architecture, navigation, and form handling, without redoing the design every time.
03
03
03
Consolidated all required forms into one section per guide.
Consolidated all required forms into one section per guide.
Consolidated all required forms into one section per guide.
Forms used to be embedded throughout long guides, which forced people to scroll back when they were ready to act. Pulling them into a single section matched how advocates were already using the guides as referral material and reduced the back-scroll effort for veterans reading alone.
Forms used to be embedded throughout long guides, which forced people to scroll back when they were ready to act. Pulling them into a single section matched how advocates were already using the guides as referral material and reduced the back-scroll effort for veterans reading alone.
Forms used to be embedded throughout long guides, which forced people to scroll back when they were ready to act. Pulling them into a single section matched how advocates were already using the guides as referral material and reduced the back-scroll effort for veterans reading alone.
04
04
04
Replaced wireframes with market research and direct Webflow layout.
Replaced wireframes with market research and direct Webflow layout.
Replaced wireframes with market research and direct Webflow layout.
Because the client needed Webflow implementation, exploration happened through comparative research and live layout decisions instead of static wireframes. The patterns I borrowed had already been validated for similar high-stakes long-form content.
Because the client needed Webflow implementation, exploration happened through comparative research and live layout decisions instead of static wireframes. The patterns I borrowed had already been validated for similar high-stakes long-form content.
Because the client needed Webflow implementation, exploration happened through comparative research and live layout decisions instead of static wireframes. The patterns I borrowed had already been validated for similar high-stakes long-form content.
The solution
The redesigned guides do two things at once.
The redesigned guides do two things at once.
The redesigned guides do two things at once.
08
08
They make dense legal content easier to scan in the moment, and they make a long guide easier to leave and return to later.
They make dense legal content easier to scan in the moment, and they make a long guide easier to leave and return to later.
Clear section headings, shorter text blocks, stronger visual hierarchy, more white space, and scannable steps where helpful. The legal content stayed exactly the same. The shape around it changed.
Clear section headings, shorter text blocks, stronger visual hierarchy, more white space, and scannable steps where helpful. The legal content stayed exactly the same. The shape around it changed.
The legal content is unchanged. The structure around it is what makes it readable.
The legal content is unchanged. The structure around it is what makes it readable.
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2
3
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Breadcrumbs on every guide
Orient and escape. Always know where you are.
1 Breadcrumbs on every guide
Orient and escape. Always know where you are.
Breadcrumbs on every guide
Orient and escape. Always know where you are.
Sticky section navigation
“Browse Content” jumps between sections; leave and resume.
2 Sticky section navigation
“Browse Content” jumps between sections; leave and resume.
Sticky section navigation
“Browse Content” jumps between sections; leave and resume.
Clearer step-by-step structure
Stronger hierarchy and scannable steps. Same legal content.
3 Clearer step-by-step structure
Stronger hierarchy and scannable steps. Same legal content.
Clearer step-by-step structure
Stronger hierarchy and scannable steps. Same legal content.
All required forms in one place
Every form a veteran needs, gathered in one section instead of scattered through the body.
4 All required forms in one place
Every form a veteran needs, gathered in one section instead of scattered through the body.
All required forms in one place
Every form a veteran needs, gathered in one section instead of scattered through the body.
Related guides surfaced inline
Clear paths to the connected resources veterans need next.
5 Related guides surfaced inline
Clear paths to the connected resources veterans need next.
Related guides surfaced inline
Clear paths to the connected resources veterans need next.
Outcomes
What the people who share these guides told us.
What the people who share these guides told us.
What the people who share these guides told us.
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09
“
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They are easy to read: lots of bolding and white space, step by step instructions.
They are easy to read: lots of bolding and white space, step by step instructions.
Legal aid attorney
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You have truly modernized the look. I commend you. It’s a job well done.
You have truly modernized the look. I commend you. It’s a job well done.
Gabe, Resource Navigator at Swords to Plowshares (10+ years)
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I include links to them in my emails to veterans.
I include links to them in my emails to veterans.
Legal aid attorney
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I thought it was very well put together by a vet who cares.
I thought it was very well put together by a vet who cares.
Veteran
The redesigned guides shipped across all 22 self-help guides as a reusable CMS structure. Lawyers and advocates who were already sharing the guides told us the redesign made them clearer, easier to read, and more credible to pass along.
The redesigned guides shipped across all 22 self-help guides as a reusable CMS structure. Lawyers and advocates who were already sharing the guides told us the redesign made them clearer, easier to read, and more credible to pass along.
Guides redesigned and deployed
Reusable CMS structure
From research to launch
A note on evidence. I did not run formal usability testing before launch and I do not have post-launch behavior metrics. The evidence is qualitative. It is meaningful because the people quoted are the same advocates and attorneys who actively share the guides with veterans, but it is not the same as a measured behavior change.
Reflection
What I’d do differently, and what I learned.
What I’d do differently, and what I learned.
What I’d do differently, and what I learned.
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10
What I’d do differently
Test the redesigned guides with veterans before launch instead of relying on practitioner feedback after the fact.
Test the redesigned guides with veterans before launch instead of relying on practitioner feedback after the fact.
Validate the trauma-informed framing with the people it was designed for.
Validate the trauma-informed framing with the people it was designed for.
Build research time in earlier. In a nonprofit setting, recruitment takes longer than expected, and starting later compresses everything.
Build research time in earlier. In a nonprofit setting, recruitment takes longer than expected, and starting later compresses everything.
What I learned
Good interviews need flexibility, not just a script. When people are discussing difficult situations, listening well matters more than getting through every question.
Good interviews need flexibility, not just a script. When people are discussing difficult situations, listening well matters more than getting through every question.
Market research can be a practical substitute when traditional exploration is limited, especially when implementation has to happen in a real CMS rather than a wireframe tool.
Market research can be a practical substitute when traditional exploration is limited, especially when implementation has to happen in a real CMS rather than a wireframe tool.
What’s next
The logical next phase is moderated testing with veterans on at least one guide, ideally on mobile, to validate whether the structure actually reduces stress during a real task. The CMS structure is now in place to support that kind of iteration without a full redesign.
The logical next phase is moderated testing with veterans on at least one guide, ideally on mobile, to validate whether the structure actually reduces stress during a real task. The CMS structure is now in place to support that kind of iteration without a full redesign.