The Department of State released new features Friday on its website, State.gov, including a fully responsive design that can be viewed on all devices, a more streamlined navigational structure, and increased integration with the agency’s social media accounts.
The State Department’s website experiences about 40 million page views per year. Users will be able to easily access the site on laptops, tablets, or mobile devices because of the new design.
The navigation menu has been condensed to include the most commonly accessed items including information about passports, visas, and travel information under a “Quick Links” tab on the home page.
The website uses application program interfaces (APIs), which pull content from the State Department’s Twitter, DipNote, and Flickr accounts to make the information available on the homepage. As reported earlier by MeriTalk, the State Department is one of the leading agencies in Twitter usage.
The announcement follows a memorandum from Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott, which requires agencies to make their websites adaptable to multiple devices and increase information transparency.
The State Department focuses on data-driven decisions and user-centric design to enhance its website in order to improve access to information and consumer experience.
