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Charting a Clear Course: A Website Redesign Roadmap for Labor Market Information

Case Study

Washington State Employment Security Department

Person working on a laptop with Employment Security Department website shown in a browser. Farming equipment seen outside through a window.
Employment Security Department website shown in a browser.
Human Centered Design process diagram detail.

The Problem

Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) provides Labor Market Information (LMI) for job seekers, employers, and public officials. However, the LMI section of their website has become unhelpful. Frustrated customers call it "overwhelming" and "dense," struggling with a website that’s hard to navigate, inaccessible, and doesn’t meet their needs. This led some to seek more customer-friendly, but costly, alternatives.

ESD knew they needed a change. They set out to create a customer-friendly website that makes it easy to find and understand labor market data, program performance metrics, and economic trends.

Diagram of the content ecosystem of the LMI website.

A content ecosystem map to identify improvements on the LMI website.

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The Solution 

Planning LMI’s website redesign required us to understand customer needs. We began by listening. We interviewed customers, labor economists, and ESD teams, uncovering valuable insights into ESD's vision, customer behaviors, and pain points. Next, we conducted a customer survey to collect data on customers' backgrounds, usage patterns, and sentiments about the website.

Our experts compared best practices from similar websites, focusing on UX, UI, accessibility, plain language, hierarchy, and branding. We mapped LMI’s content, reviewing its quality, scope, and areas for improvement. These findings formed a data-driven roadmap with clear goals, design principles, and recommendations for a customer-centered website.

The Impact

Our roadmap prioritizes human-centered design to make LMI’s website more intuitive, accessible, and customer-centered. It provides practical ways to maintain the website and content, allowing LMI to meet changing customer needs.

With actionable upgrades and compelling evidence, ESD can now offer stakeholders a clear case for meaningful changes. This investment will improve the experience for ESD staff and customers, encouraging informed decisions and a culture of inclusivity and accessibility.