J. Kowton

Modernizing Alberta.ca: A Case Study

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

I led a comprehensive redesign of Alberta.ca, the Government of Alberta's primary digital gateway. This project involved a total overhaul of the site’s design, navigation, information architecture, and user experience across 7,000+ pages. By adopting a user-first philosophy, the redesign significantly improved the findability and accessibility of information for millions of Albertans.

CHALLENGE:

Overcoming the "Information Swamp.” Despite hosting critical public information, the previous iterations of Alberta.ca suffered from structural legacy issues that hindered citizen engagement. Internal research identified several pain points:

• Navigation Paralysis: Users felt swamped by information, often getting lost in deep taxonomies or losing their place when clicking global header elements.

• Band Blindness: Users regularly ignored critical information contained in branded blue and grey bands, perceiving them as non-clickable advertisements.

• Discovery Gaps: A lack of lateral navigation meant users had to repeatedly click up and down through hierarchies to find related services, leading to frustration and low engagement.

STRATEGY:

As the lead on this initiative, I prioritized a Research-First approach to ensure the new architecture was rooted in user behaviour rather than internal assumptions.

• The Audit: Leveraged 140+ hours of usability testing and A/B testing with participants across North America.

• The Philosophy: Focused on four pillars:

  • Safety — minimizing unintended actions,

  • Versatility — device-agnostic design,

  • Simplicity — knowledge-independent navigation,

  • Scanability — clear typography for reading and scanning content.

SOLUTION:

The redesign, launched in March 2024, introduced several key structural innovations:

• Streamlined Wayfinding: Expanded the search tool and replaced cluttered header links with a Hamburger Menu across the site. In addition, we expanded the Breadcrumb menu (both in the taxonomy and on the service pages) to provide a constant sense of place.

• Eliminating Friction: Removed distracting colored bands in favour of clean white space and divider lines, significantly increasing the visibility of navigation elements.

• Lateral Movement: Integrated a persistent Child Menu on the right-hand side (instead of hidden in a drop-down Table of Contents menu above the H1) and Previous / Next Buttons at the foot of pages, allowing users to move seamlessly through collections.

• Standardized Accessible Grid: Replaced inconsistent, centred layouts — which caused eye-tracking fatigue — with a left-aligned grid that ensures a predictable reading path and consistent menu access from page to page.

Results & Impact

The redesign was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from both users and internal stakeholders:

“On the old site, I felt like I was being swamped by information. The new feels very pinpointed and concise... it makes it easier to navigate to where you need to get to quickly.”

Leadership Takeaway:

This project demonstrates my ability to lead large-scale digital transformations by balancing complex technical requirements with user-centric design. It highlights a commitment to transparency, accessibility, and data-backed communication strategies that ensure government services are not just available but truly accessible to every citizen.