Website Modernization Continues

Americans can consume and interact with online information anywhere, anytime from any digital communications device.  We have come to expect instant gratification: what we want, when we want it, where we want it and how we want it so we can talk, interact or act immediately. If we, as consumers, don’t immediately find what we want, we move on and the opportunity for impactful communications is lost.

Because of how we, the consumers of information, interact with communications, our approach to improvements are never done, never set in stone. At HHS, we have focused for years on a continuous improvement model of for digital communications.

Consistent with rapidly evolving consumer demands, President Trump signed into law the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) in December 2018. The act requires federal organizations to maintain a digital presence that is “designed around user needs with data-driven analysis influencing management and development decisions, using qualitative and quantitative data to determine user goals, needs, and behaviors.”

Simply stated IDEA provides federal agencies the opportunity to deliver the kind of customer service that citizens have come to expect in the private sector.

Some of our improvements over the past several years have been more visible than others. For instance, in the past two years, the HHS.gov team has vastly improved page load speeds, working to make sure that our pages load quickly on phones. Now, you’re going to start to see more of the visible changes that will continue to make it easier for our users to find what they are looking for. Today, 80 percent of HHS.gov visitors consistently report they found or partially found what they were looking for. Just five years ago, it was less than 20 percent.  With improved understanding of user goals, needs, and behavior driving our design and functional decisions, we expect to see customer satisfaction continue to rise.

We are beginning with the HHS.gov homepage.  The new home page, going live later today, will bring our customer research together with the latest federal government website design standards.  The priority topics and current events people are looking for will be highlighted in new ways.  The HHS agencies and offices that provide the expertise that drives interest in HHS will now be featured more prominently.

The new home page will be the beginning of a continuous improvement project that will create a more useful, consistent, faster, simpler and possibly even a fun digital experience for the American public.

As changes are implemented over the years to come, we encourage you to continue to provide feedback through HHS.gov surveys.

Your needs provide our guide for delivering improved customer satisfaction. We appreciate the feedback!