Case study · Federal agency
Five years on the websites Americans turn to for consumer protection.
From 2020 to 2025 I worked on the Federal Trade Commission's public websites, first as project manager and then as a contract developer. I helped bring a five-site Drupal migration to launch, kept the sites running and growing afterward, and re-themed consumer.gov as the sole developer.
- Client
- Federal Trade Commission
- Role
- Project manager, then contract developer
- Years
- 2020 to 2025
- Stack
- Drupal 9 and 10, Domain Access, Drupal Commerce, Solr, Search.gov API
The challenge
The FTC's public websites ran on Drupal 7, which was approaching end of life, spread across multiple codebases and multiple databases. Five sites serving the public in English and Spanish had to move to a modern platform without losing content, search, or accessibility, and without disrupting the people who rely on them.
What I did
Planning and audits
I joined in 2020 as project manager. Alongside managing the work, I wrote or co-wrote much of the technical documentation and site audits that shaped the migration, and did hands-on site building: content types, views, and configuration.
One codebase for five sites
The migration took the sites from multiple codebases and databases down to a single Drupal codebase and two databases, using Domain Access to serve every site from shared code. The bulk order site keeps its own database because it runs on Drupal Commerce. As a contract developer I helped carry the migration through to the launch of all five sites. The work included a better Spanish-language experience, full Section 508 accessibility work, Solr search, and integration with the Search.gov API.
New features after launch
After launch I stayed on to maintain the sites and ship new features, including the RN Database search on ftc.gov, where I was the developer.
The consumer.gov re-theme
I re-themed consumer.gov as the sole developer. The project included a partial rebuild and changes to how the site's content is managed.
The sites
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consumer.gov
Plain-language basics on budgeting, credit, debt, and scams.
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ftc.gov
The agency's main site: enforcement, policy, guidance, and news.
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consumer.ftc.gov
Consumer advice, alerts, and articles on scams, credit, and identity theft.
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militaryconsumer.gov
Financial readiness tools for service members and their families.
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bulkorder.ftc.gov
Free consumer publications to order in bulk.
The result
All five sites launched on a current, supported version of Drupal, on one codebase that is simpler to maintain and easier to extend. Over five years my role ran from planning the work to building it, and that range is what I bring to every project.