Urban Institute Welfare Rules Database
Improving a central repository of policy information for states and territories supporting families in need.
Client Overview
Urban Institute’s Welfare Rules Database provides a comprehensive, sophisticated resource for anyone comparing cash assistance programs between states and territories, researching changes in cash assistance rules within a single state or territory, or simply looking for the most up-to-date information on the rules governing cash assistance in one state or territory.
Services provided
Urban Institute Mobile Gallery
The challenge
The previous site originated in 1996, which meant there was a long history of knowledge and data that needed to be updated. But the site had also been built on ColdFusion 10+ years earlier, and was neither mobile-friendly nor accessible.
As a result of its age and lack of functionality, users were struggling to get the information they needed, and researchers weren’t able to upload and enter the research, policy updates, or variables in a way that represented the complexity of the data. Lastly, both security and accessibility issues were continuing to surface since the site wasn’t current.
The process
Complex Search
The new search feeds from an external database that a different team edits and works with outside of Drupal. Data is then pulled in real-time from that external database. We overhauled the variables so that the labels and values would be more easily understood at a glance.
Data Dictionary
Additionally the data on this page is also pulled from the external database, providing descriptions of each variable in the database for cleaner and comprehendible search results.
The solution
Using updated designs, we built a new Drupal 10 site to replace their old ColdFusion site. This gave the site a strong foundation on which to build intricate development work that supported the complex search queries.
The main goal for back-end editors was to have a modernized and easier system that would allow the researchers running these reports to continue their regular workflow of managing and updating their content via an external system outside of Drupal. So we built a search mechanism that leverages a webform and runs complex queries against the external database to pull all the data together: researchers enter the info into the original database, and the query returns data about cash assistance programs. We built in multiple options to filter and export the data, eg. by category, state, year, and more.
Front-end users searching the site then are able to easily navigate to the right place, pick the necessary variables, and search for what they need. They can even pull down a CSV or other file to download.
Additionally, we incorporated accessibility checks with color, fonts and more to keep the site accessible, in addition to conducting performance checks to keep the site fast and performant on all devices.
The result
The new database site is a comprehensive, sophisticated resource that is now more functional, accessible, and mobile friendly. Users can now filter by categories, and use more intricate search features, all while knowing that the data they receive is comprehensive as it will contain both the most up to date data as well as legacy information. The new site makes looking for complex information simple.
