Separating the Signal from the Noise: Welcoming Filters to Code.gov
We are proud of the progress at Code.gov. When we launched back on November 3, 2016, we boasted an index of nearly 50 open source projects from over 10 agencies. Not bad for Day One, right? Here we are, nearly two years later, and we have indexed over 4,800 individual projects. Let’s be honest — that is pretty awesome. Some of those agencies include the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense, NASA, and many, many others. We are incredibly proud of those numbers, and on occasion a project gets a moment in the spotlight on what it offers to the world.
There is a lot to do when you arrive at Code.gov, and that can be as much of a hindrance as a benefit. Code.gov has indexed over 4,800 projects. That’s a lot of Javascript, Python, Ruby, and other languages. When you arrive at Code.gov, it can be a little daunting. (Not that we aren’t there to help you out if you have any questions.) So where do you begin with Code.gov?
Through usability testing, we discovered that we needed to give visitors a solid starting point. This is why Code.gov has added filters to our search results.
When you go to Code.gov and select an agency from the drop menu, you will be immediately taken to the results for that specific agency. Once there, you might find there are multiple pages resulting in your search. (The Department of Energy, for example, has 100 pages of results.) Our developers here at Code.gov have made the process of sifting through multiple projects less cumbersome, more efficient. To the left of the agency’s results appear a variety of filters to help you narrow down search results to something more manageable. Say you want to narrow down the projects displayed to only the languages you feel comfortable with, or perhaps focusing on in your classes or continuing education? Go to the Language filter and select “Show More” to reveal the variety of languages that our projects appear in. Select as many as you like. So, from the Department of Energy example above, select:
- Java
- Javascript
- Python
- Ruby
Now 100 pages has become three projects. Much easier to go through the repos and see what appeals to your coding curiosities.
There are other filters you can use when working through Code.gov. You can choose to filter out projects that are only Open Source. You can choose to view projects by how they are licensed. Or, instead of just limiting your search by one agency, you can click “Show More” under the Federal Agency filter and select additional agencies. The search results will then automatically list any projects that meet the criteria you have selected. So while you have started your search for projects at one agency, you can widen parameters with only a few clicks to cover multiple agencies.
This is how we work here at Code.gov. We’re proud to be able to offer you quick and easy access to thousands of projects, but we are always looking to improve the user experience. It is America’s Code, after all. Your code. If you have an idea or a feature you would like to suggest, go on and leave us a comment at https://github.com/GSA/code-gov/issues/new or reach out to us on Twitter or LinkedIn and share with us what’s on your mind. Together, through the improvements we continue to make on Code.gov, we offer you the opportunity to innovate while performing a civic duty on a digital platform.
Code on.
