Government Websites found Lacking Clarity and Design

Three-quarters of the 20 flagship Government websites surveyed in depth in a new report are in need of immediate attention in one area or another. The researchers claim that this is indicative of potential problems with hundreds more Government and quasi-governmental Web sites.

The report takes as its subject matter the progress of the public-facing websites launched as part of the Government’s £5B, five-year programme to put the whole of government online. It concludes that half way through that programme, there are worrying signs that the Web aspect of it is in trouble.

It concedes that great advances have been made, 'but these are of little value, if the website - the point at which the public meets its Government online - does not work properly or is not user-friendly. And all too often it is not'.

One of the worst sites of all is the Prime Minister’s own site, which the report describes as a mess: 'in need of a thorough overhaul from top to bottom'.

'What is the point,' the report asks, 'of the Prime Minister - the prime mover in bringing the Government to the people via the Web - having a site, which announces the opportunity for foreign journalists to ask him questions, yet gives no opportunity for members of the British Public to do so?'

The site only scores 40.75% and is rated 19th out of the 20 governmental sites tested in great detail against criteria based on the Government’s own guidelines for them.

'It scores so badly, because its navigation is inept, because of a lack of attention to detail, because it is poorly maintained, because the coding of it is of a low standard, because whole sections of it are inappropriately named, because of its slow speed of loading, because it does not work properly with some browsers – and because it allows no provision for members of the public to contact either the Prime Minister or his office,' the report concludes.

And it points out that if you type 'Number 10' into the Yahoo UK search engine – the PM’s site comes out below '10 Rillington Place'.

The best site examined was that of the Department for Education & Skills (78.5%). The worst was found to be that of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (40%).

Second place overall was awarded to the Equal Opportunities Commission (69.5%), followed by the UK Passport Agency (68.75%), the Commission for Racial Equality (67%) and the Department of Health (65.5%). The report describes these sites as 'beacons of excellence in a dark night'.

Poor performers included the Human Rights Unit (44%), the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (46.25%) and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (48.5%).

The report suggests that any site scoring 65% or less of the available marks in this analysis – in all three-quarters of them - is in need of immediate attention in one area or another.

The report was commissioned by Interactive Bureau, London, the website strategy and design agency, and the research was carried out by Porter Research.

Rodney Tyler, MD of Interactive Bureau, said the choice of sites was based on their expectations that these would be the standard bearers of usability and accessibility, good design and technical excellence. 'Ten of them are the sites of the principal public-facing Ministries, including the Prime Minister's own site, and the other ten are the sites of key public-facing 'citizen-focussed' organisations, the ones where it is most likely the public is going to want to interact with its government.'

The company claims that by judging these 'a fair idea of the overall state of the rest' can be gleaned - and hence a benchmark of the progress of websites in delivering e-Government.

Among the common faults found by the report are:
* A lack of basic services and information,
* A failure to respond to the simplest of email requests for information,
* Poor, or inconsistent design,
* Inadequate navigation, which leaves visitors lost and confused,
* Slow load speeds,
* Large numbers of technical errors, which inhibit their working.

The report points out that the Government’s current guidelines on site design, despite their eminently practical approach, are not being adhered to.

Associated Link: Interactive Bureau

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