Internet Information Architecture Best Practice Analysis Information Architecture Strategy Project
December 2008
© State Government of Victoria All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing from the Department of Human Services (DHS), State Government of Victoria Information Architecture Best Practice Analysis - Internet
Subsection of Findings and Recommendations Report
Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary...... 6 1.1 Best practices...... 6 1.2 Online trends in the human services sector...... 7 2. Introduction...... 9 2.1 Purpose of Document...... 9 2.2 Approach...... 9 2.3 Intended Audience...... 9 2.4 What is the IA Strategy Project?...... 9 3. Background...... 10 3.1 eGovernment...... 10 3.1.1 Domains of eGovernment...... 10 3.1.2 Models of eGovernment evolution...... 10 3.2 Web 2.0 in government...... 11 3.2.1 A definition of Web 2.0...... 11 3.2.2 The role of the user in Web 2.0...... 11 3.2.3 Areas of impact of Web 2.0 in government...... 12
4. IA Best Practice Principles for Government...... 13 4.1 Methodology and Approach Best Practices...... 13 4.1.1 Take a user-centred approach...... 13 4.1.2 Adopt an iterative design process...... 14 4.1.3 Adopt an appropriate project management methodology...... 14 4.2 Site Structure Best Practices...... 15 4.2.1 Site structure should be task or topic based...... 15 4.2.2 Websites should incorporate content cross-linking...... 15 4.2.3 Provide multiple paths to content...... 16 4.2.4 Category labels should be clear and mutually exclusive...... 16 4.2.5 Set value on site navigation...... 16 4.3 Interaction Design Best Practices...... 17 4.3.1 Ensure consistent design of interactive elements...... 17 4.3.2 Online forms best practices...... 17 4.3.3 Error handling...... 18 4.3.4 Pop-up and new windows...... 19 4.3.5 User-friendly interface...... 20 4.4 Website Content Best Practices...... 20 4.4.1 Homepage...... 20 4.4.2 Appropriate page titles...... 21 4.4.3 Link text...... 21 4.5 Branding and Identity Best Practices...... 22 4.5.1 Consistent branding...... 22
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4.5.2 Engender trust...... 22 4.5.3 Appropriate font (readable, resizable, good contrast)...... 22 4.6 Search Facility Best Practices...... 23 4.6.1 Provide a clear and simple interface...... 23 4.6.2 Behaves like Google...... 23 4.6.3 Clear and scannable results...... 23 4.6.4 Consider ‘faceted’ searching...... 24 4.6.5 Manipulating search results...... 24 4.6.6 Relevant results shown first...... 25
5. Best Practice Websites Benchmarking...... 26 5.1 Methodology and Approach Best Practices...... 26 5.1.1 Australian Federal Government...... 26 5.2 Site Structure Best Practices...... 27 5.2.1 Directgov, UK...... 27 5.2.2 NHS Choices, UK...... 28 5.3 Interaction Design Best Practices...... 29 5.3.1 Amazon...... 29 5.3.2 Yahoo...... 30 5.4 Website Content Best Practices...... 31 5.4.1 Department of Justice, Victoria...... 31 5.4.2 Department of Housing, New South Wales...... 31 5.5 Branding and Identity Best Practices...... 32 5.5.1 Environment Protection Authority...... 32 5.5.2 Directgov, UK...... 34 5.6 Search Facility Best Practices...... 35 5.6.1 Department of Health, UK...... 35 5.6.2 Department of Health and Human Services, USA...... 36
6. Online trends in the Human Services Sector...... 37 6.1 Content...... 37 6.1.1 Health conditions and treatments resources...... 37
6.1.2 Index of services...... 38 6.2 Interactive Features...... 39 6.2.1 Content update notifications...... 39 6.2.2 Health self-assessment tools...... 39 6.2.3 Social interaction...... 40 6.2.4 Electronic Funds Transfer...... 41 6.2.5 Customisation...... 41
6.3 Content separation by user...... 41 6.3.1 Separation of customer-targeted and organisational content...... 41
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Bibliography...... 42 Appendices...... 44 Appendix A. Model of the domains of eGovernment...... 44 6.3.2 Improving Government Processes: eAdministration...... 44 6.3.3 Connecting Citizens: eCitizens and eServices...... 44 6.3.4 Building External Interactions: eSociety...... 44 Appendix B. Best Practice Principles for Government (non IA)...... 45 Website Content Best Practices...... 45 6.3.5 Purpose-written content...... 45 6.3.6 Information is accurate, current and up-to-date...... 45 6.3.7 Multilingual support...... 46 6.3.8 Appropriate style of language...... 46 6.3.9 Pyramid & chunking content...... 46
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Acronyms/special terms The following acronyms/terms are used within this document:
Term Definition
API Application programming interface
Chrome features Browser buttons, address field and status bar areas
Desktop Research An informal research activity involving the accessing of information from published resources and non-published sources.
