Prior to the launch of Recovery.gov 2.0, the Recovery Board hired an independent moderator to conduct focus groups and usability testing. The goal was to gather feedback from the public and other groups on the content and functionality planned for the site, so Recovery.gov would be as user-friendly and transparent as possible.
Focus Groups
Ten two-hour focus groups were convened in five cities – Boston, Dayton, Dallas, Richmond, and Sacramento. A total 105 participants represented a range of education and income levels, ethnicities, and physical abilities/disabilities.
Usability Testing
The researchers conducted 72 remote, one-on-one interviews with users who represented a cross-section of the public.
In addition, presentations were made to approximately 40 congressional officials, 20 journalists, members of the Board, as well as public interest groups, federal agencies, every governor’s office, and the White House.
Results of these efforts led to recommendations on how to improve Recovery.gov. Among those already implemented:
- Original tagline changed from Follow the Money to Track the Money to better reflect the site's mission
- Ability to search by a recipient’s name and project words (e.g. "university," "transportation," "energy")
- More robust download options
- More information on data integrity
- 508 Issues addressed
See the full report: 
Discovery and Usability Research Findings (PDF 2.0 MB)