It’s been a while since Designerly has looked at government websites for excellence. Because the selections tend to be extensive, most government-run sites are bulky and not very user friendly. This month, we went on a hunt for a stellar example of a government site and eventually narrowed our choices down to Mass.gov.
If you’ve been following our website design award series for a while, you know that we start by casting a wide net. We then narrow the options down to an industry, a niche within the industry and start comparing websites around the globe. For this month’s award, we began with a look at what we haven’t covered in a while. We then chose government sites, niched down to states and finally began comparing official state websites. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts won for its usability and features.
Winner: Mass.gov
The winner of this month’s Designerly award goes to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for their stellar design, high usability and simple navigation. Even the website name is simplified into four letters and an extension, showing the developers thought through user experience extensively.
It was a task to narrow down to one single government website. After all, there are around 195 recognized countries in the world, and each of those has numerous localities. Even narrowing to just the United States, gave us 50 state websites to look at and dozens of counties within each state. Once we narrowed the choices down to a dozen, we began looking at the specifics of each site, such as typography, navigation and visual appeal.
About the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Website
Mass․gov is the official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts․ The site acts as the state government’s front desk‚ filing cabinet and help desk․ There is one portal for Massachusetts residents to interface with state government services‚ rather than signing in to each agency separately․ Residents can apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits‚ unemployment insurance compensation‚ paid family leave‚ renew a driver’s license through the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)‚ search laws and regulations‚ and find which agency or elected official’s services they need to contact‚ from the same online portal․
Massachusetts Government is reflected on Mass․gov in the three branches of government: executive‚ legislative and judicial․ The state executive branch is run by the governor and oversees the various agencies and departments whose services are available on the site․ The General Court serves as the state’s legislative branch‚ and the laws passed by the General Court govern how those services will be carried out․ The judiciary interprets those laws․
Massachusetts also has a “commonwealth” governmental model and is prominent in part for its colonial and 1780 constitution which was the oldest constitution still in use in the world at the time‚ which has led to its town meeting government and its handwritten town meeting records being integrated into modern online governmental processes․ Mass․gov is the product of that evolution‚ an effort to translate centuries of government into a modern‚ easy-to-use format․
Why We Chose Massachusetts for the Designerly Web Design Award
The website stands out because all the documentation and departments are streamlined into categories that are simple to navigate. Here are some of the features you can study in-depth and learn from for your own web design work.
Navigation
When you land on the Mass.gov website, you’ll see a large search bar and the question of what you’d like to do. Just under are a list of popular search topics, leading to things like signing up for benefits or checking on a tax refund.
The site is organized into five navigational categories with subheadings under each. This makes getting to the page you need much easier than it would be with additional sections.
Aesthetics
The blue and green ties into building trust with users and the rest of the design is neutral. Blue is a color frequently used by banks and institutions that want to indicate a level of trust and reliability. Blue is also a color that most individuals prefer.
Mobile Responsiveness
The website is highly mobile friendly. It looks very similar on a small screen as it does on a large screen. It loads quickly and has all the same features as the desktop version
Visuals
The graphics and images used on the Mass.gov are crisp and minimalistic, offering a visually pleasing design. Photos offer high resolution and are relevant to the topics at hand.
Footer
The footer is simple and narrow but packs in a lot of crucial information users might need to know if they reach the end of a page. The logo links back to the home page for a quick breadcrumb. The footer also features some basic information, such as the private policy. As with most sites, there is a copyright statement to finish things off. Users expect to see this so it works particularly well.
Trust Indicators
When you’re visiting a government website, you want to be certain any sensitive information is going to an authentic party.
What We Would Do Different
While the site functions well and has excellent navigation, it is a little bland. One doesn’t expect a lot of bells and whistles from a government website, but adding a video showcasing government offices on the home page would enhance their design dramatically and improve engagement.
Leave a Comment