Tools

Downloadable templates and resources to help you with specific tasks.

•     Content

  Content Audit Template

  Websites grow and change over time. Content audits help you better understand the current state of your website, including how your content offerings are organized and what your gaps are. Start with our customizable content audit spreadsheet template.

  Download:

  • Content Audit Template (XLSX, 18.1 KB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Audit Your Content

  • Complete a Redundant, Outdated, and Trivial (ROT) Analysis

•     Design and Brand

  Design Resources

  Download USDA’s official visual design elements below. Note: The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) has additional design files and HTML mockups of common user interface (UI) components.

  Download:

  • USDA Header/Footer Design File (ZIP, 277 KB) (Sketch, 2 MB)⬇

  • USDA Logo (ZIP, 2 MB) ⬇

  • Social Media Icons (ZIP, 2 MB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines: 

  • USDA Style Guide

  • Use the U.S. Web Design System for Design

  • USDA Masthead and Signature Lock-up

  • USDA Footer

  • USDA Colors 

  • USDA Icons

•     Research

  Interview and Focus Group Tools

  Interviewing users can give you actionable insights into your their needs, motivations, and frustrations. See our sample interview script, with guidance on how to ask non-leading questions and conduct an interview that will lead to the best possible user insights.

  Focus groups can be an efficient way to get feedback from multiple users simultaneously, but they’re best suited for certain lines of research. See our focus group guidance and script.

  The toolkit includes the following tools:

  • Interviews and Focus Group Instructions

  • Identifying & Recruiting Research Participants

  • Demographic Form

  • Interview & Focus Group Question Development Instructions

  • Interview Moderator Guide and Script

  • Focus Moderator Guide and Script

  Download:

  • Interview and Focus Group Tools (Docx, 2 MB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Get Approval to do Research

  • Test Your Site

  • Conduct Research to Identify User Goals, Tasks, and Pain Points

  • Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

  Usability Testing Tools

  Observing your users as they interact with your website or product doesn’t require one-way glass or a fancy observation room. Learn how to conduct usability testing sessions in the field with high- or low-fidelity prototypes.

  The toolkit includes the following tools:

  • Usability Testing Instructions

  • Identifying & Recruiting Research Participants

  • Demographic Form

  • Usability Testing Task Development Template

  • Usability Testing Guide/Script

  Download:

  • Usability Testing Tools (Docx, 2 MB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Get Approval to do Research

  • Test Your Site

  • Conduct Research to Identify User Goals, Tasks, and Pain Points

  • Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

  Persona Template

  Personas are fictionalized composites of typical users, showing off their needs, desires, and habits in a way to help guide your efforts and keep users front-and-center in your attention. Learn how to create useful personas.

  Download:

  • Persona Template (Docx, 2 MB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Get Approval to do Research

  • Conduct Research to Identify User Goals, Tasks, and Pain Points

  Service Blueprinting Template

  Service Blueprints help you to visualize how the services and programs within your agency meet customer needs. Blueprints are a powerful first step in understanding service offerings, and allow you to improve current services and develop new offerings.

  Download:

  • Service Blueprinting Template (Docx, 123 KB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Conduct Research to Identify User Goals, Tasks, and Pain Points

  Heuristic Review Template

  Heuristic Reviews test how well websites perform against specific usability criteria. See our sample guide for Heuristic Reviews.

  Download:

  • Heuristic Review Template (Docx, 2 MB) ⬇

  Related Web Guidelines:

  • Test Your Site

  • Conduct Research to Identify User Goals, Tasks, and Pain Points

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This page was last updated October 27, 2020.