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2.7-2.7-1.2-2.7-2.7-2.7z"></path> </svg> </a> </div> </div> </header> <div class="govuk-width-container"> <header class="header" aria-label="blog name"> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <h1 class="blog-title govuk-heading-xl"> <span class="blog"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.blog.gov.uk/">Blog</a></span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/">Inside GOV.UK</a> </h1> <div class="bottom blog-meta"> <dl> <dt>Organisations:</dt> <dd><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service">Government Digital Service</a></dd> </dl> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third"> <div class="bottom search-container"> <form role="search" method="get" id="searchform" class="form-search" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/"> <label class="govuk-visually-hidden" for="s">Search for:</label> <div class="search-input-wrapper"> <input type="search" value="" name="s" id="s" class="search-query" placeholder="Search blog"> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search" class="btn"> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </header> <main id="content" class="govuk-grid-row" role="main"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds main-content"> <article class="clearfix post-12865 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-finding-things"> <div class="visible-print"> <p>https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/</p> </div> <header> <h1 class="govuk-heading-xl">A bold new look for the GOV.UK homepage</h1> <div class="govuk-body-s"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Posted by: </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/kuba-bartwicki-lead-designer-at-gov-uk/" title="Posts by Kuba Bartwicki, Lead Designer at GOV.UK" class="author url fn" rel="author">Kuba Bartwicki, Lead Designer at GOV.UK</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/monica-crusellas-senior-interaction-designer-at-gov-uk/" title="Posts by Monica Crusellas, Senior Interaction Designer at GOV.UK" class="author url fn" rel="author">Monica Crusellas, Senior Interaction Designer at GOV.UK</a>, <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Posted on: </span><time class="updated" datetime="2023-11-01T11:32:38+00:00" pubdate>1 November 2023</time> - <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Categories: </span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/category/finding-things/" rel="category tag">Finding things</a></div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12871 size-large" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mockups-620x349.png" alt="A graphic of 3 mobile phone screens and 1 desktop screen. The larger mobile screen shows the default view of the new GOV.UK homepage, which includes the menu bar, the header and the search bar followed by part of the Popular on GOV.UK links. The other two mobile screens are smaller and show the rest of the homepage scrolled down, including the first part of the Services and Information section and the Featured sections." width="620" height="349" srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mockups-620x349.png 620w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mockups-310x174.png 310w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mockups-768x432.png 768w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mockups.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></p> <p>The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/">GOV.UK homepage</a> is a really popular web page, used more than a million times each week to access essential UK government information and services. Alongside search engines like Google and our own internal site search, it’s one of the main ways into government content. It’s also used to communicate the purpose of the site and to create a sense of trust between GOV.UK and our users.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/06/putting-growth-at-the-heart-of-gov-uks-strategy/">Our strategy for GOV.UK</a> is all about growth: we’re expanding into new channels and trying to reach new audiences where they are. We want to make it easier for users to access information and services, helping them to achieve quicker and better outcomes. We <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2021/12/13/updating-the-gov-uk-homepage/">last looked at the homepage a couple of years ago</a>, but we have not changed it significantly since 2014. We want to make sure that the homepage is as useful as it can be for all users and that it continues to reflect the innovative spirit of GOV.UK. Today we’re launching the first of many significant changes to the homepage, including:</p> <ul> <li>a visual refresh</li> <li>changes to the page structure based on what we know about what users do and what they expect</li> <li>changes to content</li> </ul> <p>We are making improvements iteratively so that we can learn and tweak as we go. This post explains the changes we have made so far and what we plan to do next.</p> <h2>Bolder, mobile-first design</h2> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12872 size-large" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mobile-620x349.png" alt="A graphic of the top part of mobile phone screen showing the new GOV.UK homepage's header. The header uses a blue background and includes the menu bar at the top followed by a tagline saying 'GOV.UK, The best place to find government services and information'. Below the tagline it's the search bar." width="620" height="349" srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mobile-620x349.png 620w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mobile-310x174.png 310w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mobile-768x432.png 768w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-mobile.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></p> <p>The visual design of GOV.UK is bold, simple and accessible. We’re building on a rich history of public sector design in the UK, including <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2012/07/05/a-few-notes-on-typography/">in our use of typography</a>, which references road signage in the UK. But good design doesn’t stand still and needs to evolve as expectations change. For example, a decade ago, only 20% of visits to GOV.UK were made from mobile devices. Today, this number is over 60%, and continues to grow.</p> <p>In response to this, as well as to other changes in user behaviour, we’ve made the design of the homepage bolder and clearer on mobile devices. We redesigned the header area and increased font sizes and spacing throughout the page. There are less boxes on it and the layout is simpler. We also reduced the amount of text on the page by removing content that did not have a clear user need or that wasn’t used much.</p> <p>We think that these changes make GOV.UK easier to read and browse, and we’re thinking about how they can be brought to other areas of the site.</p> <h2>Easier to read</h2> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12873 size-large" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-desktop-620x349.png" alt="A graphic of the first half of the new GOV.UK homepage on a desktop screen showing the new header at the top, followed by the Popular on GOV.UK links. Below the Popular on GOV.UK links you can see the Services and information list and Featured list appearing next to each other in a 2/3 column grid." width="620" height="349" srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-desktop-620x349.png 620w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-desktop-310x174.png 310w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-desktop-768x432.png 768w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-desktop.