IA Information Architecture
MPO Multi-player online
WMAS Web Management Architecture and Standards Project
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1. Executive Summary
This document records findings from the internet best practice analysis activity conducted by the Information Architecture (IA) Strategy project team within the Web Domain Group, DHS. The best practices outlined in this document will be used as a reference point for the project team to help ensure the work produced by the IA Strategy project meets recognised best practices in the internet sector. While this document was produced with the DHS internet presence in mind, it could serve as a useful reference for other government departments and associated bodies. A summary of the best practices identified in this document is below, follow by details of online trends identified in the human services sector. It should be noted that in order to be effective, best practice principles should be reviewed regularly.
1.1 Best practices
Methodology and approach best practices
Summary Section
A user-centred approach should be adopted to ensure the websites are easy and efficient 4.1.1 to use for all users.
An iterative design process should be adopted so that problems are identified early on 4.1.2 and user feedback can be incorporated throughout the process.
An appropriate project management methodology should be adopted to ensure that the 4.2.3 delivered product is of the correct quality and within budgetary and time constraints.
Site structure best practices
Summary Section
The structure of a website should be based on tasks or topics, not by organisational 4.2.1 structure.
Websites should incorporate cross-linking between different areas of the site. This will 4.2.2 ensure users won’t have to move up and down the site structure to get to related information and promotes discoverability. It also facilitates indexing of content by search engines and improves usability.
Users should be able to arrive at the same content through a number of different paths. 4.2.3 This helps to accommodate the different mental models of different users.
Category labels should be clear and avoid “conceptual overlap”. 4.2.4
Navigation should be easy to find, should appear in a consistent position and should 4.2.5 appear visually different to other links and buttons.
Interaction design best practices
Summary Section
Interactive elements should have a consistent look and behaviour and use consistent 4.3.1 terminology throughout the site.
There are a number of best practice guidelines for online forms, including: indicating 4.3.2 which fields are required; grouping related fields; providing tab support and providing informative error messages.
User errors should be anticipated where possible. When a user makes an error, this 4.3.3 should be handled proactively.
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Pop-up windows should only be used when appropriate, such as when the user needs to 4.3.4 look at content in the original and new windows at the same time.
A warning should be provided when links open in a new window, and the number of open 4.3.4 windows should be kept to a minimum
The interface should be user-friendly: easy to learn, efficient to use, easy to remember, 4.3.5 pleasant to use and should be designed to minimise user errors
Website content best practices (IA related)
Summary Section
A homepage should incorporate the two most important functions of a homepage: to 4.4.1 deliver the content that users are seeking and to provide the user with a strong scent to the pages with the information they are seeking.
Page titles should be short, precise and self-contained using keywords critical to the 4.4.2 content on the page. Homepage titles should include critical keywords for the site, content page titles should use the page’s main heading.
The text, colour and style for links should be carefully chosen to minimise confusion and 4.4.3 to increase usability and accessibility (Blue underline for links and purple underline for visited links).
At a minimum, navigation and key content should be provided in other languages. Links 4.4.4 and contact information for translated resources and translating services should be provided.
Branding and identity best practices
Summary Section
Branding, including the logo, tagline, colours fonts and key graphics, should be consistent 4.5.1 across the website. Logos in particular should be designed to be recognisable at low resolutions.
The visual design and content should encourage users to trust the website. Trust and 4.5.2 transparency are critical for the success of citizen-centric eGovernment.
The chosen font should be readable on computer screens, resizable and have good 4.5.3 contrast.
Search facility best practices
Summary Section
The search facility should have a clear and simple interface and be available throughout 4.6.1 the site. The search input box should be a minimum of 30 characters wide.
The search facility should behave like Google. 4.6.2
Search results should be clear and easily scannable. The amount of detail should be kept 4.6.3 to a minimum and the descriptions should be meaningful.
Allowing users to search by different “facets” of information should be considered. For 4.6.4 example, users may search for a service by location, service type or name.
Server-side manipulation of search results, such as handling typographical errors or 4.6.5 suggesting “best bet” search results, can be used to improve a search facility.
Most relevant search results should be shown first. The search results should be high 4.6.6 precision, low recall.
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1.2 Online trends in the human services sector
A desktop review of human services sector websites around the world resulted in the following observations of trends in the content, features and structure of these sites.
A number of sites visited were found to provide the following content: An extensive resource on health conditions and treatments. An index of all services delivered by or funded by the organisation, including eligibility descriptions and details on how to access the service. A fully searchable database of public, community sector and private services.
A number of sites visited were found to provide the following interactive features: Notifications of updates to content sent via email and RSS. Health self-assessment tools, allowing individuals to gauge possible health problems. Social interaction, such as online social support for health conditions. Electronic funds transfer, particularly for partner organisations. Personalisation of websites, permitting a more user-centred experience.
