Department of Energy Redesign
The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.
The Problem Statement
The energy.gov website is not user-friendly and fails to effectively communicate important information about energy resources. Users struggle to navigate the site, leading to low engagement rates. A redesign is needed to improve usability and enhance the overall user experience, making energy resources more accessible to all.
User Statement
Jack is an environmentally-conscious small business owner seeking ways to reduce energy cost for both his business and personal residence. He is interested in exploring strategies to improve energy efficiency in order to achieve cost savings.
User Testing
APPEARANCE & AESTHETICS:
The overall appearance of the website was thoughtfully arranged, although there are some inconsistencies with white space and unevenly spaced text boxes. The logo is too small and blurry.
CONTENT:
The content was well spaced out and easy to read. The links were easy to identify with the text being blue.
There was not a help button. The search button did not seem to search within the website.
Searching was rough unless you typed something very specific to what you wanted. Even then with no knowledge of a specific area, or article, it was overwhelming
NAVIGATION:
The navigation was okay, There was a lot of pages within pages. There was not a clean way to get to the home screen unless you clicked ENERGY.GOV in the green box which is on each page.
It was easy to get lost in the site then there was only 1 exit back to the home page or multiple clicks on the back button of your browser
FUNCTIONALITY:
There was not a clean way to login or sign up but at the bottom of the page was a way to sign up with an email. No broken links or errors.
As a government site it is information only, and a lot of it, but for the homeowner, a lot of useful information if you can find it.
User notes
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Ideation
I like
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The blue and green color theme
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That the p \ages are organized and consistent in structure
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That there is a lot of good resources and information available
I wish
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the website was easier to navigate
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the website had a more professional updated look
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the website has more information for small businesses to save energy
What if
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the search engine knew exactly what you were looking for
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the website has a tutorial about how to use the website
Prioritization Matrix
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the search engine knew exactly what you were looking for
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the website has a tutorial about how to use the website
Not Worth It
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More imagery on the text-heavy pages to break up the monotony
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More info for businesses to save energy
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Better organization of the information and navigation
Must Haves
Save for Later
Easy Wins
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On the home page, there was a prompt asking if you are a home owner, business owner, contractor, etc. Then present choices/categories for that
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Snap shot of cost/benefit analysis for energy savings
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the animated title for the drop down menu took long to close
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random white bar above "How does solar work" and "Solar Energy Technologies Office.
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There was a brief “how to” for using the search engine
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Short explanation of what the site is and what can be found
Card sorting
Organizing the navigation of the header and footer of the website
Wire framing
Creating a basic layout and structure of the redesigned website to map out the user flow and content organization before moving to a detailed design.
Sketching/lo-fi prototype
The process of sketching for the U.S Department of Energy's website involves understanding the current websites, brainstorming new design ideas, and quickly iterating on concepts. It helps visualize the user experience and interface before creating detailed wireframes and prototypes, wireframes and prototypes, allowing for collaboration and feedback before development.
Mid-fidelity prototype
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With the mid-fi prototype I selected a color scheme that aligns with the websites's mission and aesthetic, opting for a green energy environment feel. I revamped the home page layout to give it a more modern and user-friendly appearance. While the hero space was decent, it created a final version of the hero space that is showcased below.
High-fidelity prototype
Home page including navigation, hero space, call to actions, and featured cards
Climate and clean up page including different sections on ways to better the environment
The energy savings hub page is one of the highlighted pages on the website including different ways to save energy
The science and innovation page keeps you informed on new technologies and opportunities that are available
