About USWDS
Research
User research is a core aspect of the U.S. Web Design System as it’s our main source of feedback and inspiration for future product development.
We plan to use a combination of research methods, quantitative research like collecting web analytics to see how frequently the Design System is used around the federal government, and qualitative research like remote observational studies to see whether the Design System is making government sites easier for people to use. We’ll use this research to see how well the Design System is working and what needs to be improved.
Analytics Reporting
Quarterly Reports
Once a quarter the metrics displayed on the about our work page will be updated to reflect the recent traffic and usage of the U.S. Web Design System. We will use this information to identify future improvements to the design patterns. You can use these metrics to help justify the adoption and continued use of the Design System.
References
- https://www.nngroup.com/articles/analytics-reports-ux-strategists/
- http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/an-analytics-first-approach-to-ux-part-1/
User Research Activities
Recruitment
One of our challenges is knowing who is interested in being part of our user research. To resolve this, we will implement several channels for federal designers and developers to signal their interest and provide their contact information to us. This will allow us to conduct research in a timely fashion.
Potential Methods
- Re-activate the screener to intercept users of designsystem.digital.gov
- Provide a “Contact Us” feature on designsystem.digital.gov
- Perform outreach via federal listservs and other digital channels
Digital Service Team Remote Interviews
One of the most consistent ways we have collected feedback from our users has been by conducting remote interviews with digital service teams around the federal government. This has allowed us to collect direct feedback and suggestions for how to improve the product. Given this success, the team aims to continue using this method on a frequent (1-2 interviews per month) basis.