FindYouthInfo is a federal government website that provides interactive tools and other resources to help youth-serving organizations and community partnerships plan, implement, and participate in effective programs for youth. The project goal was to take the client's* existing website and migrate its content into a completely redesigned and redeveloped site. The new design and underlying technology had to support a large expansion in the site's content offerings and tools while also adhering to accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Client
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services*
Federal Government Agency
Audience & Topics
Government Officials, Program Managers, Grant Writers
Youth | Government Programs | Collaboration
Launched
January 2010
* The work presented in this case study was performed by Tarek Anandan as an employee of the American Institutes for Research under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Roles, Deliverables and Methods
Project Manager
Requirements Gathering, Meeting Facilitation, Task Scheduling, Quality Control
Information Architect
Wireframes, Page Layouts
Art Director
Design Specifications, Oversight of 3rd-Party Produced Design Comps, Selection of Photographic Artwork
Senior Developer
Oversight of Development
Maintenance Task Leader
Oversaw Regular Content Updates and Periodic Functional Enhancements
Technology & Tools
Features
Accessible for All
As a .gov product for the federal government, FindYouthInfo is subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Its content had to be fully accessible to those with visual, hearing, and other impairments. The site received near perfect marks under two federal accessibility audits, one just before its launch and another several months later.
Audience Targeting and Badges
FindYouthInfo was designed to appeal to youth serving agencies throughout the country, each serving a unique population. To help spread the word about the government resource, a set of embeddable badges were created that paid special attention to diversity.
Improved Distribution
The new FindYouthInfo offered several additional ways for users to stay informed. Announcements about upcoming events, new products, and important initiatives from across the federal government were aggregated and distributed via an RSS feed and a twice-monthly email newsletter. These two mechanisms greatly increased the reach of FindYouthInfo while more advanced social marketing campaigns were being developed.