In terms of website structure, a number of government bodies within and outside of the human services sector were found to separate customer-targeted content and organisational content. This often involves providing a customer-targeted “portal” site which does not include official documentation like policy, legislation and strategies. An example of such a site is www.direct.gov.uk.
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2. Introduction
2.1 Purpose of Document
The purpose of this document is to record findings from the web IA best practice analysis activity conducted by the IA Strategy project team in May – October 2008. This document forms part of the Consultation and Analysis Finding and Recommendations Report. Throughout the IA Strategy project, and in particular during design phases of the project, the best practices outlined in this document will be used as a reference point to ensure the work produced by the IA Strategy project meets recognised best practices in the sector. The IA Strategy project team conducted this best practice analysis activity to build on the preliminary best practice analysis work undertaken for the WMAS project (see the Web Governance Model Implementation Plan document).
2.2 Approach
Desktop research was conducted to produce the best practices outlined in this document. The project team conducted desktop research and examined over 65 Human Services sector websites, government websites and other websites to examine for use of best practice principles in IA and eGovernment. This document does not include coverage of other important user- interaction concepts such as feedback management and service standards pertaining to emails from the public. A list of research sources consulted can be found in the Bibliography. In addition, Stamford has drawn on extensive previous experience creating and redeveloping websites for both government and private sector clients and has a well established knowledge- base on international best practice in IA. Stamford is a regular supplier of internet usability services to clients including the Australian Taxation Office, AGIMO, BUPA Australia (HBA), the National Library, CPA Australia, William Angliss TAFE, Gippsland TAFE, Medicare Australia and others.
2.3 Intended Audience
The intended audience for this document is the IA Strategy project team, the IA Strategy project board, website owners and any other interested parties.
2.4 What is the IA Strategy Project?
The focus of the Information Architecture (IA) Strategy Project is, in conjunction with the deliverables from the Web Management Architecture and Standards Project, to transform DHS’s web service delivery model. This project complements all the activities that have either taken place or are currently underway through achieving the following: Development of a thematic DHS website architecture for the entire DHS web presence (including Internet and Intranet) through stakeholder consultation and analysis, investigation of best practice, and analysis of other government initiatives. In consultation with stakeholders, development of high level and detailed Information Architectures which meet the needs of users, as well as an appropriate IA Maintenance Strategy and Style Guide which will ensure that these needs are continually maintained. An understanding of user requirements for interactive tools such as e-Forms and search capability. Validation of the new information architecture by undertaking user walkthroughs and other iterative design activities including the development of mock-ups and visual designs.
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3. Background
A government's web presence is the principle enabler for an eGovernment initiative. To provide some context for the role of the web for government, this section provides a brief overview of the drivers for and areas of influence of eGovernment initiatives. This is followed by a model for gauging the level of eGovernment maturity of an organisation and a brief description of the impact of Web 2.0 on eGovernment.
3.1 eGovernment
3.1.1 Domains of eGovernment The Gartner group describes eGovernment as “the continuous optimization of service delivery, constituency participation, and governance by transforming internal and external relationships through technology, the Internet, and new media” (Gartner Group 2000). The following model, adapted at the University of Manchester (Heeks 2002) from an earlier KPMG model, categorises eGovernment initiatives into one of the following three domains: Improving government processes: eAdministration
Connecting citizens: eCitizens and eServices
Building external interactions: eSociety
The model covers the areas of activity covered by Gartner’s definition, and is explained in more detail in the Appendices to this document.
3.1.2 Models of eGovernment evolution Models of eGovernment evolution have been developed which outline the progression of e- services from basic information provision to an integrated, personalised, user-centric experience (UN 2008; Seifert 2003). This fully integrated experience, free from the constraints of organisational boundaries, is what the United Nations describe as connected eGovernment and Seifert (2003, in a paper to US congress) describes as transformation eGovernment. Below is a summary of the stages of eGovernment evolution proposed by Seifert (developed by Gartner Research). Seifert’s model could act as a guide for assessing new e-Government initiatives. STAGE I: Presence – basic information, contact details “brochureware”
STAGE II: Interaction – basic interaction such as downloading and printing forms and e- mailing questions, limited streamlining and automating of services.
STAGE III: Transaction – whole transaction cycles completed entirely online, 24 x 7 service availability. Still limited to regularised, predictable, activities and generally one-way flow of information.
STAGE IV: Transformation – changes the way government services are conceived, removes organisational boundaries, allows users to fulfil complex sets of questions, problems and needs online and via alternative channels. Flow of information between different levels of government and agencies. Working towards this transformation includes, as stated by Sir David Varney (2006) in his report to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the idea that “services enabled by information technology must be designed around the citizen and business”. Varney suggests that “currently, the government’s use of the e-channel, while excellent in places, is often disjointed and incoherent”. He suggests that the ideal public service model for eService is an “opportunity for government to move to a joined-up model for delivering government services online that focuses on the needs of citizens and businesses”.
