Today we’ll take a look at great government websites. We can learn a lot from these websites as their main purpose is offering a ton of information for any kind of public. That’s why most government websites are relying on an outstanding information architecture and providing a great usability for their users.
In this article I will discuss only a few government websites. Of course there are many more, and I advise you to go on a search for websites of your own area if you’re interested. So let’s begin our trip!
Visit Utah
Visit Utah has a very nice layout. Note the bright colors and vivid textures. It really represents its nature and rough environment.
Australia
This website doesn’t seem to use a sub-navigation or drop-down menu. Instead they chose to use well organized blocks of content, each describing their underlaying pages.
National Park Service
The large slider looks very appealing, which makes that the search fields are placed at a perfect spot. The menu items have an obvious name which make it easier to find what you are looking for.
Museum of Australian Democracy
This one looks very modern, the full-width layout makes it look stunning as well.
British Parliament
Great color scheme and very easy on the eyes. The amount of text is perfectly balanced with thumbnails and pictures.
Visit Idaho
A very refreshing website with wonderful textures. This site is definitely suited for a wider public unlike most other government websites. Also check out the amazing drop-down menus.
Explore Georgia
Besides the beautiful photos, the website has a good layout and structure.
Alabama
Alabama.gov has been nominated as one of the best government websites of 2011. Oh, and it’s a responsive design!
Travel Wisconsin
A very appealing website, and not just the homepage. Check out Clubs & Taverns and see how well everything is organized.
Indiana
It’s not much of a surprise that this website has been nominated as the best government website of 2011. Beside it’s responsive design it has a gorgeous layout.
Antwerp
I can’t make a post about government websites without featuring the most expensive website of my country. This site took more than 1 million dollar.
Oudenaarde
This website has a very nice welcome screen, each one of these options leading to a different section of the website.
Sint-Niklaas
Note the thoughtful sub-navigation. It’s organized in categories which makes it easy to find what you are looking for.
Québec
This website has very vivid colors and an easy to use navigation with a modern layout.
Rijksoverheid
Note the thoughtful sub-navigation. It’s organized in categories which makes it easy to find what you are looking for.
Singapore Tourism
Everything is nicely organized and the search engine does an remarquable job.
Kentucky
Easy to use and a modern design.
Education Portal
A very user friendly website dedicated to parents and teachers
Visit Mississippi
The well designed slider immediately catches your attention. Also, look at the nice textures.
NASA
Last but not least, NASA! This site is known for its great information architecture and stunningly high quality footage.
Leave a comment if you know any other good government websites or if you think I missed any.
