A usability lab for local government

I established the Civic User Testing Group in partnership with the Mayor's office of Chattanooga, Tennessee and my Code for America team. The lab usability tests government apps, services, and forms with community members.

One example of a CUT Group test: The City of Chattanooga Treasurer's office wanted to improve some of their paper forms and later put the forms online. The forms were created over decades, and had a hodgepodge of letterhead and formatting.

After usability testing the forms with the business owners who fill them out, I standardized the letterhead to clearly list the fees in the upper right. I also eliminated duplicated fields, and incorporated Dana Chisnell’s wisdom from her research with voting materials.

The approach of the CUT Group was based on the model of Smart Chicago.