Big Beautiful Bill 2025
A public resource for plain-English, zero-spin explanations of complex U.S. legislation—built for accessibility, transparency, and speed: https://www.bigbeautifulbill2025.com/
Case Study: Design, UX, and Technical Stack Quick Overview | Jump to Design
Project Overview
Mission
Big Beautiful Bill 2025 democratizes legislative understanding by delivering clear, factual explanations and data visualizations for all 277 sections of a major U.S. bill. Designed for the public, researchers, journalists, and educators—without political spin or jargon.
Core Principles
- Plain Language First: Accessible, non-technical content
- Zero Political Spin: Factual, transparent, verifiable
- Multi-Format Access: Cards, maps, dashboards, timelines, and network views
- Mobile-First Design: Responsive for all devices
- Data Transparency: Open data, with sources and methodology
Technical Stack
- Backend: WordPress CMS, custom PHP templates
- Frontend: Bootstrap 5, custom CSS/JS, Bootstrap Icons
- Data Layer: JSON (277 legislative sections)
- Visualization: Custom JavaScript + D3.js
- Hosting: Secure, performant, fully backed up
Target Audience
- General Public (primary)
- Researchers, journalists, educators
- Civic groups & orgs
Design & Architecture
Site Structure & Navigation
- Homepage: Overview & navigation cards
- /cards/: Section-by-section card browsing
- /map/: Interactive geographic impact
- /dashboard/: Analytics/statistics
- /timeline/: Chronological rollout view
- /network/: Section relationship maps
- /visualizations/: Advanced/experimental data views
Data Architecture
{ "metadata": {"source":"BBB_2025_All_Sections_enriched.csv", "total_records":277, ...}, "sections": [ { "Title": "...", "Section": "...", "Content": "...", "explanation": "...", "possible_misuses": "...", "states_impacted": "..." } ] }
Source: Official bill text, enriched with plain-English summaries and impact analysis.
Technical Workflow
- Source: Import official legislative data
- Enrich: Add explanations, analysis, metadata
- Store: Structured JSON for performance
- Deliver: API-style JavaScript access
- Present: Multi-format visualization (cards, map, etc.)
User Experience (UX)
Design Philosophy
- Clarity over Complexity: Prioritize understanding, not eye-candy
- Progressive Disclosure: Show overview first, details on demand
- Consistent Navigation: Same patterns site-wide
- Accessibility First: Meets WCAG 2.1 AA
Key User Flows
- First-Time: Land, browse overview, explore visualizations, share/bookmark
- Returning: Direct to preferred tool, search, cross-compare, export data
Accessibility Highlights
- Keyboard navigation, screen reader support
- High contrast, color-independent communication
- Alt text on all visuals, responsive design
User Personas
- Concerned Citizen: Wants quick, clear answers (mobile first)
- Student Researcher: Needs citation-ready data and visualizations
- Policy Advocate: Analyzes geographic and section impact, shares findings
User Interface (UI) & Design System
Visual Language
- Color Palette: Non-partisan, WCAG-compliant blues, reds, neutrals
- Typography: System fonts, bold headings for hierarchy
- Iconography: Bootstrap Icons, SVG for speed
Component Library
- Navigation: Header, quick nav buttons, sticky footer
- Cards: Section cards, navigation cards
- Forms: Search, filter, sort controls
- Modals: Section detail, tabbed info
- Charts & Maps: D3.js containers, responsive SVGs
Responsive & Accessible Patterns
- Grid System: Bootstrap grid, single-to-multi column
- Touch/Mouse: 44px min. targets, hover & focus states
- Loading States: Spinners, skeletons, empty/error
- ARIA/Screen Reader: Semantic HTML, skip links, alt attributes
Features & Functionality
- Section Cards: Browse/search all 277 bill sections, filter by category or impact
- Interactive Map: State-by-state visualization with impact and drilldown
- Analytics Dashboard: Charts, metrics, trends, exportable data
- Timeline View: See rollout sequence and dependencies
- Network View: Relationship and dependency mapping
- Advanced Visualizations: Experimental/extended tools
Data Flow in Action
- Official bill data imported and cleaned
- Content enriched: explanations, potential misuses, impact
- Served as optimized JSON
- Visualized with custom JS/D3 + Bootstrap components
Accessibility & Performance
Accessibility
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliant from the ground up
- Keyboard and screen reader accessible
- Semantic markup, clear focus states
- Contrast, alt text, and reduced motion for sensitive users
Performance Optimization
- Critical path and progressive loading strategies
- Lazy loading sections and images
- Efficient CSS/JS bundling, CDN support
- Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse audits
Analytics & Continuous Improvement
Measurement
- User engagement: time on site, most-used tools
- Accessibility usage: screen reader analytics
- Content consumption: top sections, data exports
- Performance: Core Web Vitals, error rates
Testing
- Automated and manual accessibility testing (axe, Lighthouse, screen readers)
- User testing: task scenarios and feedback
- A/B testing of layouts, call-to-actions, and flows
Continuous Improvement
- Feedback channels: contact forms, surveys
- Iterative design and feature releases
- Data-driven roadmap and rapid issue response
Future Roadmap
- Advanced search, comparison tools
- API for researchers and partner orgs
- Multi-language support (Spanish, more)
- Mobile app, voice interface, and AI-powered summaries
- Ongoing accessibility upgrades
Big Beautiful Bill 2025 was designed and built by the M Media team.
Questions or want to collaborate? Contact us