Defense Commissary Agency (DECA)
Commissary

Digital modernization of the commissary system serving active duty military families across the United States.

GovernmentMilitaryDigital Modernization

US Air Force Document AI

George W. Bush Presidential Library

Jobs-to-be-Done

"When a military family is planning their weekly grocery run, make the commissary website the tool that saves them time, helps them stretch their benefit, and makes the trip worth it."

This is the core job Defense Commissary Agency (DECA) Commissary hired Tebeau Group to get done — the real outcome they needed, not just the deliverable they asked for.

By the Numbers

Results That Speak for Themselves

1.2M+

Military Families Served

67%

Increase in Digital Engagement

4.7

User Satisfaction Score

38%

Reduction in Support Requests

The Challenge

Serving Those Who Serve

The Defense Commissary Agency (DECA) needed to modernize its digital infrastructure to better serve active duty military families. Tebeau Group led the UX redesign and digital platform development, improving the shopping experience and reducing friction for service members managing household budgets on military pay.

Key Outcomes

Section 508 accessibility compliance achieved across all properties

Mobile usage increased from 23% to 61% of all sessions

Deployed across 236 commissary locations worldwide

Our Methodology

BMAD Framework
Applied to This Project

Every Tebeau Group engagement runs through BMAD — our proprietary Breakthrough Methodology of Agile AI-Assisted Development. Here's how we applied it to Defense Commissary Agency (DECA) Commissary.

01 — Diagnose

Military Family Needs Assessment

Conducted research with active duty, reserve, and veteran families to understand how they use the commissary benefit and what digital tools they actually need.

02 — Specify

Usability & Accessibility Audit

Audited the existing platform against WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 standards, identifying 34 accessibility violations and 19 UX friction points.

03 — Architect

Government-Grade UX Design

Designed a compliant, accessible interface that simplified weekly shopping planning, sale browsing, and store location lookup.

04 — Orchestrate

Phased Platform Rollout

Executed a phased rollout across all commissary locations with zero downtime, full accessibility compliance, and a 40% improvement in task completion rates.

What We Built

Scope of Work

Comprehensive solutions delivered across strategy, design, development, and marketing.

Platform UX Redesign

Led a complete UX overhaul of the Defense Commissary Agency's digital platform, rebuilding the shopping experience from the ground up with a mobile-first architecture and full Section 508 accessibility compliance. The redesign prioritized the needs of active duty service members and military families — many of whom access the platform from mobile devices on base — reducing task completion time and eliminating the friction points that were driving users to off-base alternatives.

UX DesignAccessibilityGovernment

Digital Wayfinding System

Designed an intuitive product discovery and store locator system that serves military families across every US installation worldwide. The system integrates real-time inventory data, location-aware store hours, and a search experience optimized for the specific product categories commissary shoppers prioritize — making it faster and easier to find what they need before their next trip to the store.

UXSearchLocator

Brand Standards Update

Developed updated digital brand standards for the Defense Commissary Agency that aligned with federal design guidelines (USWDS) and met all Section 508 accessibility requirements. The brand system provided clear guidance for internal teams and vendors on typography, color usage, component patterns, and accessibility implementation — ensuring consistency across all digital properties serving the military community.

BrandingAccessibilityFederal

Proof of Work