"It's time."
After months of user research, stakeholder collaboration, and technical discovery, I was greenlit to redesign DOL’s internal intranet—Labornet—into a task-focused, intuitive platform. I had two weeks to deliver a dev-ready prototype and content strategy grounded in human-centered design.
Project Summary
The Department of Labor’s internal intranet, Labornet, had become a bloated and unmanageable content repository with no clear ownership, governance structure, or publishing workflow. The homepage, intended as a centralized gateway for employees to access portals, resources, and essential services, was overcrowded with uncurated links and dense, image-heavy modules. A carousel designed to highlight time-sensitive content had ballooned to over a dozen slides, often outdated or irrelevant. Research revealed that most employees bypassed the homepage entirely, relying on peer sharing or direct search to locate basic tools and forms.
Instead of enabling productivity, the platform had become a barrier to productivity and a major employee experience friction point, undermining the Department’s mission to support its own workforce.
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Data-Driven Redesign
I leveraged existing user research, performed additional 1:1 contextual interviews, web analytics, and leadership feedback to inform a complete reimagining:
Information Architecture
Analytics-informed content taxonomy and organization.
Task-oriented homepage design prioritizing high-use tools.
Dynamic content presentation based on user role and needs.
Scalable structure supporting future growth.
New Design System
Clean, breathable layouts using USWDS 3.0+ components.
Modular, reusable patterns for content flexibility and scalability.
Responsive, mobile-first approach.
Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance from the ground up.
New, text-based, dynamic logo using DOL’s standard fonts.
AI Integration
Automated content tagging, taxonomy glossary, and categorization.
Smart search with natural language processing and dynamic, data-informed filtering.
Personalized content recommendations
AI-assisted content creation and editing tools for consistency.
Content Strategy
Task and journey-based framework for content prioritization and hirearchy.
Flexible templates and neutral taxonomy, adapting to shifting agency and administrative priorities
Governance model for content owners.
Sunset and archiving strategy for outdated materials.
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Before:
Broken User Experience
Crowded, content-heavy homepage with no clear hierarchy
"Everything is important" content strategy creating cognitive overload
Lack of ownership. Despite there being a few points of contact, whose main function was to pass along content and publishing requests to the WebOps team, always with the directives to "put it on the homepage" and push ASAP.
90% of content buried in static, out-of-date, unsearchable PDFs
Near zero accessibility compliance (WCAG/508)
Non-functional mobile experience
Poor search functionality with low success rates
User Research Insights
Analytics revealed 90% of users relied on search to find anything
Most content was never accessed beyond the homepage
Users couldn't locate critical HR and administrative tools
High frustration and time wasted hunting for basic information
New employees especially struggled with onboarding resources
The intranet had become a barrier to productivity rather than an enabler—undermining DOL's mission to serve its own workforce effectively.
After:
Data-Driven, User-Centered Redesign
Clean, task-focused homepage with clear visual hierarchy
Strategic content prioritization based on analytics and user needs
Defined governance model with content ownership and publishing cycles
Dynamic, searchable content architecture replacing static PDFs
Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance built in from the ground up
Fully responsive, mobile-optimized experience
AI-enhanced smart search with natural language processing and dynamic filtering
Key Improvements
Modular, USWDS 3.0+ component-based design system
Task-oriented information architecture prioritizing high-use tools
Personalized content recommendations based on user role and needs
Automated content tagging and categorization
Scalable structure supporting future growth and administrative changes
Streamlined content creation workflow with AI-assisted tools
The Result: A modern digital workplace that enables productivity, supports all employees regardless of technical ability, and aligns with DOL's mission to serve its workforce effectively.
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Deliverables
✓ High-fidelity, dev-ready prototype (full clickable experience)
✓ Scalable information architecture and navigation system.
✓ USWDS 3.0+ compliant design system and component library.
✓ Content strategy framework and governance recommendations.
✓ AI integration roadmap and implementation guidance.
✓ Accessibility compliance documentation.
Stakeholder Response
Enthusiastic reception from DOL leadership.
Prototype adopted as foundation for full implementation.
Influenced broader DOL intranet modernization strategy.
Referenced in internal planning and budget discussions.
Demonstrated what modern government intranets could achieve.
Before/After
Transformation at a Glance
The gallery below shows the evolution from cluttered content repository to streamlined digital workplace—every page redesigned with user needs and accessibility at the center.
Homepage Before: Content chaos, hidden tools...
Homepage After: task-focused clarity, key tools prominently accessible.
Sub-page Landing Template Before: card component misuse, icon overwhelm...
Sub-page Landing Template After: Organized content-types, AI-powered content personalization, enhanced user-control.
Article/Content Sub-page Template Before: mixed-up content types, misused components, so much scrolling, clicking, and digging...
Article/Content Sub-page Template After: Data-backed and user-focused layout, readable content and intuitive navigation.
Key Takeaways
-> Prototypes drive decisions.
Working examples build alignment faster than slide decks.
-> Build accessibility in.
Design for compliance from the start, not retroactively.
-> Strategy unlocks speed.
Relationships and research enable fast, focused delivery.
-> Data drives buy-in.
Analytics and research validated every key change.