Antonia Yunge

We explored the experience of different stakeholders (veterans and their families, recruiters, and government employees) and conducted interviews at recruitment offices. Through this engagement, we were able to explore how we might reimagine the current military journey through a series of design interventions that establish trust and transparency.

Through different activities and a workshop, we realized that the root cause of many veterans’ challenges start as early as recruitment, and identified that as an opportunity to make veterans feel cared for starting at the beginning of their journey.

We aimed to explore what might happen if the reactive care veterans receive upon discharge—after they have been guaranteed false incentives, after their lives have been changed through their service, and at a time when their energy goes to finding their new normal—shifted to preventative care upon enlisting.

Veterans struggle because of a system that is not designed to support their experiences long-term. A single veteran does not receive continuity of care over the course of a couple of weeks, let alone the years or decades from enlistment to service to transition back to civilian life. This “pass-off” exposes a dearth of accountability for caring for the veteran, which reinforces a lack of trust in the system. We began to understand the recruitment process as a crucial window that shapes a future veteran’s experience of care.

1—Central Recruitment Office. Currently each branch has its own separate office. We propose a first central office that can walk a recruit through what each branch offers, what careers are available, and what the interested recruit might be best suited for. At this place, the recruit will also be connected to the rest of the suite:

2—Veteran PAL, or Partnership Assistance League is an NGO that connects veterans with potential recruits. The recruit can ask the veteran about their experiences, benefits, transition to civilian life, experience during active duty and deployment, etc.

It will also allow veterans to continue to be of service, which is an important aspect of successful veteran transition.

3—Enlistment Workbook. Helps guide the recruit through enlistment. It also serves as a centralized source of information and visualization of the entire process, with helpful tips and resources along the way to ensure that the recruit knows what questions to ask and what provisions to ensure as part of their enlistment.

4 · 5—The workbook features a Community Agreement between PAL and the recruit, plus a Translated Contract in everyday language that explains the details and obligations outlined in the military enlistment contract. With this workbook and contract, a prospective recruit can go through their enlistment journey fully understanding what is expected of them, and what they can expect.

6—MyMilitary App. It allows anyone to browse available careers and enlistment steps. Once a prospective recruit goes to a Central Recruitment Office, they receive their recruit code, which unlocks the rest of the app. The DoD updates each step as the recruit completes them so the recruit can see their progress and what obligations they have yet to meet.

“Go into it fully educated. Research and ask questions. Also understand that what you are about to do will change you in some shape or form forever. What you do with that change is up to you” —Raymond Holt US Military Veteran

Enlistment, deployment, and transition journeys have been changed to make for a better experience throughout service. Now, our recruit starts their journey at the Central Recruiting Office where they speak with a central recruiter. The recruiter helps them understand each branch of the military, reviews their potential career paths, and matches the recruit’s needs with the military’s needs.

Our recruit now goes home, equipped with their recruit code and their Recruitment Workbook. They unlock the rest of the MyMilitary App with their recruit number, and are now able to chat with their Veteran PAL. Additionally, they are now able to browse the full career list and chat with enlisted members in those same career paths.

As the recruit goes through the enlistment process, they complete the workbook with the aid of their branch recruiter and veteran PAL. At the end of MEPS, they will be able to go through their Translated Contract, and sign the Enlistment Contract with full confidence in their decision.