Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government:
single public facing website
The ACT Government is currently developing a single approach to user experience for its public facing websites. This involves reviewing existing sites with the aim of consolidating these to reduce duplicated content and confusion.
Our team’s aim was to unify 140 disparate websites by providing consolidation advice and creating a living style guide to create cohesion and consistency.
Project responsibilities
For this project, my skills crossed over several roles, including interaction designer, user researcher and service designer. During this project I:
worked with user researchers to translate their findings into potential design solutions
created a living style guide (based on the Australian Government best practice Digital Transformation Agency UI-Kit) with front-end components ready for developers to implement
redesigned an existing brand image, creating a cohesive online style to be applied to their existing web presence
facilitated design critique sessions with clients to understand their feedback and provide design rationale
User-centred design thinking
Bringing together 140 platforms relied on extensive user research to define user needs and expectations. To design a user-centred information architecture we:
benchmarked the current user experience
conducted in-depth competitor analysis of local, federal and international organisations and their digital engagement and platforms
conducted contextual interviews to understand and scope user needs
worked alongside subject matter experts and looked at current site traffic to identify user top tasks
created a topic tree through card sorting exercises
highlighted key user pathways through research to inform content design
tested frequently with users
Success
My team supported the ACT Government to achieve a unified visual style and identity. The style guide has given the design longevity and consistency. It has also equipped staff with the fundamental code and design building blocks needed to implement this new web identity.
