Recovery.gov – Improving the User Experience
Welcome to the blog sponsored by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the independent agency created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The Board’s staff is planning on:
- Providing you with a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the Board, including what happens when you submit a fraud allegation
- Answering your questions about Recovery, and
- Clearing up some misconceptions about Recovery – for instance, that the Recovery Act and TARP are one in the same.
But, most importantly, the blog is a forum for your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about our performance, both here and at Recovery.gov.
Today, in response to comments, suggestions, and feedback, we’ve added a number of new features and functionalities to Recovery.gov:
New Features On the Home Page
Recovery.gov homepage carousel
Featured Story Carousel
Scroll left or right and click on any picture to get the facts about a Recovery project or program .
Social Media Feeds
Interact with others who are talking about Recovery, government, and similar topics on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. See pictures posted on the Recovery Flickr account and read the latest Blog post.
Chairman’s Corner
Watch the Chairman’s new video on all the new features.
User-focused navigation for easier access to information
Looking For? User-Centered Navigation
Click the Looking For? tab for a dropdown menu designed with particular users in mind, such as “An Interested Citizen” or “A Data User.” There are icons representing what you might be looking for on the site – projects in your neighborhood, opportunities, or the Recovery Act. Click on any icon to go to the section specifically designed for you.
Map Gallery
Access all the maps on the site from one page. Explore new maps like the “Lights On” Map - Created and designed by Edward Tufte, this map lights up to display the progression of the distribution of awards from February 17, 2009 to June 30, 2010. You can also find maps that show where Recovery money went to fund Education and the COPS program.
Job Search
Search for jobs that recipients of Recovery funds might offer.
Search for jobs through the Indeed.com job board.
Search your state website for jobs, and employment information, closer to home.
Developer Center
State Data Summary Widget
Use this widget to see recipient data in your state only — by county, congressional district, or zip code — and have it automatically updated every quarter.
Advanced Search Widget
You can configure in-depth searches and add the XML data to your own site.
Recovery Map API
Take the recipient data from Recovery.gov and mash it up against other datasets.
3rd Party Widgets/Apps
Create your own maps with ESRI’s templates and find Recovery projects using a mobile app.
Visit Recovery.gov and let us know what you think about these new features.
This blog is great, it’s nice to see that you are integrating social media into your program’s offerings.
This is very interesting that you integrated a social media feed into the homepage of the website for a website this large. This proves that the importance of social media is growing in use and such. It looks like you added some great features to your website to improve the experience.
Hi, Kevin here. I just want to thank the Recovery blog for doing such a great job with the new features. The Featured Story Carousel provides a refreshing addition to the graphical interface and the Social Media feeds are a step forward in the right direction with everything going social.
The widgets and feeds are nice as well and the Job search seems to be functioning better than most I’ve experienced on other sites. Looking forward to future updates.
Thanks for this post. This proves that the importance of social media is growing in use and such. It looks like you added some great features to your website to improve the experience.
Have we recovered yet?
This is very interesting that you integrated a social media feed into the homepage of the website for a website this large. This proves that the importance of social media is growing in use and such. It looks like you added some great features to your website to improve the experience
Social media is a must for organizations in today’s marketplace. It is becoming commonplace and many people expect that businesses or organizations will have a social media presence. It is almost like the phone was many years ago. What was once a luxury became a necessary business tool. I think that is where social media is today.
sounds cool. Which social media do you count as… social media?