2024 Winners

International and Region 4

Washington State Department of Licensing

Website Improvement Project

In 2023, the Washington State Department of Licensing redesigned its website. With about 830,000 monthly visitors, dol.wa.gov provides resources and information on driver, vehicle, boat, and professional licensing. The last major technical overhaul of the website was completed in 2006. Since then, the site has not kept pace with the ways customers access services. Usability testing of the website identified major customer concerns. In 2022, the state Legislature appropriated funding for the redesign. They began by soliciting feedback from the public, staff, stakeholders, and other agencies. User-centered design (UCD) principles were forefront during every phase of the redesign. Ensuring access to all users – including those with physical, language, or cognitive barriers – was paramount. In total, more than 1,100 pages were either edited or rewritten. In many instances, information spread among multiple pages was consolidated into one. Online transactions (such as renewing driver licenses or vehicle registration tabs) became easier to complete, providing an alternative for those who cannot easily get to offices. Customer response has been overwhelmingly positive. During the first month of the new website, they received about 980,000 visitors, far exceeding the average. A usability study on accessibility, asking customers how they perceive the site, scored the new site at 74, six points higher than industry standard. (The old site scored a 53.) The agency has received dozens of positive comments about the redesign.

Region 1

Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles

Driving into the Future: RI DMV's Dynamic Web-Based Driver's Manual Initiative

The Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles always seeks to be at the forefront of providing exemplary services to its citizens. In a remarkable stride towards innovation and accessibility, the RI DMV unveiled a digital driver's manual on its website. This strategic move departs from the conventional PDF document format, opting instead for a series of individual web pages specifically designed to enhance user experience, promote safety, make study materials more easily identifiable, and address the needs of a diverse audience. The overhaul of the driver's manual into a web-based format represents a significant leap in making study materials more approachable and user-friendly. The RI DMV is dedicated to ensuring that individuals can easily navigate and comprehend the content as they prepare for the road. Accessibility is a cornerstone of the RI DMV's mission. By integrating the Google Translate functionality, the manual is now accessible to a wider audience, accommodating those who speak various languages. This progressive move contributes to the creation of safer roads and a more informed driving community in Rhode Island and exemplifies how embracing technology can lead to significant improvements in public service delivery.

Region 2

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

Completely Reimagined dmv.virginia.gov

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (VADMV) debuted a completely reimagined website, dmv.virginia.gov, in August 2023. The new and improved website was the result of over two years of meticulous planning that carefully considered best practices in web design, accessibility, and plain language and incorporated the direct feedback of Virginians who participated in usability testing. During the initial phase of the project, VADMV engaged with a technology consultancy for analysis and an accessibility review of the existing site. The overarching website redesign goals were as follows: restructure the information architecture to match user expectations; audit, revise, and reduce content; and create and implement a design system with modern user experience that meets accessibility requirements and standards. In the Discovery phase, 24 stakeholders at VADMV were selected to discuss and gather consensus on areas of improvement and a singular vision for the future of the website. An agile methodology was followed with the vendor, where work was implemented in two-week sprints. Usability testing was conducted twice to vet the effectiveness of the proposed design with real users. After launch, users were tested on the same tasks, now in the live environment. Users felt welcomed by and embraced the new experience, appreciating its user-friendliness, intuitive nature, and wealth of information. The overall score for site performance increased 20% in a month’s time, from the old site to new. The new website helps customers easily find important information online, enabling them to expedite their visit to VADMV or avoid a visit altogether.

Region 3

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Ride Safe Indiana

In August, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) released a new look for its Ride Safe Indiana (RSI) website. RSI is the motorcycle focused wing of the BMV. The purpose of the redesign was to align the site more closely to the RSI mission: to train motorcyclists and educate motorists to decrease motorcycle fatalities and accidents. Further, there has been a steady increase in the number of Hoosiers adding motorcycle endorsements to their licenses. Site metrics showed recurrent search engine queries for terms like “skills test” and “motorcycle drive test”, with users first visiting the provider locations page to take the skills test on their own without completing a course. With that in mind, RSI set a goal to increase participation in its motorcycle safety skills courses for Hoosiers obtaining an endorsement. To help make this happen, more clarity was needed on the website regarding how to obtain an endorsement. Initially, information was laid out on multiple webpages, and it wasn’t apparent there are two ways to obtain an endorsement. The information is now contained on a single page. The content also guides users toward participating in a motorcycle safety course by advocating multiple benefits. The revamped site has shown changes in user behavior. The endorsement page has had a 29% increase in pageviews and now ranks as the top visited page. And more search queries like “classes”, “courses”, and “safety course” are appearing in the top 25 searched keywords. User journeys through the site show the endorsement page is now the top starting page for interactions with the site and behavior flows show less drop-offs from that page. Perhaps most importantly, the RSI team has celebrated a record breaking 8,000 people trained in their courses year to date.