Modernizing the FCC.gov Website

In August, the Federal Communications Commission team began a six-month research and design project to dramatically improve the usability and functionality of FCC.gov and its subdomains. The outcome of these collaborative efforts resulted in an interactive prototype of what the improved FCC.gov will look like, as well as an outline of how website content will be organized and structured based on our research findings. We learned typical website users do not come to FCC.gov to browse content -- they want to get the information they are looking for quickly and in as few clicks as possible. Our research also revealed:

• Stakeholders preferred a clear separation of consumer- vs. practitioner-focused content. Practitioners use the website daily and prefer “cut and dry” information. General consumers prefer informational content on a broad range of topics.
• Stakeholders preferred for content to be organized and categorized based on the FCC’s day-to-day work, with specific and comprehensive navigation titles.
• Stakeholders preferred that the FCC.gov homepage prioritize important content for practitioners, as well as guide consumers to their dedicated section.

As a result of these collaborative efforts, we’re excited to share a fully responsive and 508-compliant prototype of the FCC’s new website design. The prototype is accessible on a computer, tablet, and mobile device and includes the following key features:

• Intuitive information architecture which allows users to understand where they are, navigate more easily, and find information more efficiently
• Homepage design that features content users are coming to the site to access daily
• Clean typeface and overall light look and feel that makes the site easy to read
• Separate area for consumers and a “toggle” navigation that allows visitors to access information by either “Topic” or “Bureau and Office” homepages