Consumerfinance.gov
When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau first released its website in February 2011 it targeted a much smaller audience with far fewer resources than it does today. At the time, the original website has been added to and tweaked to meet the needs of the bureau the best it could. However, as the bureau continues to evolve, it is also time for Consumerfinance.gov to scale to meet the needs of the American public.
Setting the stage
Initially, we spoke with consumers, industry leaders, and people within the bureau. These user interviews were leveraged to build key user archetypes that would define the workflows consumerfinance.gov would need to address. Some key areas for improvement were:
Brighter. Friendlier. More consistent.
Product quality goes a long way with users’ perceived legitimacy of online resources. As a federal government agency crafting functional and consistent digital experiences builds trust with the American public.
Accessible on any device
Users visit consumerfinance.gov on an ever-increasing variety of devices. Those most in need of the agency’s resources and support may be limited to older smartphones as their primary means of internet access. Accessible financial empowerment is a must.
Navigation tailored for every section.
Different audiences have different needs, so our navigation reflects this. We tailor each navigation menu to be meaningful to the section’s key audience.
A smaller screen shouldn’t mean a smaller experience. Tablets get the full desktop navigation optimized for touch instead of click. At phone size, our mobile menu allows access to any part of the site, and a secondary navigation at the top of the page helps users discover deeper content.
Getting you where you need to go.
Whether you want to browse for information or solve an issue, we make it easy to find what you need with straightforward organization, easy-to-find content, and menus that provide context and work on mobile.
Current site structure: Each audience has to search across all of cf.gov to find the resources they need. It can be difficult for them to find what they need.
Revised site structure: Navigation categories are more focused on specific user groups. Users are more likely to find the resources they need together in one place.