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3.2 Web 2.0 in government
3.2.1 A definition of Web 2.0 Web 2.0 is a broad term to describe the recent trend towards more interactive, connective and participative behaviour online. One way of describing Web 2.0 is through the following values, applications and technologies:
user as producer. collective intelligence, Values perpetual beta, extreme ease of use
blog, wiki, podcast, RSS feeds, Application tagging, social networks, search s engine, MPO games
Technologies AJAX, XML, open API, microformats, Flash/Flex
Operational model of Web 2.0 (ECJRC 2008:17, adapted from O’Reilly and Forrester Research)
The underlying values indicated are of particular importance, as they describe a dramatic shift from the previous use of the internet as primarily an information delivery mechanism. The user as a producer value reflects the use of the knowledge and skills of users to improve applications (or website content) and in many cases develop services themselves. Collective intelligence is shown through the peer reviewing, collaboration and networking offered by users. Perpetual beta describes the practice of releasing applications early to include user feedback, and often to continuously improve the service based on user feedback.
3.2.2 The role of the user in Web 2.0 Through studies of European internet usage (EJRC 2008:18), four types of Web 2.0 usage were identified: 1. Producing content 2. Providing ratings and reviews 3. Using user-generated content 4. Providing attention and taste data An important point to note here is that the use of Web 2.0 applications is of benefit not only to the small percentage of users that contribute and offer ratings and reviews but also to the internet using population in general who benefit from the contributions, reviews, ratings, bookmarks and browsing of others.
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3.2.3 Areas of impact of Web 2.0 in government The use of Web 2.0 in government is relatively recent; however its impact is starting to become evident in the following domains of eGovernment:
Improving government processes Knowledge management Cross-agency collaboration
Connecting citizens Service provision Citizen political participation and transparency
Building external interactions Regulation Cross-agency collaboration Adapted from (ECJRC 2008)
The impact of Web 2.0 is most prominent in the field of political participation. Some applications are provided by the government directly. Others applications are provided by individuals and groups outside of government to have a political impact or to complement government services. Following are some examples of the use of Web 2.0 in Government:
Citizen political participation and transparency www.epeople.go.kr South Korean government site where citizens can create petitions, proposals and participate in policy development.
www.safeas.govt.nz/smf/
A critical component of the National Road Safety Committee ‘pre-policy’ stakeholder engagement workshops in New Zealand was the Safe As Road Safety Forum. The forum is an online discussion board for stakeholders to engage the Ministry of Transport and each other in a discussion about road safety policy for New Zealand.
Service provision www.nhs.uk UK National Health site providing health information and connection to services. Uses mashups with online mapping and public transport services. Users are encouraged to provide feedback on health services which is displayed to visitors to the site.
Cross-agency collaboration www.caisa.ca Wiki to enable the coordinated delivery of services to homeless people in the California area.
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4. IA Best Practice Principles for Government
The following section describes best practice principles for website IA. There are a number of best practice principles which are very important but not explicit IA related. These can be found in the Appendices.
4.1 Methodology and Approach Best Practices
4.1.1 Take a user-centred approach The central premise of a user-centred approach is that the best websites result from understanding the needs of the people who will use them. A user-centred approach to designing websites is a key recommendation from all eminent IA professionals such as Jakob Nielsen1 and Louis Rosenfeld2 along with government advisory bodies such as AGIMO. “A [website] should be easy and efficient to use for all users, regardless of their level of IT literacy. To meet this goal, agencies may consider following a user-centred design approach.”3 A user-centred approach places the people (as opposed to the technology) at the centre of the analysis. The approach seeks to learn about users and their informational needs and goals, and then use the findings to inform the design of the website. Benefits The benefits of involving users in helping to determine the design of a website include: ideas for the website are generated early on unfavourable ideas are ruled out before it is too late (and too costly) to change hidden requirements are often uncovered it ensures that the final product truly matches the way that users want to interact with the website and the organisation it represents a thorough understanding of what users need from the website and what they will actually do with it in real life is gained, avoiding outcomes that do not represent the real needs of the business or the key user requirements.
4.1.1.1 User-centred design for government A user-centred approach to website design also aligns with the broader move by governments around the world, including the Victorian Government4, towards citizen- and business-centric models of service delivery (UN 2008:73; Ecotec 2007; Varney 2006). Citizen/business involvement in the design of both offline and online government services is recommended (Varney 2006). The European Union conducted a 24 month study of eGovernment initiatives in Europe, and explores the methods that governments have worked towards similar goals to make their presence more user-centric (Ecotec 2007). They underline the importance of an improved understanding of user needs and explain that for best results it should be an iterative process (Ecotec 2007:21). They report that the following methods are commonly employed to understand user needs: Analysis of user segmentation.
