ALEPE’s website had become a maze: slow, cluttered, and outdated. Citizens, journalists, and—critically—legislative staff struggled to find laws, agendas, and the Diário Oficial. Search was unreliable, the homepage prioritized slides over utility, and mobile use (the majority of traffic) was poorly served.
Brief summary of the project and my participation
I was hired as UX Researcher for ~6 weeks to lead a deep discovery: journeys & JBTDs, surveys, card-sorting, Hotjar analysis, heuristic review, and stakeholder workshops. I worked with a PM (external), two in-house developers, and the internal tech team to deliver a research dossier, revised flows, and content prioritization aligned to both citizens and lawmakers.
The problem
Stakeholders reported: “We can’t find relevant agendas; we lose hours searching.” Search for laws was buggy; Diário Oficial updates were delayed; and click-through in critical areas fell. A visual refresh alone would not solve a strategic information problem.
The outcome
We delivered a clear research roadmap and Info Architecture strategy that the presidency adopted into the development plan. The technology team began referencing the card-sorting taxonomy in weekly meetings; the new content flow informed the intranet; and assessors reported their search time dropping from ~20 minutes to under 5 for priority tasks. (Release awaits internal bureaucracy; research is already shaping workstreams.)
Initial data
Hotjar: homepage sliders ignored in <15s; users bypassed “news” to hunt for operational areas.
Stakeholder pain: “We can’t find agendas/laws quickly.”
System gaps: buggy law search, delayed Diário Oficial, outdated content.
Traffic reality: majority mobile usage; Android heavily represented.
What this meant: people arrive with jobs to execute (consult a law, read the Diário Oficial, locate agendas/contacts)—not to browse PR news.
Desk research and benchmarks
Benchmarked legislative portals in Brazil to identify standards in transparency, legislative data access, search patterns, and a11y.
Heuristic review revealed: no clear visual hierarchy, hidden critical content (Diário, laws), weak mobile patterns, and inaccessible controls.
User interviews and data (with key takeaways)
Large survey (1,000+ respondents) inside the website (intercept) mapped personas, JBTDs, and importance areas.
Follow-up interviews (assessors, lawyers, journalists, citizens) clarified context and friction.
Card-sorting (remote) with representative users (lower turnout than planned, but sufficient) showed clear clustering around Consult Processes, Diário Oficial, and Transparency over generic “News”.
Key takeaways
With quantitative data in hand, I defined five user profiles: general public, lawyers, legislative aides, law students, and press.
80%+ reported going straight to consult processes or access the Diário Oficial (not “general news”).
Primary heavy users were internal legislative analysts and advisors, with citizens and press as essential secondary groups.
Users wanted precision, recency, and trust signals more than visual novelty.
Research Funnel
Survey (intercept, 1,000+) → Screen for roles/JBTDs → Card-sorting (cluster content) → Interviews (context, tasks) → HMWs → IA/flows → Prioritized roadmap.
User stories and mapped data
As an assessor, I need to find current agendas and tramitação in minutes, so I can brief my deputy accurately.
As a lawyer, I need precise law texts and history via reliable search/filters to prepare arguments.
As a journalist, I need authoritative updates and releases to publish accurate stories fast.
As a citizen, I need Diário Oficial and transparency data clearly accessible from mobile.
Key takeaways and opportunity areas
Make task entry ultra-visible: Diário Oficial, Consultar Processos, Transparência, Agenda.
Search as a product: refined filters (stage, dates, keywords), faster data-fetch, better result labeling.
Mobile-first, accessible: clear typography, contrast, touch targets, semantic structure.
Trust & recency: “last updated” stamps, official badges, consolidated press + legislative news.
Personas for stakeholder communication
Parliamentary Assessor (primary): time-pressed, task-driven, needs precision and recency.
Lawyer/Researcher: deep search, filters, legislative history.
Press Officer/Journalist: quick authoritative updates, links to primary documents.
Engaged Citizen/Educator: mobile entry points to Diário, agendas, and transparency.
User flows
Primary flow (Assessor/Lawyer): Home → Legislative Hub → Search/Filter (stage/date/keyword) → Result → Detail (law/project) → Download/Share.
Citizen flow: Home → Diário Oficial (latest + filter by date) → Item → Share/Save.
Press flow: Home → Information Access → Press Releases (by topic/date) → Source links → Publish.
User and usability testing insights
Workshops/interviews validated task-first navigation; stakeholders accepted Diário & Processes as primary entry.
Card-sorting taxonomy adopted by tech for backlog and intranet.
Evidence showed users cared more about precision/recency than volume of “news.”
Proposed ideas and rationale
Legislative Activity Hub (rationale: cluster the most-used legislative work): bills/propositions, tramitação, comissões, agenda, with refined filters.
Transparent Information Access: consolidate news (legislative-focused), press room, consultations, and procurement in one authoritative area.
Citizen Services & Engagement: ombudsman, accessibility, accountability reports, personalized alerts.
Modern Digital Experience + New Search: mobile-first UI, WCAG-aligned, faster data fetching, robust search with facets and clear result types.
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