The Best Designed Government Websites
Take a quick guess — how many U.S. federal agencies do you think there are?
The answer is…NOBODY KNOWS. That’s right, the federal government is so big that we do not know how many federal agencies or departments there are. According to Forbes.com, federal sources state there are as few as 61 or as many as 443. No matter what side of the political divide you stand on, I think that we can all agree that this level of discrepancy is an issue.
It also created a unique challenge for me when I set out to determine what federal agencies have the best designed websites. Since I’m a perfectionist, I of course chose to look at the 400+ sites listed on USA.gov. After 4+ hours of perusing government websites, here are the best designed federal agency/department websites:
NOAA
NOAA’s website will make you want to dive in and explore the vast and mysterious depths of the world’s oceans. From compelling content and imagery, to the overall site layout, NOAA’s website is effectively designed to spearhead its mission of Science, Service, and Stewardship.
NOAA’s website incorporates vertical sidebar navigation, which you wouldn’t expect from a typical government website. There are nine icons that correlate to their nine focus areas. This may seem excessive, but the sidebar expands and contracts and doesn’t take up valuable real estate.
A key benefit of NOAA’s website is consistency. Each of the nine focus area pages include a compelling photo, interactive facts, a high-level overview, a related news story, and industry expert highlights. While each focus area page has the same layout, the content is engaging and entices users to scroll through to learn more about each focus area.
NOAA’s website is also extremely cohesive and well-branded. The color scheme, typography, image treatments, visual hierarchy, and iconography are consistently applied across the website. The users get a true understanding of who NOAA is and what they stand for.
One key area for improvement is NOAA’s individual organizational pages, including the National Weather Service and the Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. This may be a work in progress, but NOAA’s website would be more impactful if the Staff Offices, Corporate Services, and Line Offices websites were visually consistent.
U.S Air Force Recruiting
The U.S. Air Force has a powerful and modern recruiting website that is anything but boring. The website features high energy videos, captivating images, tailored content, and succinct messaging that adequately reflects their mission objectives.
A key differentiator of the Air Force recruiting website is its personalized content. Starting from the homepage, users can build a tailored experience based on their gender, education level, and career ambitions. The more the user explores and interacts with the site, the more it will customize the user experience. Users can explore careers, stories, and professional development opportunities based on their interests.
The Careers page allows users to filter open positions based on areas of interest, education-level, professional career opportunities, and ASVAB categories. Instead of the typical list of open positions, each job has an associated image and dynamic content that excites the user.
Another key component of the website is the Airman Challenge, an interactive game that has the user try and complete the types of missions Airmen carry out. The Air Force website is definitely no order government website.
One area for improvement is the Watch Videos page. The page includes 35+ tags to sort videos which overwhelms the user. In addition, the official website of the U.S. Air Force looks drastically different than the recruiting website. The websites would have greater impact with cohesive branding and visual consistency.
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps website inspires and motivates users to take a hands-on, grassroots approach to create lasting change. The website incorporates engaging videos, compelling stories, and fascinating photos from around the world that entice action. Overall, the website is well-organized and effectively designed for users to navigate through its comprehensive content.
One of the most robust areas of the website is the Countries page. You can click on the individual plus signs to see a high-level overview of the region, which includes percentage of volunteers and countries within that region. Alternatively, you can scroll further down the Countries page to see the full list of regions and sort the countries by project sector. On the individual country pages, you can learn more about the nation, current projects in the area, and volunteer openings, stories, and preparation.
The Volunteer Openings page is also extremely robust and offers advanced filtering capabilities. Users can search by project, language requirements, location, and couple acceptance. Based on the Volunteer Openings and Countries pages alone, it is evident that The Peace Corps has an effective content management strategy.
The Peace Corps website is also well-branded and aesthetically appealing. The six icons for the project sectors are useful and effectively applied across individual country pages to depict current projects. In addition, the bright colors captivate users and evoke excitement.
One area for improvement is the Donate page. Users have the option to donate to volunteer projects, country and issue funds, and the global fund. However, it is extremely confusing and taxing on the user to search and filter donation options. The main Donate page should clearly state the donation options available and facilitate quicker means of giving.
National Parks Foundation (NPF)
The NPF is the official charity of the National Park Service (NPS) and boasts an impressive website that captivates national park enthusiasts. The website features breath-taking images, travel ideas, and an interactive historical timeline.
The Explore the Parks feature of the website allows users to search parks by name, region or state. Each park page features an about section, making an impact, and visiting information. Larger parks, such as Rocky Mountain National Park allows users to share their park experience and upload photos.
The Our Work portion of the website is aesthetically appealing and effectively depicts their programs, campaigns and initiatives. In addition, the Mission and History page tells a captivating story of the foundation’s 50-year history.
The Support portion of the website has several different giving options, including a donation form, gift shop, corporate partnerships, and monthly giving. In comparison to The Peace Corps’ website, the donation process is more streamlined.
One key area for improvement is the gift shop. The individual products in the gift shop take you to CafePress, which affects their credibility.
Other Sites
Additional well-designed government websites include the United States Institute of Peace, the USO, and the National Park Service.