1 Jakob Nielsen PhD is co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group and a world renowned usability expert. His biography may be found here http://www.useit.com/jakob/
2 Louis Rosenfeld is an independent and internationally recognised information architect. His biography may be found here http://louisrosenfeld.com/biography/
3 http://www.finance.gov.au/e-government/better-practice-and-collaboration/better-practice-checklists/intranet.html
4 http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/index.php?env=-categories:m1514-1-1-8-0-0
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Profiles relating to the needs and characteristics of typical users, known as personas.
4.1.2 Adopt an iterative design process Iterative design involves making step-by-step refinements to designs based on user feedback gained at each step. Typically this means that the first version of a design is tested very early on with users. Any problems identified are fixed and this new iteration of the design is tested again with users to ensure the “fixes” solve the problems and to ensure there are no new problems with the changed design. Often a further round of changes and testing is conducted. Designing in an iterative way using feedback from users helps to eliminate design errors very early on in the design process, thereby reducing time and cost impacts of changing a design later in the process. Jakob Nielsen states that “user interfaces should be designed iteratively in almost all cases because it is virtually impossible to design a user interface that has no usability problems from the start” (Nielsen 1993B).
4.1.3 Adopt an appropriate project management methodology Adopting an appropriate project management methodology such as PRINCE2 will assist in ensuring that the development of the IA is undertaken in such a way that the outcomes are delivered to the quality standard required, and also within the defined budget and agreed timeline. PRINCE2 is a generic project management methodology originally developed by the United Kingdom (UK) government in the late 1980’s. It has been adopted by DHS and other large government and non-government enterprises throughout the world and has become “a generic, best practice approach suitable for the management of all types of projects, and has a proven record outside both IT and government sectors”5. Using a proven project methodology ensures that the project is divided into manageable stages and that no critical stages or activities are missed. Such an approach reduces the risk of project failure.
5 http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp
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4.2 Site Structure Best Practices
4.2.1 Site structure should be task or topic based Website users are motivated by their informational needs and goals, such as needing to find information on heart disease, wanting to sign up for a clinical trial or applying for a job. Structuring IA around the tasks or topics users are seeking makes it easier and quicker for users to find what they are looking for. The purpose of an IA is to help people find their own way to the information they are seeking on a website. Basing IA on an organisation’s divisions or programs is not-user friendly because users may not be familiar with the organisational structure. Since most users will not be familiar with an organisation, it's important to recognise that organising content by organisational structure may not be the most logical to users.6 Card sorting activities7 can help organisations understand users’ mental models of how information can be categorised on a website.
4.2.1.1 Government website structure As mentioned in section 3.1.2, Sir David Varney (2006) recommends the grouping of government services around themes that are meaningful to citizens and businesses. It follows naturally that this thematic grouping would flow through to a government’s website structure. We can see that this is precisely what governments worldwide have been doing. In the recent edition of the United Nations review of global eGovernment capabilities, they state that “integrated service offerings that hide, simplify or transcend the traditional machinery of government have … become a centrepiece of eGovernment project[s]” (UN 2008:71). Governments have been moving away from an online structure that reflects the internal departmental, divisional and agency structure.
4.2.2 Websites should incorporate content cross-linking Content cross-linking means providing links within a website from one page to another which sits in a separate area of the IA. AGIMO recommend cross-linking “so that users do not have to move up and down the site structure hierarchy to get to related information” (AGIMO 2004:8). In addition to this, cross-linking can help notify users of other related information, such as regulations they must comply with or forms they need to complete. It is a useful way to promote discoverability and alert users to information they didn’t know they needed to know. The BBC news site (www.bbc.co.uk/news) uses cross-linking to provide related articles and background information on a particular story enabling users to learn as much or as little about the topic as they desire. The New Zealand Inland Revenue Department website (www.ird.govt.nz) also makes good use of cross-links by showing context relevant forms, calculators and online submission tools. Cross-linking facilitates indexing of content by search engines and improves usability. Additionally, “…contextual internal links can also be effective in helping to improve a site's rankings for targeted keyphrases…”8. In terms of further assisting the discoverability of content on your site, “link architecture—the method of internal linking on your site—is a crucial step in site design if you want your site indexed by search engines. It plays a critical role in Googlebot's ability to find your site's pages and ensures that your visitors can navigate and enjoy your site.”9
6 http://www.usability.gov/design/define.html
7 http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide
8 http://www.searchengineguide.com/scott-allen/the-importance-of-internal-linking.php
9 http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/10/importance-of-link-architecture.html
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Cross-linking may also take the form of simple text links within a paragraph. Some sites are now introducing a dotted underline link that when clicked or moused-over provides additional information in the form of a text box on the same page (like an alt tag). For example, an article might mention the name of an organisation and the mouse-over would reveal relevant details about that organisation, providing background to the story without the user having to leave the page they are on and thus maintain their workflow. This is not strictly cross-linking as users are not taken elsewhere in the hierarchy but it is mentioned here for completeness. It should be noted it remains a very new form of interaction that requires further study as to its acceptance by users.
