This snapshot taken on 02/04/2007, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
In order to achieve its aims, a local government website must offer content and services that are relevant and usable. By law, people with disabilities must be able to use online information and transactions.
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 Disability Discrimination Act requires that services on all websites should be made accessible. Failure to do so could lead to prosecution for a breach of the act. An EC Resolution growing out of the European Commission’s E-Europe 2002 initiative urges member states to adopt and implement WAI guidelines at all levels of government in all regions. UK government policy is that conformance with these guidelines is to level A, following Priority 1 recommendations. This is likely to be raised by European legislation to level AA.
To ensure conformance to the WAI accessibility standards we recommend local authorities make this a contractual condition in any contracts with third-party suppliers of web-enabled software or web content.
The style and manner in which services are provided—including text, navigation, and even the choice of file formats for downloading—should be tailored to the needs of local people. The only way of ensuring this 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. Providing downloads of official documents will meet the needs of some users, but you should ensure that all content written for the website has been 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. PDF files generated by recent software can be accessed by people with disabilities, but only if they have recent versions of reader and assistive technology. Older PDF files may not be searchable by some search engines, and so will remain inaccessible to even the most well-equipped user. For all these reasons, alternatives to PDF files should always be provided. HTML and plain text can be accessed by more or less everybody.
Make sure that any documents designed for print work on screen. For example:
Another habit worth avoiding is the reproduction of documents aimed at an internal audience on a website meant for the public. Most local authority officers use a particular style, language and format for internal documents that is opaque to the public. Except where documents make up committee reports or other public records, internal documents should not be published as though they were intended for public consumption. The Plain English Campaign (www.plainenglish.co.uk) is one example of where one can get helpful guidance on the use of plain language and terminology. A number of local authorities have already joined the Plain English Campaign’s Internet Crystal Mark scheme to show that they are committed to plain English throughout their websites (http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/internetcrystalmark.html). Local authorities in Wales have a legal obligation to provide information in Welsh. Where appropriate, information should be made available in community languages.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk (external link)
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/internetcrystalmark.html (external link)
A summary page that explains the purpose of the document and highlights its contents should precede any statutory plans and strategy documents. This will enable users to see if the document contains the information they are looking for.
Your website’s branding must work with the branding of your organisation, or with the branding of the initiative or campaign it is a part of. This is more than a matter of copying a few logos. The look, feel and what the website does must reflect the brand values of the organisation. Because users will rely on look and feel to know if they still are on your website, your design should be consistent throughout. Radical changes in design from page to page will confuse some users.
Consider carefully how the design and branding of your website will work with the design and branding of partners and other government bodies in the region.
Design features can also make the website look more local, and can emphasise its role as a portal to local non-government activities, businesses and services. Design features should not be allowed to undermine the legally mandated accessibility of the website. Nor should the site be so loaded with graphics that the user begins to experience unreasonable delays. Pages should appear quickly; the website should use e-GIF mandated applications and plug-ins, and be tested for browser compatibility as recommended.
User testing provides equally important information about your online services. Users testing your transactions will give invaluable feedback about the forms you provide. Can most users successfully fill in and submit your online forms? Can most users carry out online tasks easily and intuitively?
The best design and content will be let down if your online transactions are difficult to use, or are simply unreliable. Your IT and business staff must be involved in the development of the website to ensure that it works. Providing services online can mean re-examining your conventional business practices.
The use of multimedia content can assist in making websites more accessible if implemented properly.
When linking to an audio or video file, you should indicate to users its format and size. The latter is particularly important as large file sizes and associated long download times can make the delivery of multimedia an unwelcome feature. We recommend that websites using multimedia files list indicative download times for standard file sizes for different modem connection speeds. However, such guidance should also be posted with an appropriate health warning, namely that it is indicative guidance only and that download times will be impacted by other factors such as contention ratios (defined as the number of people with whom you share your ISP service connection).
Below provides rough rule of thumb guidance on download times and an example of an appropriate ‘health warning’.
Modem Speed
Avg. Download time for 1 Megabyte file
*Above provides indicative download times for different modem speeds based on the download of a 1MB file. It should be noted that this is provided as a rule of thumb guide as download speeds are impacted by other factors.
It should also not be assumed that the user has the requisite media-player software, so clear instructions on how to obtain the software should be provided.
All efforts to develop or improve government websites should focus on the user. Government websites should research user needs, test prototypes with users, and continue to evaluate how users find and use the content and services on the site. The Quality Framework for UK government website design gives advice on user testing:
Quality Framework for UK government website design
To facilitate consistency and effective collation of information, it is recommended that websites use electronic forms where detailed information is required from users.
Irrespective of the method used to construct online forms, it is important that reasonable efforts are made to make them accessible and usable to all of your target audience. Where this is not possible clear user guidance on alternative methods of providing the information should be available.
The Guidelines for UK government websites: Illustrated handbook for web management teams provides the following relevant advice at:
Illustrated handbook for web management teams
The Quality Framework for UK government website design offers advice on the creative aspects of website construction, and explains how to implement user testing:
Quality Framework for UK government website design
Disability Discrimination Act:
Disability Discrimination Act