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></p> <p>GOV.UK is made up of mostly words and links, and arranging these into clear, usable layouts takes a lot of work. This is especially true on the homepage, where almost everything is a link, as many users begin their journey here.</p> <p>We know that pages full of links can be hard for users to scan, so we made some improvements to make the homepage easier to navigate. This includes turning the popular links into a bulleted list and increasing spacing between sections. These changes make the page easier to scan and to identify when one section ends and the next begins.</p> <h2>Reflective of what our users are doing</h2> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12874 size-large" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-redesign-process-620x349.png" alt="A graphic showing 6 screens showing the evolution of the design iterations until the final visual changes." width="620" height="349" srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-redesign-process-620x349.png 620w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-redesign-process-310x174.png 310w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-redesign-process-768x432.png 768w, https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853im_/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/11/govuk-homepage-redesign-process.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></p> <p>Knowing what users are doing on GOV.UK helps us improve it. For example, if the most popular link on the page is at the bottom of it, that’s probably a good indicator that it should be moved further up.</p> <p>We get insights like this from analytics on page use, with a user’s consent, and from talking to our users. Over the last couple of months, we’ve been tweaking the homepage in response to these learnings. Doing it iteratively helps us carefully monitor the impact of our changes, so that we can reverse them if their impact isn’t what we expected. The changes include:</p> <ul> <li>moving search higher up because it’s the most used element of the homepage</li> <li>moving the ‘featured’ section above the ‘government activity’ section because we know more people need it</li> <li>renaming ‘topics’ to ‘services and information’ because we know it’s clearer to our users</li> <li>adding another link to the ‘popular’ section because we know people find this section useful</li> <li>turning grids into lists because we know lists are easier to scan</li> </ul> <h2>What’s next</h2> <p>We’re monitoring the impact that our changes have on what people do on the homepage. For example, we have already seen an increase in the number of people using search on mobile since we moved it higher up.</p> <p>There are more changes to come, too. For example, we know that we can improve how we adapt content in response to trending user needs. We’ll be testing new design patterns to help users find relevant information more easily.</p> <div class="highlight"> <p>Want to join the team? <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/gds-hub/">We’re hiring</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/subscribe/">Subscribe to Inside GOV.UK</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="footer single"> </div> </article> <nav class="page-numbers-container page-navigation" aria-label="Pagination"> <div class="previous"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/20/undertaking-gov-uks-largest-software-infrastructure-project/" rel="prev">Undertaking GOV.UK's largest software infrastructure project</a> </div> <div class="next"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/12/08/changing-the-gov-uk-proposition-supporting-our-strategy-for-growth/" rel="next">Changing the GOV.UK proposition: supporting our strategy for growth</a> </div> </nav> <h2 class="govuk-visually-hidden">Sharing and comments</h2> <div class="icons-buttons"> <h3>Share this page</h3> <ul> <li> <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer&url=https%3A%2F%2Finsidegovuk.blog.gov.uk%2F2023%2F11%2F01%2Fa-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage%2F&text=A+bold+new+look+for+the+GOV.UK+homepage" class="twitter">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finsidegovuk.blog.gov.uk%2F2023%2F11%2F01%2Fa-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage%2F" class="facebook">Facebook</a> </li> <li> <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Finsidegovuk.blog.gov.uk%2F2023%2F11%2F01%2Fa-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage%2F" class="linkedin">LinkedIn</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/mailto:/?subject=I wanted to share this post with you from Inside GOV.UK&body=A bold new look for the GOV.UK homepage https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/" class="email">Email</a> </li> </ul> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> <section id="comments" class="comments"> <h3 class="govuk-heading-m">29 comments</h3> <ol class="media-list"> <li id="comment-60748" class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media comment-60748"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Annie</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T11:40:07+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>This is great to see! I wondered if you'd also consider adding 'before' pictures to this blogpost so people can compare.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60748" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> <li id="comment-60749" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60749"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Thomas Hind</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T11:50:15+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Looks good! I really like how it looks on mobile and I'm curious to see how the increase prominence of search plays out, especially on the desktop version. All the changes seem to make sense though and make the page easier to manage.</p> <p>Great work Monica, Kuba and everyone else who worked on it!</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60749" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> <li id="comment-60750" class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media comment-60750"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Ross Ferguson</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T11:59:00+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Lots of helpful sounding updates here and great insights into the choices made. Thank you. And please give us an update on how they perform in the months ahead.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60750" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> <li id="comment-60753" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60753"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Sam</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T13:12:30+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>I wonder if the boldness could extend to removing the cookies which necessitate that large consent banner? It's a jarring and annoying experience for all users.</p> <p>I also do not understand why after rejecting cookies there is then another banned which needs dismissing with a 'Hide' button?