Revamping USAJOBS’ homepage for clarity and navigability after 6+ years

Overview

The USAJOBS website is the primary gateway for job seekers to access federal job listings and hiring resources. In 2022, six years after its last redesign, the USAJOBS team and OCIO recognized the need to update the homepage, the site’s key entry point. Data analysis and user feedback revealed cluttered, repetitive content that hindered navigation. As the UX designer, I collaborated with a content strategist and business analysts to usability test a streamlined homepage, improving clarity and accessibility. The redesign led to positive survey feedback and a 200% increase in engagement, creating a fairer, more intuitive experience for all visitors exploring federal job opportunities.

My Role

UX Design

UX Research

Data Analysis

Workshop facilitation

Presentation Design

Project management

Tools

Miro

Google Analytics

User Interviews

Teams

Survey Monkey

Sketch + InVision

Institution

U.S. Office of Personnel Management - USAJOBS

Team

Program team , Product Owner, Business Analysts, Content Strategist, Developers, Data Scientist

Period

December 2022 - March 2024

The challenge

An outdated job listings and hiring resource website limits qualified applicants

USAJOBS, the official U.S. government job site, had long been criticized for being outdated, difficult to navigate, and hard to use. This issue is common among government websites which face delays in updates due to strict regulations, security requirements, accessibility standards, and multi-agency approvals. USAJOBS is widely used, with 6,431,345 active profiles to date, but satisfaction surveys over the years revealed that many users unfamiliar with the system struggled to navigate it, likely reducing the pool of qualified candidates. The product team recognized that redesigning the homepage was essential in making navigation more intuitive across the entire site, as it shapes first impressions and directs job seekers to key resources. Engaging a diverse pool of users, especially those unfamiliar with the federal workforce, was crucial for USAJOBS to provide fair and equal opportunities for all applicants.

How might we modernize the USAJOBS homepage to effectively guide both federal and non-federal visitors to their desired destinations and demystify the federal hiring process?

*The previous USAJOBS redesign launched on September 9, 2016*

*The USAJOBS homepage design on December, 2022 when the new project began*

The discovery process

Identify user pain points in customer satisfaction surveys

I reviewed responses from the Verint survey on USAJOBS to uncover usability issues reported by users.

Analyze user behavior using Google Analytics

USAJOBS’ Data Scientist tracked homepage clicks and pageviews to understand navigation patterns and identify the most engaged content.

Content audit for clarity and efficiency

My team reviewed the homepage for redundant or outdated elements to remove unnecessary information and enhance usability.

*The secondary research insights organized on a Miro board*

Synthesize problems that accumulated over time

**Users struggled to understand the homepage’s purpose**
Visitor feedback revealed that users often felt overwhelmed and unclear about the site’s purpose. The top section, including the search bar and banner, needed a visual revamp and clearer messaging to improve navigation. Addressing these issues was key to guiding users more effectively.

**Low engagement with key features**
Google Analytics showed that only four hiring path links received significant clicks, suggesting additional links were unnecessary. The events section, though the 11th most viewed page, lacked visibility due to limited event previews. The "Federal Hiring Myth" page also had low traffic and was not an effective use of homepage space.

**Ineffective promotion of infrastructure jobs**
The infrastructure jobs page, promoted via an alert banner, saw low traffic from the homepage. Since alert banners were typically used for site maintenance notifications, users may have ignored or dismissed it. This indicated that critical job resources needed a better placement strategy.

**Redundant and outdated content created clutter**
The phrase "Create profile" was repeated multiple times in one section, making content unnecessarily long. Footer sublinks were redundant, duplicating navigation options already available at the top of the page. Social media icons were also outdated and needed updates to align with current branding.

Defining the redesign

Adapting to the latest design system

Before designing the homepage, my team reviewed existing components to determine if they could use the latest USWDS 3.0 elements or required customization. I created a list to track components that needed minor style adjustments for consistency. During this process, we found that some, like the modular tab component, were missing from USWDS 3.0 and planned to replace them with accordion components.

*Table tracking whether homepage components can or cannot be replaced by the conventional design system components*

*The first Desktop and Mobile prototypes made for usability testing*

Initial redesign ideation by streamlining and reorganizing the homepage

I integrated key issues that were identified during the disovery process into the first mockup for iteration. The result was a more streamlined and user-focused design, including but not limited to the following key changes from the previous version:

Consolidated redundant elements
Rewrote outdated content
Organized elements based on user priorities
Redesigned the search bar and banner area
Highlighted popular hiring paths and events

I presented the mockup to stakeholders for approval, and developed it into a high-fidelity prototype with both mobile and desktop views for usability testing. This process ensured the design was ready for real-world testing, providing valuable insights for further iteration.