4.2.3 Provide multiple paths to content Providing multiple paths to content means supplying a range of avenues to access the one piece of content. Providing multiple paths helps to match different mental models of different users. A comparative study10 between the Italian national website, www.italia.gov.it and the United Kingdom’s national website, www.direct.gov.uk endorsed the latter’s approach to IA. On the Italian website “public services are located in one, and only one, category and there is a single path to get there.” This directly “causes at lot of problems” for users of the site and makes it “unlikely that users are able to gather all information about [a] subject, since information is positioned in totally different sections and there are no references to bring them together.” On direct.gov.uk “public services are accessible by many different paths”. This is evident on the homepage where sections labelled “Straight to…” and “People” offer two different ways to start browsing to information: the first by subject, the second by audience type. The study concluded that the IA design of ukdirect.gov.uk resulted in “an outstanding governmental website which is designed around the specific needs of different kinds of users.” The Australian Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits website (www.pbs.gov.au) also provides multiple paths to the one content item. For example, a user wanting to find out if their Lipitor medication for high cholesterol is price subsidised by the government can find the required information by navigating via the name of the medication, navigating via the manufacturer, or navigating via the name of the bodily system which the medication relates to (Cardiovascular system). All three paths will lead the user to the same information for Lipitor.
4.2.4 Category labels should be clear and mutually exclusive IA category labels should make sense to the user and labels should limit “conceptual overlap”. For example, a user who visits an online department store wishing to buy an mp3 player may become confused when presented with the following category labels: Audio & TV, Computing, Fashion, and Furniture. An mp3 player could easily be found in either the Audio & TV or the Computing categories. The user may select the wrong option, get frustrated at not finding the information they expected and either back-track or leave the site thinking it does not sell iPods. By creating IA category labels which are clear and mutually exclusive, users are much better able to make correct choices. This is one of the most challenging aspects of IA. Category labels should use language users will understand. Wherever possible, plain English should be used and assumptions that users understand acronyms, internal jargon or “industry speak” (terms commonly used inside the industry or organisation), should be avoided.
4.2.5 Set value on site navigation Navigation should not only be easy to use, but easy to find. To help users trust and rely on a website’s navigation, it must be present on every page and appear in a consistent format. Where possible, navigation should also appear visually different to other links and buttons within a website so users can immediately distinguish between it and other functions.
10 http://trovabile.org/download/information-architecture-for-public-administration.pdf
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4.3 Interaction Design Best Practices
4.3.1 Ensure consistent design of interactive elements Ensuring interactive elements such as buttons, form elements and clickable icons are always in the same position and have a consistent look and behaviour helps users intuitively learn and use the interface. Users should not have to wonder whether different words, objects, operations or behaviours mean the same thing in different parts of the website. Established website, software and platform (Windows or Apple) conventions should be followed where available.
4.3.2 Online forms best practices Online forms are one of the most common ways to introduce two-way communication on a website. An online form allows users to enter information on a web page. In mid-2008 Luke Wroblewski, internationally acclaimed interaction designer, released his book “Web Form Design” which contains industry best practice guidelines for designing forms. Key points are summarised below: Form labels o Use top aligned labels to help reduce completion times and when the data being inputted by the user is familiar to them o Use right aligned labels when vertical screen space is a constraint o Use left aligned labels for unfamiliar or advanced data entry Required Form Fields o If most fields in a form are required, indicate which are optional o If most fields in a form are optional, indicate which are required o To indicate required/optional fields, text indication is best (e.g. place the word “(optional)” beside the label). For indicating required fields, using an asterisk often works. Field length o When possible, use field length as an affordance (to help indicate the type or amount of data input required of the user) o Otherwise, design a consistent length that provides enough room for inputs. Content grouping o Use relevant content groupings to organise form content o Use the minimum amount of visual elements necessary to communicate the groupings and/or other relationships. Form actions o Form actions are not of equal importance: . Reset, Cancel, and Go Back are secondary actions (they rarely need to be used - if at all) . Save, Continue, and Submit are primary actions (directly responsible for form completion) o The visual importance of actions should match their functional importance. Form help and tips o Aim to minimise the amount of help and tips users require to fill out a form o Help that is visible and adjacent to an input field (contextual help) is most useful o When lots of unfamiliar data is being requested, consider using a dynamic help system (for example, automatic inline help, user activated inline help, user activated section help).
