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The National Archives redesigned website was selected as a winner in the Website / Dynamic Media: Public Sector category at the ClearMark Awards.

The ClearMark Awards are given to the best plain language documents and web sites. They are judged by a panel of international experts, following a strict set of criteria. Revised documents were judged on not just the quality of the final document, but also the quality of improvement.

• Archives.gov Redesign Entry Form

Judges comments about the National Archives and Records Administration website include:

• Good job identifying key audiences and knowing what they want.
• Top tasks are easy to find.
• Home page and most topic portal pages fit on one screen.
• Very clean look and feel.
• The site carries top-level navigation to secondary sections.
• A very simple-to-use site!

Share Your Thoughts on the Archives.gov Redesign:

Previous Participation

Thank you for your input! See a summary of your feedback below.

Select Your Favorite Design

The results are in – Design C received the most votes for the Archives.gov Redesign.

• View the Archives.gov homepage redesign vote results.
  
  

Categorize and Organize the Site

Card Sort Results

Online card sorts are used to help us learn how citizens would organize the site. In April, everyone was invited to participate in Card Sorts during the Archives Genealogy Fair and online via Facebook and the NARAtions blog.

A summary of the results for each type of card sort is listed below. (There were 372 card sort participants.) These documents are in PDF format:

• General Information
• Genealogy
• Historical Topics
• Historical Research
• Resources for Veterans
• All Comments
  
  

What Do You Call It

In May, we asked for input on how to refer to the documents, photos, and videos that the National Archives stores.

• View Comments
  
  

Data Analysis and Feedback

To prepare for the Archives.gov redesign, we are continually gathering web site data and user feedback from WebTrends reports, American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey data, site search data, and visitor comments. The following reports help us to gather information about visits, customers, and tasks. More data will be provided as it becomes available.

Who Are Our Customers and What Do They Want?

Data above is based on the January 1-June 30, 2010 ACSI Survey Results - the survey randomly pops up for Archives.gov visitors.

Statistical Data Reports

• Archives.gov 2009 Statistics Report
  
  
• Google Analysis:   July 2009 - January 24, 2010 - these are the most common keywords Google found when crawling Archives.gov and reflect the subject matter of the site during the specified timeframe.
  
  

Strategy and Results

The redesign goals and how they were met are outlined in these documents.

• Redesign Strategy Overview:   PDF   |   PowerPoint
  
  
• Archives.gov Web Site Analysis and Recommendations
  
  
• Redesign Participation and Results:   PDF   |   PowerPoint
  
  
• Usability Test Results - these tests were used to determine how visitors navigate the site, define labels, etc. The results were used for redesign recommendations.
  
  
  • Home Page Usability Test Findings - based on the testing of 3 wireframe versions of the Archives.gov home page in 2009.
  • Graphic Design Usability Test Findings - based on a graphical representation of the top-level Archives.gov redesign pages in August 2010.
    
    

If you are unable to access or view any of these documents, please contact the Web Program Staff.

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Redesign Goals

The goal is to make Archives.gov a participatory user-focused web site. The Archives.gov 2010 redesign will:

• Streamline Navigation
• Improve Access to Holdings
• Simplify Content
• Update Visual Design
• Focus on Customer's Tasks

Project Plan Schedule

The plan is to follow a multi-phase project plan to meet NARA's internal goals and ensure the site design reflects optimal user experience for the largest number of users:

Phase I (launch Winter 2010)

• Redesign the home page and top task pages to focus on primary customers.
• Implement a new search interface.

Phase II (launch 2011)

• Address sections related to the other top user tasks.
• Continue to make improvements to focus on the user and their top tasks.

Phase III

• Continue to improve access to holdings.
• Migrate into a Content Management System (CMS).

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