Government offers Design Tips for Local Authority Sites

The third guideline in the Office of the E-Envoy's Top 10 states that local government websites exist for the benefit of the user: 'The website should enable citizens to find information they want, either about services they need, or about issues they are interested in. The website should not expect citizens to understand how or why services are distributed amongst the authority’s various departments or among different levels of government. Websites should work together to give users to the information or services they need.'

The section starts with the responsibility for access, pointing out that local government websites must by law be accessible, and should meet the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) standards on accessibility. Failure to comply with The Disability Discrimination Act could lead to prosecution.

The guidelines go on to concentrate on usability, saying that the only way of ensuring that local people can make sense of the site 'is to get users to test your content, and objectively record whether they can find, understand and successfully use all that your website has to offer.

'Even before user testing, consider the good advice already available, based on user research. Text should be in plain language. It should be short, scannable, broken up by unambiguous (rather than clever) subheads, and by bullet-point lists. Upper levels of the website should quickly make clear to users what is on offer and whether it is relevant to them. Lower down in the site, text and design should aim to communicate main messages and explain services simply and quickly.'

The document specifically adds that providing downloads of official documents will meet the needs of some users, but that all content written for the website should be written for the public and for the medium. 'When gathering website content, there is a tendency to publish information originally intended for a brochure. Sometimes the brochure itself is provided in a digital format, called Portable Document Format (PDF). Certainly, this is a quick and inexpensive way to get information online, but remember that PDFs cannot be displayed on digital television or at most kiosks.'

'Except where documents make up committee reports or other Framework for local government 13 public records, internal documents should not be published as though they were intended for public consumption. The Plain English Campaign can provide helpful guidance on the use of plain language and terminology.

Another section deals with building and maintaining trust in users. 'Some users need to be reassured about how government uses their personal information. The law means that their privacy has to be protected. To protect citizens, you must also protect your own site and data: security is an important element of a well-managed website.'

Associated Link: The Guidelines

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