Problem Statement
Users faced challenges navigating to the Spanish version of SBA.gov. The primary issue arose when SBA’s marketing team promoted pages via social media or television campaigns, linking only to the English version. This left out Spanish-speaking users who might have difficulty finding the corresponding Spanish page.
Additionally, bilingual users who wanted to share Spanish content with peers struggled to locate the Spanish version of a given page. They had to manually navigate to the Spanish homepage and search through the mega menu, making the process cumbersome.
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia. Dicta sunt explicabo. Adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad veniam quis nostrud exercitation enim ullamco. Nemo magna ipsam Voluptatem Quia Voluptas.
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia.
Research & Discovery
To understand best practices, research was conducted on other government websites to explore existing solutions. The user journey was analyzed to identify disruptions when switching between English and Spanish versions of the same page.
Proposed Solutions
Three potential solutions were explored:
A text link at the bottom of the page stating “Read this page in Spanish.”
Relying on browser-based language toggles.
Implementing a language toggle button for seamless switching.
The most effective solution was a language toggle button, ensuring an intuitive and user-friendly experience. Two placement options were considered:
In the page content (below the header)
In the site header (top right corner)
Final implementation
The decision was made to place the language toggle button in the top right corner of the site, as:
- SBA’s users primarily read left to right, making the toggle one of the first elements they notice.
- The placement ensured high visibility for mobile users.
As development progressed, the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) released an official language toggle module similar to the proposed wireframes. To streamline development, the SBA team opted to implement the USWDS module, as it seamlessly integrated with Drupal and reduced custom coding efforts. Although this module’s release was delayed by a few months, it was the most efficient long-term solution.
Results & Impact
- The new language toggle was successfully implemented and is now live on SBA.gov.
- Increased traffic was observed on the Spanish version of the site, indicating improved accessibility and user engagement.
- Future plans include expanding multilingual support based on analytics, allowing browser-based auto-translation for additional languages.
This improvement ensures SBA.gov is more inclusive, making critical resources more accessible to Spanish-speaking users and setting the foundation for further language expansion.