NYC.gov recently relaunched, sporting a sleeker look, its first in a decade, thanks to Brooklyn-based agency HUGE.
The brighter, neater layout means the most important information, such as whether alternate side parking is in effect and if schools are open, is now displayed upfront on the left hand side of the homepage where our eyes look first.
HUGE was also tasked with creating a responsive emergency sister site that people could access for updates in the event of a disaster.
Coincidentally, Hurricane Sandy hit while they were designing it and it was their firsthand witness of its effects that informed their design. A text-only mobile version was also built that could load fast and prioritized information even more than the normal site, meaning only the latest updates are downloaded to your phone.
One issue the team noticed was the tendency for information to quickly become inaccurate, which they got around by designing a simple cross-out system that allowed the city to strike out obsolete information.
They also came up with a system of colored icons that could be added to any update for clarity: a red triangle signaled no access or closure, a yellow square signaled partial access or functionality, and a green circle meant all was in order.
Hop over to the revamped NYC.gov site and see the changes for yourself.
[via Fast Company, images via NYC.gov]