</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60753" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60753"> <li id="comment-60779" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media comment-60779"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Sam></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-03T13:29:47+00:00">03 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi, </p> <p>Thank you for your comment. Our cookie banner is documented in the GOV.UK Design System and you can see some of the reasoning behind the functionality here: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://design-system.service.gov.uk/components/cookie-banner/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://design-system.service.gov.uk/components/cookie-banner/</a></p> <p>We’re constantly exploring how we can improve how it works, and our obligations when it comes to cookies are described in the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR): <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/what-are-pecr/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/what-are-pecr/</a></p> <p>Thanks, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60779" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60754" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60754"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Simon</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T13:26:53+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>How is having all sections e.g. "Popular on GOV.uk" section below the fold a _better_ user experience, especially on desktop?</p> <p>It might be a cleaner design but you've got so much negative space not getting used.</p> <p>Moreover, "The best place to find government services and information" doesn't actually help me to get to nagivate the site at all and takes up far too much real estate on both desktop and mobile when you could be helping people to fulfil their user needs more efficiently.</p> <p>Disappointed to see the GOV.uk leaning towards form over function</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60754" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60754"> <li id="comment-60778" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60778"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Simon></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-03T13:25:38+00:00">03 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Simon, </p> <p>Thank you for your comment. We increased text size and spacing on the page so that it’s easier to scan and read, particularly for users with access needs. This also helps us align with an upcoming change to the GOV.UK Design System, which also increases text sizes throughout: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/</a></p> <p>We tested the design on a range of devices and browser sizes to make sure that users are able to find what they need easily. We haven’t seen any issues with users not realising they can scroll down the page and our data shows that the majority of users scroll pretty far down the page on their visits to the homepage. That said, we’ll keep monitoring behaviour and tweak accordingly.</p> <p>Thanks, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60778" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media unstyled comment-60778"> <li id="comment-60813" class="comment even depth-3 media comment-60813"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Kuba and Monica></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Sue</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-06T11:27:53+00:00">06 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi there,</p> <p>Agree with Simon. Plus making the user scroll down to find popular links, is just giving the user additional work (that is if the popular links are what they were needing!).</p> <p>Please adjust your colour usage. The pale blue (#CDE3F1) used for the "The best place to find government services and information" text against the header blue background (#0072B8) has color contrast issues. Although it passes WCAG level AA for large text, it fails at WCAG level AAA. </p> <p>Please do increase the color contrast - remember that lots of local government websites tend to follow what the GDS does. You have a great responsibility here. Please don't let your standards slip.</p> <p>Kind regards, Sue.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60813" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt depth-3 media unstyled comment-60813"> <li id="comment-60853" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-4 media comment-60853"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Sue></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-10T16:52:34+00:00">10 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Sue </p> <p>Thanks for your comment. Accessibility is at the core of our work at GOV.UK. We always make sure that GOV.UK meets level AA and strive for AAA when possible.</p> <p>In this instance, we are using the pale blue colour to subtly introduce hierarchy between the main headline and the secondary headline. We made this decision as the hierarchy is important to convey to users, and we are using the text at a large size. </p> <p>Thanks, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60853" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> </ul></div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60755" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60755"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Steph Wilson</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T13:53:57+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>This looks really great and a lot less busy and streamlined.</p> <p>The only thing I would question is the size of the header text, is there a reason you've increased the summary text?</p> <p>Big banners use a lot of space so I'm wondering does it potentially get in the way when it doesn't really add much to the user?</p> <p>We have noticed on our council website that people use the search box the most on our homepage so we've made it very prominent at the top of the page with little text around it.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60755" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60755"> <li id="comment-60835" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media comment-60835"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Steph Wilson></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-08T16:05:26+00:00">08 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Steph</p> <p>Thank you for your comment. We increased text size and spacing on the page so that it’s easier to scan and read, particularly for users with access needs. This also helps us align with an upcoming change to the GOV.UK Design System, which also increases text sizes throughout: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/</a></p> <p>We tested the design on a range of devices and browser sizes to make sure that users are able to find what they need easily. We haven’t seen any issues with users not realising they can scroll down the page and our data shows that the majority of users scroll pretty far down the page on their visits to the homepage. That said, we’ll keep monitoring behaviour and tweak accordingly!</p> <p>Best, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60835" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60756" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60756"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Vicky</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-01T14:41:35+00:00">01 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Were your tweaks just launched to everyone on GOV.UK or did you have some form of A/B testing? It looks as if you just put changes live to everyone but just wanted to check.