Usability, Clarity, and Purpose — A Critical Review of the “Homelessness Response” Page for the City of San José

Disclosure: I asked ChatGPT to help me analyze the website strength for its mission.

Introduction & Framework of Analysis

The “Homelessness Response” page on the City of San José’s official site (sanjoseca.gov) is intended to serve several audiences: people currently experiencing homelessness seeking help, advocates or service providers looking for data and policies, concerned residents seeking to understand city efforts, and journalists or researchers. The design of a public-agency site like this must balance accessibility, clarity, trustworthiness, navigability, and comprehensiveness. In this review, I evaluate this page’s strengths and weaknesses across multiple criteria:

1. Purpose alignment and target audience fit
2. Information architecture and navigation
3. Content clarity, readability, and tone
4. Visual design, layout, and affordances
5. Accessibility and inclusivity
6. Trust, credibility, and transparency