Usability Study and Recommendations

The Challenge

The Maryland Judiciary operates two distinct web properties serving very different audiences: a public-facing website used by Marylanders navigating the court system, and CourtNet — an internal site serving judicial staff and practitioners. Both properties had accumulated usability problems over time, making it difficult for users to find the information and services they needed. Before undertaking a redesign, the Judiciary needed a rigorous research foundation: evidence of what was working, what wasn’t, and where to focus redesign efforts for the greatest impact on the people the courts serve.

Our Approach

GovWebworks structured the engagement around multiple complementary research methods to build a complete picture of usability across both sites. Stakeholder discovery sessions surfaced the goals and pain points of the Judiciary’s internal audiences. Heuristic analysis benchmarked the existing sites against established usability principles. Heat mapping revealed where users actually focused attention on key pages. Task-based tree testing using Treejack validated — or challenged — the current information architecture against the tasks users were actually trying to complete. These methods produced both quantitative and qualitative evidence, ensuring the recommendations were grounded in observed user behavior rather than opinion.

The Result

GovWebworks delivered a 129-page research report consolidating findings across all research methods, identifying specific usability barriers in the public website and CourtNet, and providing actionable design recommendations for improving navigation, content organization, and user experience. The report gave the Maryland Judiciary a detailed, evidence-based roadmap for a redesign effort — with the research rigor appropriate for a public institution where clear access to justice information directly affects people’s ability to navigate the court system.