Taking advantage of advancements in website design in the marketplace and within the federal government, engineers at USA.gov — the government's central online portal — have released the first public iteration of a newly redesigned site.
The beta launch of the new USA.gov was released May 4, featuring a new design and underlying structure meant to make the platform more dynamic, immediate and useful for both citizens and public agencies.
New Site: Beta.USA.gov
The new site is built using an API infrastructure that pulls directly from other agencies' API feeds to populate the main site, as well as Kids.gov and the Spanish-language GobiernoUSA.gov.
The sites have been reimaged as core publishing portals designed to bring together information from all government agencies, giving users a central access point and giving agencies some added SEO juice from the USA.gov domain.
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The new homepage includes the top read sites and posts throughout the federal government, indexes for finding government services and information and a database of contact information for elected officials and federal agencies.
"This site is so much more than a site," USA.gov Director Sarah Crane wrote in a blog post on DigitalGov. "It's an invitation to agencies to use our brand, leverage our partnerships and release their valuable information out into the wild."
Ultimately, USA.gov might open API access to certain media outlets, as well, Crane said, citing Facebook, Huffington Post, NPR and Washington Post as potential examples, among others.
USA.gov is taking comments on its beta release through an online survey and feedback page on GitHub.
Survey: Beta.USA.gov Site Survey
GitHub: USA.gov & GobiernoUSA.gov Feedback
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