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60756" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60756"> <li id="comment-60766" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60766"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Vicky></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Laura Stevens</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-02T11:43:59+00:00">02 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Vicky,<br/> Yes, thank you for checking - went live to everyone yesterday following the iterations over the past few months. We’ll continue monitoring but are relatively confident about the impact because of the recent iterations. Thank you, Laura</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60766" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60763" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60763"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Dave Green</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-02T08:41:53+00:00">02 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>...but on my laptop all I now see on the homepage is a dropdown menu, two titles and a search box. For everything else I have to scroll down.</p> <p>Mobile-first, desktop very much second.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60763" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60763"> <li id="comment-60826" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media comment-60826"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Dave Green></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-07T17:13:29+00:00">07 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Dave, </p> <p>Thank you for your comment. We increased text size and spacing on the page so that it’s easier to scan and read, particularly for users with access needs. This also helps us align with an upcoming change to the GOV.UK Design System, which also increases text sizes throughout: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/12/making-the-gov-uk-frontend-typography-scale-more-accessible/</a></p> <p>We tested the design on a range of devices and browser sizes to make sure that users are able to find what they need easily. We haven’t seen any issues with users not realising they can scroll down the page and our data shows that the majority of users scroll pretty far down the page on their visits to the homepage. That said, we’ll keep monitoring behaviour and tweak accordingly. </p> <p>Best, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60826" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60764" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60764"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">David McKee</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-02T10:43:36+00:00">02 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>I notice none of these designs include the huge cookie banner that pushes the search box below the fold.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60764" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60764"> <li id="comment-60825" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60825"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to David McKee></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-07T17:11:03+00:00">07 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi David, thanks for your comment. We have seen that the search usage increased which makes us confident that the cookie banner is not creating issues for users who need to search. As always, we will continue monitoring to make sure that users don’t have any issues using the page.</p> <p>Best, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60825" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60765" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60765"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Lucian Costin</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-02T11:17:15+00:00">02 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Very good</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60765" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> <li id="comment-60767" class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media comment-60767"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Steve Messer</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-02T11:56:28+00:00">02 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>I’m so glad that this design prioritised the experience on mobile devices but also made sure it worked on desktop too. (And it looks super crisp on my personal device, I love it!)</p> <p>One thing I noticed from the screenshots is that the cookie banner doesn’t feature, whereas there may be many people for whom that shows. Did any usability tests (on mobile and desktop) include the cookie banner? If so, might you be able to share any findings with us on the GOV.‌UK Design System? <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://design-system.service.gov.uk/community/share-research-findings/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://design-system.service.gov.uk/community/share-research-findings/</a></p> <p>It possibly depends on whether most users of the homepage are returning users rather than new users, but that would be an interesting insight to know about. Thanks in advance for anything you’re able to share!</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60767" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media unstyled comment-60767"> <li id="comment-60837" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60837"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Steve Messer></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-08T16:22:45+00:00">08 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Thanks Steve, we did tests internally to make sure the new design would work with the cookie banner - as well as other components like the emergency banner. Happy to discuss further, please put a time in our diaries - and of course anyone across GDS is welcome to our show and tells. Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60837" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60773" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media comment-60773"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Oke Osharode</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-03T06:23:18+00:00">03 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>The home page says it all with no ambiguity. This is really helpful. Welldone.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60773" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> <li id="comment-60814" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60814"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Jon</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-06T12:01:06+00:00">06 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>"Renaming ‘topics’ to ‘services and information’ because we know it’s clearer to our users."</p> <p>Will this change be reflected in the facets associated with the 'government activity' collections which still all use topics?<br/> e.g.