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Section 0: Appendices Path to completion o Remove all unnecessary data requests o Provide smart defaults o Allow for flexible data entry (for example, accept different formats for entering a telephone number: 03 9486 9536 and (03)94869536 are both valid) o Visually, show a clear path to completion – left alignment can help o For multi-page forms, show a progress indicator and provide a save action. “Tabbing” Support o Many users use the TAB key to move through a form o Remember to account for this “tabbing” behaviour o Use HTML code to control tab order o Consider how users will expect the tab order to flow when laying out a form. Inline Validation o Use inline validation for inputs that have potentially high error rates o Use suggested inputs to disambiguate o Communicate any limits imposed (e.g. character limits on form inputs). Action progress o Provide visual indication of actions in progress (e.g. “uploading photo…”) o Disable “submit” action after it’s initiated to avoid duplicate submissions. Submission o Clearly communicate a data submission has been successful Accessibility & Mark o Use HTML
4.3.3 Error handling User errors on websites should be anticipated where possible, and where a user does make an error, this should always be handled proactively. Handling user errors proactively helps to avoid user frustration and increase comprehension of the problem at hand. User errors occur not only when completing online forms, but also when navigating through a site. Websites should be designed and optimised to reduce error. Information architecture should be user-friendly, unambiguous and supportive to the needs of users. When users need to be notified of an error they have made, Jakob Nielsen11 and Luke Wroblewski12 recommend the error message: o indicate in a user-friendly tone that an error has occurred o indicate the nature of the problem o be expressed in plain language rather than codes o suggest remedial actions.
11 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/404_improvement.html and http://www.useit.com/alertbox/seniors.html
12 http://www.lukew.com/resources/articles/WebForms_LukeW.pdf
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Section 0: Appendices When an error occurs within an online form, the error should be visually associated with fields where an error has been identified.
4.3.4 Pop-up and new windows Pop-up windows can increase or decrease a website's usability depending on how they are used. Advantages of pop-up or new windows include: The user can look at and use the original window and the new window at the same time. The user can use the original window as a “launching pad” if there are many links of interest in the original window. Disadvantages include: Pop-up windows or new browser windows can be a surprise for the user and can result in confusion or not even realising a new window has been opened. In some browsers, the browser back button does not work in the new window. Opening many pop-ups can slow down the user's computer or even crash it (although this is becoming a lesser issue as computer performance improves). If a pop-up or new window is required, best practices include: Warning that a link will open a new window. This can be done using a symbol, or adding text such as “opens in a new window” to the link's title. The use of a dialogue box to notify users that they are leaving the current site is not recommended. Minimise the number of open windows - for example if the help page is already open don't open another copy. Using simple HTML code rather than javascript to open the new window or less preferable is ensuring accessible pop-up windows. The new window should include some standard browser features (commonly called the chrome features). At a minimum the standard buttons, address and status bar. While it is ideal (and most accessible) to include the warning about the link opening in a new window as part of the link itself, there are other ways this warning can be handled. The Department of Justice (Victoria) website provides this warning prior to a link or group of links to publications or external sites. Pop-up windows can be made accessible with the careful use of HTML and javascript. When is it appropriate to enforce opening links in a new window? The most common examples are: when providing assistance or help opening a document rather than a web page downloading something large displaying terms and conditions. A new window for help enables the user to stay focussed on their workflow, for example completing a transaction or filling in a form. In these cases, they don’t want to navigate away from what they are doing so a new window provides them with the information they need while letting them stay where they are. If the help provided is a short paragraph or less, then dynamic tooltips may be better than a new window, depending on the information provided and the task at hand. Likewise, terms and conditions or a privacy policy may also be provided in a new window (should users click on these when filling in a form for example) so that the process is not interrupted or information in the form lost (thus risking the user bailing out of the process completely). Although linking to PC-native documents is not recommended, if this must be done then open the document in a new window and remove the browser tool bar. Jakob Nielsen believes it is even better to prevent the browser from opening it in the first place. He suggests giving the user the choice of opening an application or saving the file13. Smashingmagazine.com suggests that when the link leads to a large file (an image for example)
13 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/open_new_windows.html
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Section 0: Appendices which takes time to load that “opening it in a new window allows users to focus on your content while the image is being loaded in the background”14.
4.3.5 User-friendly interface A user-friendly interface has many aspects, summarised by Nielsen as15: 1. Easy to learn: The user can quickly go from not knowing the website to achieving their goals or tasks by interacting with it. 2. Efficient to use: Once the user has learned the website, a high level of productivity is possible. 3. Easy to remember: Infrequent users are able to return to the site after some period of not having used it, without having to learn everything all over (assuming there have been no changes). 4. Few errors: Users do not make many errors using the site, or if they do make errors they can easily recover from them. 5. Pleasant to use: Users are subjectively satisfied by using the site; they like it.
