usability.govUsability – Digital.gov

An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Here’s how you know Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Guidance on building better digital services in government Menu News Events Resources Communities Tools Subscribe to our newsletter Search small Home Topics Usability Usability How easily and effectively people can accomplish their goals using a product or system, while having a positive experience. Usability refers to the measurement of how easily a user can accomplish their goals when using a service. This is usually measured through established research methodologies under the term usability testing,” which includes success rates and customer satisfaction. Usability is one part of the larger user experience (UX) umbrella. While UX encompasses designing the overall experience of a product, usability focuses on the mechanics of making sure products work as well as possible for the user. Related Policy 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA) and M-23-22 View policy Join the User Experience Community User Experience Create better user-centered products for the public. Resources on Usability An introduction to content Best practices for creating clear, useful, digital content for federal websites and digital services. Usability Testing with Steve Krug Get started making usability fixes to your website or product. Department of Homeland Security: Usability Testing Kit A resource with four approaches to help federal employees perform usability testing. 18F Methods A collection of tools that describe how teams can put human-centered design into practice. Usability Starter Kit Here are some tools and templates to help you create better user experiences. Fueleconomy.gov – Extended Case Study Like any valid business decision, User Experience work should produce results and demonstrable impact. To see a list of screenshots from websites we’ve improved, visit the rest of our Usability Case Studies. Or see a more complete case study below. Case Study: Fueleconomy.gov Mobile Site In December of 2012 Government Usability Case Studies This list of government usability case studies shows how government sites, mobile apps and other products become more effective, more coherent and more usable by focusing on the User Experience of their customers. Want to be featured here? Just email us. National Cancer Institute Persona Join a Community of Practice Web Analytics and Optimization Make better decisions using web analytics and other optimization strategies. Usability events Annual Gathering Spring 2024 Community Summit Digital service experts across the federal government will share case studies and best practices on delivering a digital-first public experience. Mar 13 , 2024 2024 USWDS Monthly Call - March 2023 Making sense: Cognition, perception, and design Watch Video Mar 28 , 2023 2023 Web Managers & Web Analytics Continuously improve your website by using customer feedback and web analytics: An IRS case study Get tips and lessons learned from the Internal Revenue Service on how they collect user feedback and use web analytics to improve applications. Watch Video Jan 25 , 2023 2023 USWDS USWDS Monthly Call - January 2023 Join the Design System team as we tackle your most commonly-asked questions. Watch Video Jan 19 , 2023 2023 USWDS USWDS Monthly Call - December 2022 A look back at what took place in the Design System in 2022. Posts by Dan Williams Dec 15 , 2022 2022 Usability news Progress towards delivering a digital-first public experience Each year, more than 400 million individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and local governments get information and services from about 430 federal agencies and sub-agencies. The Biden-Harris administration is driving a bold vision for how government agencies serve their customers digitally with OMB’s ten-year roadmap for a modern digital experience. Agencies have already made significant strides. Learn about recent successes by the IRS, CDC, NASA, and FEMA, and how OMB will continue to collaborate with agencies to ensure ongoing improvement in digital government services. — via The White House Apr 17, 2024 Determining the true value of a website: A GSA case study GSA has developed a composite indicator to visualize six key components of website success. Posts by Ana Monroe Posts by Aaron Meyers Apr 16, 2024 18F at ten We’re celebrating all the ways we continue to realize our founding vision: bringing technologists into government, launching shared digital services, and helping partner agencies build user-centered technology. — via 18F Mar 19, 2024 Search.gov year in review: 2023 report Learn what types of information people searched for on federal websites in 2023, see emerging trends the team is exploring to improve customers’ search experience in 2024, and check out three new updates. The data tab provides insightful summaries for 13 popular topic areas—and lists the public’s top 25 search terms, in their own words, for each. — via Search.gov Mar 15, 2024 Timeless top 10 best practices for great government websites While the field of federal web management continues to evolve, the core best practices have remained essentially unchanged for two decades. Posts by Ammie Farraj Feijoo Posts by Rachel Flagg Feb 09, 2024 Resources on Usability An introduction to content Best practices for creating clear, useful, digital content for federal websites and digital services. Usability Testing with Steve Krug Get started making usability fixes to your website or product. Department of Homeland Security: Usability Testing Kit A resource with four approaches to help federal employees perform usability testing. 18F Methods A collection of tools that describe how teams can put human-centered design into practice. Usability Starter Kit Here are some tools and templates to help you create better user experiences. Fueleconomy.gov – Extended Case Study Like any valid business decision, User Experience work should produce results and demonstrable impact. To see a list of screenshots from websites we’ve improved, visit the rest of our Usability Case Studies. Or see a more complete case study below. Case Study: Fueleconomy.gov Mobile Site In December of 2012 Government Usability Case Studies This list of government usability case studies shows how government sites, mobile apps and other products become more effective, more coherent and more usable by focusing on the User Experience of their customers. Want to be featured here? Just email us. National Cancer Institute Persona More News and Events on Usability 134 posts Progress towards delivering a digital-first public experience Each year, more than 400 million individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and local governments get information and services from about 430 federal agencies and sub-agencies. The Biden-Harris administration is driving a bold vision for how government agencies serve their customers digitally with OMB’s ten-year roadmap for a modern digital experience. Agencies have already made significant strides. Learn about recent successes by the IRS, CDC, NASA, and FEMA, and how OMB will continue to collaborate with agencies to ensure ongoing improvement in digital government services. — via The White House Apr 17, 2024 Determining the true value of a website: A GSA case study GSA has developed a composite indicator to visualize six key components of website success. Posts by Ana Monroe Posts by Aaron Meyers Apr 16, 2024 18F at ten We’re celebrating all the ways we continue to realize our founding vision: bringing technologists into government, launching shared digital services, and helping partner agencies build user-centered technology. — via 18F Mar...