CFATS - Chemsec - OAR

The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), identifies and regulates high-risk chemical facilities to ensure appropriate security measures are in place—mitigating the risk of hazardous chemicals being weaponized.

 The CFATS project team approached our team for help updating their integrated multi-step compliance, risk analysis and procedural process for both internal and external customers.

Their primary request was to redesign and build a web-based system that would simplify these processes, improve efficiency, and enhance usability—ultimately making it easier for users to perform their assessments and generate insights.

 For this project, my team was tasked with revamping the entire CFATS (Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards) application to modernize workflows, introduce consistent design patterns, and create a seamless user experience. I worked closely with the federal team to conduct in-depth user research, gather requirements, and map optimized workflows. I designed wireframes and interactive prototypes, facilitated user testing and UAT demos, and collaborated with the development team to deliver a secure, responsive web platform that significantly improved usability and operational efficiency across the system.

One of the key modules within CFATS was the Outreach Assessment Reports (OAR). For OAR, I partnered with federal leads and field users to define requirements and design an efficient workflow tailored to their day-to-day needs. While maintaining consistency with the broader CFATS system, this module included UI elements specific to OAR, improving both clarity and usability for its target users.

The final product was well-received by stakeholders, with strong feedback on the improved workflow, design, and seamless integration into the larger CFATS platform. Although CFATS lost funding in 2024, all research, design files, and data have been preserved, with forward-looking redesigns already developed in anticipation of future funding.