Department of State SharePoint
The Office of the Executive Director (ECA-IIP/EX) supports the operations of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Bureau of International Information Programs, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, The Office of Policy Planning and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities, and Economic and Business Affairs. They strive to efficiently, and effectively support these Bureaus in realizing their program objectives by providing the highest quality customer service in administrative support, budget and financial management, grants, human resources, procurement support, and management analysis.
Strategy
Understanding the Users
I did audience research to get to know our users. I studied analytics and the results of user feedback and interviews. I looked for patterns within groups of users. I then used this information to create User Personas. It’s these personas and the picture they paint of our primary users, that I’ll refer to throughout the design process while we’re making key decision-making on this project. I combed through the data and the interviews, and summed it up with 3 user types. The three user personas were created from patterns and trends that occurred commonly in user interviews and surveys. The information is grouped by user type. I can now design for our primary user, and accommodate the secondary user.
Information Architecture
Content Inventory
Branding Aesthetic
Interview target audience/usersIn our last phase of this project we did audience research to get to know our users. We studied analytics and the results of user feedback and interviews. We looked for patterns within groups of users. We then used this information to create User Personas. It’s these personas and the picture they paint of our primary users, that we’ll refer to throughout the design process while we’re making key decision-making on this project. We combed through the data and the interviews, and summed it up with 3 user types. The three user personas were created from patterns and trends that occurred commonly in user interviews and surveys. The information is grouped by user type. We can now design for our primary user, and accommodate the secondary user.
Challenges
- Meet user's needs.
- Balance out stakeholder feedback with user requests.
- Clarify EX’s mission with quick access to org charts and other intranet sites.
- Have a consistent navigation and improved user flow.
Outcome
Since the launch, the site has seen a dramatic reduction in bounce rate. Over 23% in comparison to the previous design. In addition, the redesign increased overall page views by over 184%. These metrics demonstrate that users are finding what they need more easily. The simplified processes have improved the ease of use, consistent navigation and relative content.