User testing and analysis

Including public users under constraints

The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) is a U.S. law designed to minimize the burden of collecting information from the public. It mandates that federal agencies obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before conducting surveys, interviews, or usability tests with 10 or more non-federal participants. The approval process can be lengthy, causing delays in usability testing. To avoid these delays and prevent further postponing of the USAJOBS homepage redesign, the usability test was structured to be PRA-exempt by limiting non-federal participants to a maximum of 9, while allowing an unlimited number of federal employees, who are not subject to PRA restrictions, to participate.

For this test, 17 participants were recruited, including 6 non-federal individuals and 11 federal employees. Recruitment was based on responses to listserv emails, targeting job seekers interested in federal employment. Due to PRA concerns, a maximum of 9 public participants were recruited, with 6 ultimately completing the tests.

**6 non-federal individuals interested in federal employment**

88%

were familiar with job searching on USAJOBS

82%

looked for a job through USAJOBS in the last year

Moderated usability testing informed by navigation challenges

The test aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the redesigned homepage and identify areas for improvement. Key aspects of the test included:

Asking participants to share their first impressions of the page and highlight which elements they found most visually engaging or confusing. This helped assess whether the design drew attention to the most important areas.
Quantifying how easily users could find key content, such as job listings and events, by timing their speed and having them rate tasks, while focusing on whether the structure of the page supported quick access to essential information.
Evaluating the clarity and usefulness of interactive elements like search bars, buttons, and widgets to determine if they supported the users’ goals.
Having a portion of the participants test the mobile version of the homepage to assess its responsiveness and whether the user experience was equally intuitive on smaller screens.
Conducting post-test discussions to explore user expectations for the homepage content and whether it matched what they found, along with any difficulties or confusion they encountered.

*Scenario and tasks from the* *research plan*

The research questions that guided the tasks and the test were:

1. Is the visual hierarchy of the page structured in a way that makes sense?

2. Can visitors easily digest information provided on the homepage?

3. What pieces of information are visitors expecting to find on the homepage?

4. How likely are users to read the Events section?

5. How is the user experience on mobile?

The study was conducted remotely through Zoom, with screen sharing and real-time observation to gather both qualitative and quantitative data on how the new design performed.

Post-usability testing refinements and final design adjustments

After usability testing, the team analyzed findings, identified issues, and proposed improvements to enhance the user experience.

Feedback was generally positive, with participants appreciating the updated color scheme, the Events and Career Spotlight sections, and the Urgent Hiring Needs feature.

However, key areas for improvement emerged, including difficulty navigating job resources, low engagement with events, unclear calls to action, and mobile navigation issues. To address these, planned changes included clarifying job resource headers, repositioning the Events section, using an accordion for Urgent Hiring Needs, refining imagery, removing ad-like content, simplifying the footer, and improving mobile navigation.

I presented the usability test findings and proposed changes to the product team and leadership to ensure feasibility within technical and policy constraints. As a result, additional updates became required, including adding an OPM logo, clarifying "hiring paths," and linking to branded search pages. Leadership approved the redesign, describing it as "clean and modern" with minimal risk.

I next conducted a follow-up unmoderated survey to assess user interaction with the Urgent Hiring Needs accordion component. I sent the survey to 30 newly recruited participants, including 8 public users (5 of whom had participated in the usability test) and 22 federal employees who had not been part of the initial usability study. I asked the participants if they understood how to expand and collapse the accordion and to provide feedback on alternative design options. The results showed that 96% understood how to expand the section, and 72% preferred the original accordion design. Based on these findings, the team decided to retain the accordion format but update the heading text to a more action-oriented phrase to increase visibility and improve findability.

96% **understood how to expand an accordion** to see more content

The final homepage redesign

I refined the high-fidelity prototype based on usability test feedback, follow-up survey insights, and leadership requests. A side-by-side comparison of the original and redesigned homepage was created in a slide deck, highlighting key updates and their rationale. The deck was shared across the program for final approval before development.

