About the application
The Veterinary Services Trade System demo takes an export health certificate from request to issue in one place: the exporter asks, an accredited veterinarian inspects, a VS reviewer decides, and the certificate is issued as a PDF. Everyone and everything here is synthetic.
The players and their roles
Exporter
John Miller, Miller Cattle Co.
Starts a certificate request for a shipment of animals, fixes it if it is returned, and downloads the issued certificate.
Accredited veterinarian
Dr. Sarah Wilson
Inspects the animals, records the test results against the shipment, and completes the inspection for review.
VS Reviewer
Robert Brown
Checks the request against the destination's requirements, then endorses it or returns it to the exporter with a reason.
Admin
Linda Clark
Puts certificate forms into service: uploads a template, maps its fields, previews, publishes and binds it to a destination. Watches the audit log and platform status.
Partner system
Ranchline HerdBook (synthetic partner software)
Submits requests on an exporter's behalf through the partner API, so herd data is not typed twice.
Destinations are fictional countries (Norvale, Redmont, Valdo), plus Germany (EU) for the Government's sample pet bird certificate; animals ship from Port of Bayside, LA.
How a request moves
- Exporter submits the request; destination requirements are shown before submitting.
- Veterinarian records the inspection and tests without re-typing the shipment.
- VS Reviewer endorses it, or returns it with a reason and the sections to fix.
- Certificate is rendered on the destination's published form and is ready to download.
Every step updates the request's status live for whoever is waiting on it.
How the design was shaped
The screens are built around four proto-personas. They are assumptions to validate after award: we have not done research with USDA users, exporters or veterinarians.
John Miller · exporter
Farm office or truck cab; phone or old laptop on patchy rural LTE. Top task: get a request in once, correctly.
Dr. Sarah Wilson · veterinarian
In a barn, gloves on, phone in one hand, intermittent 3G. Top task: record the inspection without re-typing the shipment.
Robert Brown · VS reviewer
Office desktop, many requests a day. Top task: decide fast and send back precise corrections.
Linda Clark · admin
Office desktop. Top task: put a revised certificate form into service without a developer.
Before and after
"Before" is assumed (we have no access to the current system). "After" is counted in this prototype.
| Task | Before (assumed) | After |
|---|---|---|
| Organization details typed per request | Every time | 0 |
| Animal count typed | Separately from the list | 0 (derived from rows) |
| Destination requirements seen | After a rejection | Before submitting, inline |
| Shipment fields re-typed by the vet | All (8 + 4 per animal) | 0 |
| Fixing a returned request | Email or call, then re-enter | 2 screens, reason quoted, sections highlighted |
| New certificate form into service | Developer change and release | Upload, map, preview, publish |
Principle → decision
| Principle | Decision |
|---|---|
| Rural 3G | Server-rendered pages, Blazor's script plus four tiny ones, 200 KB first-load and 30 KB navigation budgets |
| Connections drop | One-time form keys, "Submitting…" buttons, Save progress, typed values restored after a failed post |
| Re-entry pain | Prefill from the organization and request; animal count derived (WCAG 3.3.7) |
| Rules found too late | Requirements inline; every problem listed at once and linked to its field |
| Rework after review | Return needs a reason and flagged sections, shown quoted and highlighted to the exporter |
| "Where is my request?" | Text stepper, live status, one polite announcement region |
| Status by color fails some users | Every status has a symbol and words |
| Keyboard and screen readers | Focus to the heading after navigation, to the error summary after a failed post; consistent Help |
After award: research plan
- Weeks 1–2: stakeholder interviews and a review of current forms, rejection reasons and help-desk themes.
- Weeks 2–4: contextual inquiry with exporters at their desks and vets on farm visits.
- Weeks 3–5: usability tests of these flows with each persona, including assistive-technology users.
- Ongoing: task completion, returns per request and time-to-issue as baselines.
Short sessions with Alpha Omega staff are planned before the demo; no findings are claimed yet.