Building a modern web experience for FCC customers
Federal Communications CommissionIn a fast-paced, comprehensive content migration, we applied Agile development and DevSecOps to modernize a legacy federal website.
69,706
pieces of migrated content
15
minutes for daily agile scrum meetings
19
bureaus and offices housed within FCC
“This work will make it easier for both content owners to keep pages updated and for website users to navigate the website and find information.”
Dr. David Bray | FCC Chief Information Officer (public news release from FCC)
The challenge
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relies on its website to provide regulatory guidance to millions of visitors across various industries. But the old site was hard for users to navigate and frustrating for employees to manage.
In this rapid engagement, CivicActions worked hand-in-hand with the FCC to build a modern, mobile-friendly Drupal website that was more accessible and easier to update.
Client goal
The FCC’s cumbersome, outdated site was not doing its users or internal content managers justice. On top of antiquated technology, the Commission's waterfall processes made it harder for content managers to keep the site updated and relevant for its diverse audiences. The policies and the product needed a refresh.
- Transition from waterfall to Agile methodology
- Migrate legacy content from various systems to a modern Drupal Content Management System (CMS)
- Ease public access to regulatory information through a mobile-friendly web experience
- Save FCC administrators time and money with more efficient content management
- Provide reliability and stability by implementing Quality Assurance (QA) testing
Expertise
- Content Migration & Consolidation
- Security Compliance
- DevSecOps
- Mobile Optimization
- Information Architecture
- Content Strategy
- Responsive Design
- Agile Implementation & Training
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Tools and technologies
- Drupal 6 to 7 (migration)
- Custom Third-Party Integrations
- Behat
- Pa11y
- WAVE
- Accessibility Developer Tools
- Mapbox
Our approach
We had to work fast and our deployment options were limited by security considerations, so we rolled up our sleeves and turned up the collaboration. By implementing a modern Drupal CMS and Agile practices, we helped the FCC modernize its approach to content while avoiding disruptions for users and maintaining a secure environment.
Seamless content migration and management
FCC has a very active user community, so we had to move quickly and avoid disruptions. We performed a massive content migration from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7 and consolidated content from various legacy systems into one CMS. To make the content creation and editing more pleasant and efficient, we added a robust text editor and new access controls. This allowed FCC’s many content creators to manage their own content without compromising the integrity of the site’s design.
Accessible content
The FCC is responsible for the accessibility of 21st Century communications, so there was no room for accessibility errors on its website. We scanned the site for compliance issues and quickly resolved them. The current website serves as a model for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and complies with Section 508 requirements.
Automatic testing for quality code
Knowing that government websites can be subject to degradation over time as new code is added, we also wanted to help FCC achieve sustainability for their site. We used Behat—a behavior-driven development testing framework that can double as user acceptance test criteria—to make sure all new code worked properly. We configured Behat tests to run automatically whenever new code was merged, ensuring a quality codebase for years to come.
Improved practices for better staff experience
The content editors at FCC were drowning in waterfall processes that didn’t let them respond quickly to evolving needs at the agency. To ease content management and improve the employee experience, we worked with key stakeholders to implement Agile practices. Together we curated priorities, made sure the end result met real user needs, and helped the FCC transition to ways of working better suited to the digital age.
Key outcomes
Smooth transition
We performed a massive content migration and consolidation with no disruption to the FCC user community.
Designed for usability
The improved site search and intuitive navigation help visitors quickly find information and resources published by the Commission.
Simplified content management
FCC content creators are equipped with a powerful text editor to update and manage their content without compromising the integrity of the site design.
Accessible for all people
We scanned for compliance issues and made sure the FCC site is usable for people of varying abilities, including those using assistive or mobile technology.
Sustainable, quality code
By implementing automated testing software that scans all new code merges, we set the FCC up for long-term success with code quality baked-in.
Turn-key deployment
Deployment was complicated due to security, so we developed turn-key processes to deploy to production so the IT folks at FCC could do it themselves.