HUD.gov Redesign: Enhancements, Savings, and Ongoing Challenges
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has launched a new version of its website, HUD.gov, aimed at providing a more user-friendly experience. This redesign is a significant move intended to fulfill the department’s mandate and offer essential information to the public more efficiently than its predecessor.
Key Features of the Redesigned HUD.gov
According to HUD officials, including Secretary Marcia Fudge, the revamped website reflects extensive feedback from users and is projected to save taxpayers an estimated $400,000. The redesign process involved detailed assessments performed by the department’s financial and design teams, along with contributions from a “Digital Experience Working Group” representing various HUD program offices.
Research and User Feedback
- As part of the redesign, HUD conducted user experience research and traffic analysis, alongside a feedback survey that revealed a considerable lack of satisfaction among visitors.
- Almost half of the survey respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the previous iteration of HUD.gov.
- Out of 9,200 pages and 123,000 documents, only 5% of the pages accounted for 80% of web traffic, illustrating severe navigation challenges.
These findings led to the conclusion that the site was overloaded with outdated and disorganized content, hindering user navigation.
Content Optimization and Simplified Navigation
The new HUD.gov aims for clarity by reducing content by approximately 90%. Information is now streamlined into three straightforward categories:
- Helping Americans
- HUD Partners
- Researchers
Initial Challenges Post-Launch
While the navigation improvements are evident, some initial challenges have emerged. For instance, the “HUD Partners” section includes an easier-to-navigate single-family division. However, most links within this section return a 403 error, which indicates access denial by the server. Only the link relating to mortgage insurance for disaster victims was functioning at the time of writing.
Notably, the redesigned single-family partner page has also excluded a dedicated section for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage servicing, although users can still access the National Servicing Center’s website via its original address.
Modernization Efforts and Future Directions
HUD’s commitment to updating its technological infrastructure has been a long-term initiative. According to a report submitted to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in 2021, progress was made, yet challenges remained due to leadership changes and financial constraints that posed risks to ongoing modernization.
As HUD continues its path towards enhancing its digital services, getting user feedback and improving access to reliable information remains a priority, as reflected in this latest redesign endeavor.