Change 1: Ambiguous to obvious Search Bar and website use

Problem

Current search bar could use an explanation of what it’s for, which would help new audiences
The puzzle image/banner has become outdated
“Create a profile” is repeated four times

Design solution

Added a header for the search tool, “Find your federal government job”
New image added for the main banner
“Create a profile” is mentioned once in a form of a button

Change 2: Precise grouping of Branded Search Page Links

Problem

Job resource links need to stand out, but currently not many visitors are going to the bipartisan infrastructure jobs page (~4947 all clicks between 2021 - 2022)
An alert box is used to promote branded search pages instead of about upcoming system maintenance

Design solution

Placed the branded search page link under a new section called “Unique careers with the government” where other branded search pages or job resources will be available
Changed the link into a button for better visibility
Added an image and description about each page

4. The site alert component will be used when notices about upcoming system maintenance must be made, and will always be placed at the top of the page.

5. The information status alert component will be used when other temporary/urgent notices must be made.

Change 3: Replace unnecessary components and content

Problem

The current module tabs change the design system accordion components
“Create profile” is repeated many times
The “Explore opportunities” tab has more pageviews than the “Federal application process” tab, yet it’s the last tab

Design solution

Changed the “Create a profile” tab into a simplified infographic in the banner
Ordered the tabs by most viewed
Used the design systems’ default accordion component

Change 4: No need to show all Hiring Path Links

Problem

Some of the most viewed hiring path pages (“Open to public”, “Federal employees”, “Veterans”, and “Students”) are not prioritized in the list
The list of hiring path pages is long

Design solution

Displayed the top 4 hiring paths pages with the most page views
Added a “Learn about hiring paths” button that will take the user to a page with the full list of hiring paths to save space

Change 5: Convey the variety of Events

Problem

The Events section currently does not get too much traffic (it was the 11th most viewed page with 253,330 page views last year). The title is not too descriptive
Previewing 2 events does not indicate the abundance of events

Design solution

Created a “Explore the latest job fairs and events” section that showcases more than 2 events: a main current event and a few upcoming events
Added an image above the main event

Change 6: Links helpful to new users

Problem

People don't realize the Help Center’s Federal hiring myth section and link since it's at the bottom of the page
Federal hiring myth is not the best representation of the Help Center

Design solution

Replaced the Federal hiring myth section with a short section linking to the Help Center and Get started page

Change 7: Up to date footer content

Problem

The Account and Help columns and the surrounding whitespace in the footer take up space
The sub-links are not necessary or the same links from the main navigation bar
Social media icons are not updated: facebook and twitter will no longer be used

Design solution

Removed all of the links
Removed unused social media icons
Included the OPM brand logo

The post-launch impact

Positive reception to the long awaited update since 2016

The redesigned USAJOBS homepage launched on March 28, 2024. OPM announced the update through federal HR channels, media outlets, and social media. The redesign received positive feedback from job seekers, with users commenting,

“I love the way the new dashboard is set up. It is far less overwhelming and much easier to navigate a federal job search!”

— Comment on social media

“I appreciate the simplified and improved design of the updated application.”

— Comment on social media

Customer satisfaction surveys echoed similar sentiments, with responses like,

“The website is improving, especially the navigation”

— Feedback from survey

“The look is much better, and the search function stands out more.”

— Feedback from survey

Google Analytics showed that engagement with the links on the homepage increased significantly.

*Links that got clicked from the homepage 3 months before and 3 months after the redesign launch*

Lessons Learned

Despite being a prioritized project, development faced delays due to a long backlog and shifting priorities. Development tickets detailing the approved changes were created in 2023, but implementation was postponed for over six months before the final launch. This experience highlighted the challenges of managing competing priorities within the USAJOBS product backlog and emphasized the need for better planning to prevent similar delays in future projects.

Another key takeaway was that while analyzing user paths and page views in Google Analytics provided valuable insights, it did not offer a complete picture of user behavior. In the future, incorporating movement maps and scroll maps could help identify where users hover their mouse and how far they scroll down the page, leading to more precise usability improvements.

Next Steps

To ensure continuous improvement, the design and research team plans to establish a structured process for regularly evaluating homepage performance. Given that usability testing revealed the Events section was not a high-priority resource for job seekers, the team will explore ways to integrate events more naturally into the job search journey rather than keeping them as a standalone section.

Future homepage iterations may also include refinements based on evolving user needs and behavioral data. By leveraging deeper analytics and ongoing user feedback, the team aims to maintain a user-centered design that continuously adapts to improve the job-seeking experience.

View Other Works