Program Update and Site Redesign | Aug 2013

1. Program Update and Site Redesign | Aug 2013

2. The New & Improved Usability.gov

3. What We’ll Discuss… • During this webinar we’ll cover: • Getting the initial buy-in • Redesign goals and resources • Taking our own advice • Touring the site • Measuring success • Our next steps and how you can get involved

4. Getting the initial buy-in… Initially, we analyzed our metrics, conducted market research, high-level expert review, and content assessment. Recommended additional user research to confirm concerns and begin to identify improvements.

5. Taking our own advice… This provided us an opportunity to improve, by becoming our own user-centered design case study.

6. A user-centered approach… • Among other methods, throughout the process, the team conducted: • Expert review • Market research • Metrics analysis • In-lab usability testing of wireframes for desktop and mobile versions • Remote interviews • Surveys • Focus groups • Card sort • Review feedback through social media

7. Identifying and structuring content… • To better understand the tasks that users or potential users come to the site with, we looked at a number of things. Throughout the process we: • Identified what we have • What’s working and/ or needed to be edited • Whether there were gaps, or added to • Learned about the need for the ability to relate content • Discussed challenges for implementing UX • What resources might help • What types of content the site should have • How the content should be presented

8. Are we meeting expectations… • Metrics: • Majority of our users are coming from search • Need to optimize for non-branded keywords • Need to redirect high-value content that had moved • Mobile engagement was comparatively low • Remote Interviews & Surveys: • Outdated content and look and feel • Need for government-specific information • Need to show how the bigger picture comes together to improve the user’s experience • Market Research: • Similar sites have broadened the discussion • Top tasks related to the topic were not on the site or did not have enough information

9. Redefining our purpose… Usability.gov is the leading resource for user experience (UX) best practices and guidelines, serving practitioners and students in the government and private sectors. 

10. Redesign Goals… • Re-introduce the site as the leading resource for user experience (UX) best practices. • Take a user-centered approach and evaluate and improve our methods as we go. • Create a more engaging platform. • Create a more sustainable site moving forward.

11. Time and Resources… • Timeline: • Concepts and research started in Nov 2012 • Site launched in July 2013 • Areas of expertise were called upon throughout the process: • Project Management • Content Strategy • Subject Matter Expertise • Accessibility • Business Analysis • Change Management • Enterprise Architecture • Information Architecture • Interaction Design • Marketing • Metrics Analysis • Quality Assurance • Technical Development • User Research • Usability Testing • User Interface Design • Visual Design Remember: Some people wore multiple hats and most weren’t in the day-to-day.

12. Making content more useful… Need to show how all the pieces come together to improve the user experience. We added overviews, methods, templates, resources, and glossary terms for each area.

13. Mobile-First Approach Started with designs for a smartphone screen, and then moved up and out in.  Went beyond responsive design by designing first for touch and swipe and then reverse engineering for the more traditional click and scroll.  12 | Aug 2013

14. Evaluating concepts for the new site… It took multiple designs and several rounds of user testing to get to the end result. Focused on making it: • Functionally usable for both desktop and mobile users • Conceptually usable for all users • Accessible to all users 13 | Aug 2013

15. Demo of the site

16. Demo of the site 15 | Aug 2013

17. Demo of the site 16 | Aug 2013

18. Putting It All Together • The final tile design addresses these challenges through a number of functional and conceptual elements… • Double-wide tiles for featured content • Docked top-task tiles on every page for user orientation • Tiles that respond to gestures (directional swiping) on mobile devices • A list-view toggle option for a more traditional content layout • Organized and collapsible content sections to reduce users’ cognitive and visual load

19. Measuring success… • Are we reaching our intended audience? • How are they accessing the site? • Are users finding content on the site? If so, how? • What is our top content? • Is there content that people aren’t finding? • How are users interacting with the site? • Do users find the interface and content usable and appealing? 18 | Aug 2013

20. Refining the new site… • Upcoming usability testing • Analysis of metrics • Using Twitter as a customer service line • Reviewing comments through the page-level and site-level surveys 19 | Aug 2013

21. Building a stronger community around the program… Accepting blog submissions and giving attribution Follow us and share ideas through on Twitter @UsabilityGov Sign-up for email updates Involving colleges and universities and recruiting a fall intern.

22. Will the Guidelines be updated? Yes and we need your help! Tell us how you would like the process to take shape on our recent blog.

23. Getting the word out… • Feds can take part in: • GSA’s First Fridays Program • UX Community of Practice

24. What we discussed… • Today we covered: • Getting the initial buy-in • Redesign goals and resources • Taking our own advice • Touring the site • Measuring success • Our next steps and how you can get involved

25. Contact Information… Katie Messner | Web Manager, Usability.gov Program Email: kathryn.messner@hhs.gov Stay Connected to Usability.gov Follow us on Twitter @UsabilityGov Sign-up for email updates