<br/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications</a><br/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics</a><br/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations</a></p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60814" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60814"> <li id="comment-60844" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60844"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Jon></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-09T12:50:27+00:00">09 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Jon, </p> <p>Thank you for your comment. The reason this has been changed on the homepage, but not on these other pages is because the word 'topics' was being used in different places on GOV.UK to refer to different things. On the homepage, the ‘topics’ heading was used to group together links to various government services and information, so we changed the heading to make it clearer to users what the section contained. On pages like <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations" rel="nofollow ugc">https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations</a> ‘topics’ is referring to different topics that allow users to filter the information.<br/> As a result of the change we can now avoid using the same label to refer to two different things. Best, Kuba and Monica</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60844" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media unstyled comment-60844"> <li id="comment-60857" class="comment even depth-3 media comment-60857"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Kuba and Monica></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Suzanne Amos</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-15T18:03:51+00:00">15 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi, Kuba and Monica,<br/> Interesting blog post - thank you.</p> <p>Is GOV.UK ever able to share user research with government agencies?</p> <p>I'm a user researcher at NHS England, on the corporate website(s), and it would be really helpful to read any user research on the label change from 'Topics' to 'Services and information'.</p> <p>With this year's merger between NHS Digital, Health Education England and NHS England, labels like 'topics' or 'Services and information' are of great interest to us. Admittedly GOV.UK is different to NHS England but there might be some general takeaways.</p> <p>Equally happy to jump on a call if that's an easier way to share research findings/data.</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60857" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt depth-3 media unstyled comment-60857"> <li id="comment-60860" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-4 media comment-60860"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Suzanne Amos></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Laura Stevens</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-17T11:15:54+00:00">17 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Thank you very much Suzanne. Yes, our content designers would be happy to chat more - please can you send an email over to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/mailto:govuk-enquiries@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk">govuk-enquiries@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk</a> and I'll make sure it gets triaged to the right place. </p> <p>Best, Laura</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60860" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> </ul></div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60817" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60817"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Antonia</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-06T14:18:51+00:00">06 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>How did the decision to use icons come about given that GOV.UK's previous stance on this was that icons were to be avoided. How will the re-use of generic icons be mitigated? Very curious to know what's led this change?</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60817" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment even thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60817"> <li id="comment-60824" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor odd alt depth-2 media comment-60824"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Antonia></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-07T14:03:28+00:00">07 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Antonia, thanks so much for your comment. We still believe that icons should be avoided unless they help users achieve their goals. We didn't introduce new iconography on the homepage, but we simplified the existing icons on the Featured section so they worked well inside a square, and we used our 'action link' component on the Popular on GOV.UK to make it easier to scan the list - as we know that bulleted lists are easiest to read. Thanks Monica and Kuba</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60824" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> <li id="comment-60818" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 media comment-60818"> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author">Jen</span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-06T17:09:09+00:00">06 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>This new clear design looks great, well done.<br/> Can you explain the decision to use icons under the Featured section. The Design System says to avoid them in most cases. Did you find they helped the users to identify the links or is there another user need for them? The icons for the currently Featured items are not unique, the home icon is usually a link to the Home page and the document icon will take you to a file or a link to a file not a service. Could this be confusing for some users?</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60818" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> <ul class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 media unstyled comment-60818"> <li id="comment-60836" class="comment byuser comment-author-laurastevens bypostauthor even depth-2 media comment-60836"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Replies to Jen></span> <div class="media-body"> <p class="govuk-body media-heading"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Comment by</span> <span class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/author/laurastevens/">Kuba and Monica</a></span> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">posted on </span> <time datetime="2023-11-08T16:20:27+00:00">08 November 2023</time> </p> <div class="comment-body"> <p>Hi Jen, </p> <p>Thank you! We have not introduced new icons to the homepage, and still believe that icons should be avoided unless they help users achieve their goals. We simplified the existing icons on the Featured section so they worked well inside a square, and we used our 'action link' component on the Popular on GOV.UK to make it easier to scan the list - as we know that bulleted lists are easiest to read. We will keep monitoring how users respond to the changes and iterate accordingly. I hope this answers your question, let us know if you'd like to know more. Thanks Monica and Kuba</p> <div class="comment-links"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240527131853/https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/01/a-bold-new-look-for-the-gov-uk-homepage/#comment-60836" rel="external nofollow">Link to this comment</a> </div> </div> </div></li> </ul></div></li> </ol> </section> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third sidebar-contain"> <div class="sidebar"> <h2 class="govuk-heading-m govuk-visually-hidden">Related content and links</h2> <section class="widget about_widget"><h3>Inside GOV.UK</h3><p>A blog about running and improving the GOV.UK website, for anyone who is working on GOV.UK or interested in how the digital home of the UK government works. 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