{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
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    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Improving the User Experience with the Usability.gov Reboot |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Improving the User Experience with the Usability.gov Reboot",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/30/improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Improving the User Experience with the Usability.gov Reboot","summary" : "Plan and analyze. Write and design.  Test and refine.  As Web Manager for Usability.gov, I have found that taking a user-centered approach is vital each time you improve or build a digital product, especially when the content is about improving user","date" : "2013-07-30T09:03:17-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"katie-messner" : "Katie Messner"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "usability" : "Usability",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2013-07-30-improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2013/07/2013-07-30-improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/07/2013-07-30-improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2013/07/2013-07-30-improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot.md","slug" : "improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/07/30/improving-the-user-experience-with-the-usability-gov-reboot/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image image-right image-right-legacy\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/01/Usability.gov-reboot-250x187.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Mobile devices showing responsively designed site across a Laptop, tablets, smartphones\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlan and analyze. Write and design. Test and refine. As Web Manager for \u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUsability.gov\u003c/a\u003e, I have found that taking a user-centered approach is vital each time you improve or build a digital product, especially when the content is about improving user experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our \u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/get-involved/blog/2013/07/welcome-to-relaunched-site.html\"\u003erecent reboot of Usability.gov\u003c/a\u003e we put our own advice to the test by evaluating the existing site and analyzing the extensive feedback on the concepts for the redesign. The new site has launched with expanded content, a fresh design, and more ways to get involved in the Usability.gov program moving forward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"becoming-more-useful\"\u003eBecoming More Useful\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur team pulled together some market research, analyzed the metrics, performed in-lab and remote usability testing, and leveraged feedback from surveys, focus groups, a card sort, and social media to find out what our current and potential users expect. We learned that although users found the content, templates, and guidelines helpful, they needed more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result, we expanded the focus of the site with the goal to reintroduce it as the leading resource for \u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html\"\u003euser experience (UX)\u003c/a\u003e best practices. We added overviews, methods, resources, and glossary terms for the following content topics:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/usability-evaluation.html\"\u003eUsability Evaluation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-research.html\"\u003eUser Research\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/information-architecture.html\"\u003eInformation Architecture\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-interface-design.html\"\u003eUser Interface Design\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/interaction-design.html\"\u003eInteraction Design\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/content-strategy.html\"\u003eContent Strategy\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/visual-design.html\"\u003eVisual Design\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/project-management.html\"\u003eProject Management\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/accessibility.html\"\u003eAccessibility\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/web-analytics.html\"\u003eWeb Analytics\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"creating-an-engaging-design\"\u003eCreating an Engaging Design\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe team also freshened up the look of the site and rethought the user interface. The team chose to go beyond responsive design and experimented in designing first for touch and swipe and then reverse engineered for the more traditional click and scroll. The tile design went through various testing and resulted in a design that has a default view of swipeable cards as well as the option for users to toggle to a more traditional list view, if preferred.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"ways-to-get-involved\"\u003eWays to Get Involved\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also are trying to make \u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUsability.gov\u003c/a\u003e a platform for active conversation. To that end, we’re inviting individuals to:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/get-involved/blog-submission.html\"\u003eSubmit blogs\u003c/a\u003e for consideration\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStay connected through \u003ca href=\"http://twitter.com/usabilitygov\"\u003eTwitter\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USHHS/subscriber/topics?qsp=USHHS_2\"\u003eemail updates\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHelp update the \u003ca href=\"http://guidelines.usability.gov/\"\u003eResearch-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, have we built the site you need? Please let us know what you think.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}