We are the San Francisco Digital Services team, part of the City’s General Services Agency, and we’re building a new website for San Francisco.
Right now, we have 210 websites across the City with over 300,000 pages. But getting services from the City is frequently difficult and confusing. We know that, with so much information, you don’t know which pages to trust. You might even have to visit multiple sites to accomplish a task.
In addition to that, San Francisco offers more than 800 services, but only 20% of them can be done online.
We can do better.
It’s time for San Francisco to join the digital world. We’re making it happen and here’s how.
How we started
This is a big project, and we've started small by building just enough for us to see what’s working and what’s not. We’ve spent the last year getting feedback and insight from more than 250 residents, community groups and City staff on our design, content and usability. We will continue to keep your voice in the conversation as we build more of this website. Your feedback is essential.
Throughout 2018 and 2019, we built and tested features that help you:
- find out what services the City offers to you
- get those services
- learn about City departments
After a lot of research, including hours of conversations, we're ready to show you the first phase of your new city website.
The result
It's very, very user-friendly
Our new website makes it easier for you to get City services online, simply and directly. Every SF.gov page offers a service in the fewest possible steps, carefully designed by experts who’ve spent their professional lives making it easier to get things done online.
It works for everyone, literally
The site meets Federal standards for accessibility and readability. Our font is clear and legible and legally compliant with ADA and Section 508 for people with disabilities. Our writing guidelines ensure consistency and simplicity, so screenreaders and people can read faster. A 5th grade reading level means it’s easy for everyone to understand and translate.
It speaks your language
We want to translate all service pages into Chinese (traditional), Spanish, and Filipino, by human translators. All other pages will be translated by machine. We are testing the translations and the site with people who don’t speak English as their first language.
It’s designed for much more than looks
The modern color palette was chosen for vivid contrasts, making them easier to visually interpret. Color blocks and a scalable color palette keep visuals fresh and fun without relying on photos. We limited photos because we don’t want to waste your data plan on images.
It's (more) unified
We've started bringing the City's departments under one site to give you a consistent and streamlined experience. Our clean design is distinctive but also flexible for a wide variety of content.
A 2-website system
We’re not finished building the new site. So you will see old and new pages linking to each other for some time.
What's next
More content
We're going to keep working with city departments to make our content better and move it to this website so that it's easier for you to find.
More features
Over time, you'll see this website grow and change to include more services. Eventually, we plan for you to be able to do everything you need to, including completing forms, right on this website.
Quality over quantity
Some changes will happen quickly. Others will take some time. We want to get it right and that means sitting down and talking to people like you to make sure we're meeting your needs.
Have a look around, enjoy the new experience, and don't hesitate to share any and all feedback you have!