Case Study - Government Sites

The stats don't lie: Usability makes things better

The Challenge

FedStats helps citizens find statistics from more than 100 agency Web sites. But because FedStats is a gateway, it is more complicated functionally than most Web sites; and the site provides access to an enormous amount of data. The interagency team that runs FedStats was therefore especially concerned that the site design and architecture be as intuitive as possible.

The team felt it was time to take advantage of the latest advances in Web design principles. "The first-generation design of FedStats has been successful, but there was room for improvement," said John Weiner of the Energy Information Administration, and a member of the FedStats team.

The Approach

HFI began the project by conducting user testing. Through this research, HFI identified design and placement issues that could be corrected to improve the site's usability.

The Outcome

"HFI made recommendations that resulted in a cleaner site, through which people will be able to find what they need more quickly and easily," said Weiner.

"HFI is very good at working with users, quickly identifying areas needing improvement and adjusting test scenarios on the fly to isolate and probe further issues," he added. "They were very professional and effective in working with managers as well, and quickly guided discussions to a consensus that produced actionable results.

Find out how HFI can improve your Web site or application.
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