4.4 Website Content Best Practices
4.4.1 Homepage It has been said many times that the homepage is the most valuable real estate on any website. It is here that users get an understanding of what the site does and whether it will have any relevance to them – often deciding in a matter of seconds whether they will follow a link on your site or go back to where they came from and try somewhere else. While it is true that for many users a site will live or die by its homepage, thanks to the increasing pervasiveness of Google’s and other sites’ use of deep-linking to external pages of relevance, many users won’t see a homepage and instead will find themselves linked straight to a content page within the site. In fact, a 2008 study by Jakob Nielsen showed only 25% of users travel via a homepage.16 This doesn’t mean ignore your homepage and concentrate design on the content pages. Instead, recognise this phenomena and design for it. Jared Spool, a leading internationally recognised usability expert concurs, arguing that the landing pages, meaning the first page on a site that a user sees, has to perform the same functions as a homepage:
“That turns out to be a lot easier than many designers think, mostly because they usually don’t really understand the true functions of a home page.
In studying users visiting sites, we learned a long time ago that there are only two important functions for a home page:
The home page delivers the content to [users] that they are seeking—such as the top story on CNN—or
The home page provides strong scent to those pages that contain the content the user seeks.
Those are the only two things users care about on a home page. (Lots of designers try to make the home page serve other functions, such as [telling] the user about things the organization cares about, but the user doesn’t—such as financial news about the business or what new products are on sale—but users blow right past this content and pay no attention to it. We’ve found it’s all a waste of valuable design resources.) When designers focus on just these two things on the home page, users tell us the site is substantially more usable.”17
14 http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/01/should-links-open-in-new-windows/
15 Nielsen, J. Usability Engineering. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1993.
16 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7417496.stm
17 http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000212.php
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4.4.2 Appropriate page titles A page title is an HTML tag which provides a form of metadata for a web page. Gerry McGovern identifies three important functions for page titles (McGovern et al. 2002): The page title is an essential role from a search point of view, as the majority of search engines index the page title and display it as the title of the page in the search results, making it the first thing a user sees. The page title is visible in the title bar of the browser window. The page title is also used when the page is bookmarked by a browser. On a homepage it is recommended the page title should include the critical keywords that indicate what site the user is entering: “Microsoft - home.” On a content page, using the page’s main heading (
) as the page title is recommended, as the heading best describes what is on the page. Page titles should be short, precise and self-contained (as it will be seen in search engine results).
4.4.3 Link text Link text is the term used to describe words used on a web page to link to another web page or document. Writing descriptive link text is important for the following reasons: Descriptive link text incorporating relevant keywords lets users know what information they can expect if they click the link. When scanning web pages, users scan links to help them find what they are looking for. Descriptive link text helps them quickly understand the breadth of content on the page. Some screen readers can scan a web page for vision impaired users by reading out loud just the link text on the page. Descriptive link text helps visually impaired users to quickly comprehend content on the page. Several repetitions of “Click here” and nothing else would not help anyone understand what the page is about. Non-descriptive link text such as "Click here" or "more..." are ambiguous and force users to infer its probable destination. Creating descriptive link text means describing clearly and succinctly the information available at the link’s destination. Visual representation of link text is also highly important. Jakob Nielsen recommends18 links “should be coloured and underlined to achieve the best perceived affordance of clickability”. Qualifying this, Nielsen adds that “assuming the link text is coloured, it's not always absolutely necessary to underline it” – navigation menus and lists of links being the exceptions. Other link text recommendations from Nielsen include: Don't underline any text that's not a link. Reserve underlining for links. Use different colours for visited and unvisited links. The two colours should be variants or shades of the same colour, so that they're clearly related. Shades of blue provide the strongest signal for links, but other colours work almost as well. Never show text in your chosen link colours unless it's a link. There is no need to use special colours or other visualizations when the cursor hovers over a link. Link colour on an intranet can be a special case. Showing listed links in blue or in the site's main link colour is the recommended design. Vision Australia’s recommendations19 for links corroborate and extend Nielsen’s: The link text must include the file type and size if it targets a downloadable file (e.g. PDF) Links should contrast in colour with any surrounding text, and be underlined to stand out visually when located within regular text
18 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html
19 http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/docs/news_events/Ten%20tips%20for%20a%20more%20accessible%20website.doc
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4.5 Branding and Identity Best Practices
4.5.1 Consistent branding Consistent branding across a website helps project a consistent concept and tone. Branding consists of a logo, brand name, tagline, colours, fonts and key graphics. Corporate branding guidelines for online branding must incorporate online best practices, including: Preferably a blue-toned link colour. If this is unacceptable, use a strong colour that matches the main corporate colour (not black, white or grey). A useful secondary palette containing some colours with sufficient colour contrast against white that let you use them on the web. A sans-serif typeface. If the main typeface is serif then a secondary one is required for web content. A logo that is clear at low resolutions and its use online has been taken into account. For example, insisting on vast areas of white space around the logo is wasteful on a website.
4.5.2 Engender trust Engendering trust online can be encouraged through site design and provision of trust- enhancing information. Designing a site to match the ethos of the organisation it represents will help to engender trust in its users. Similarly, establishing, publishing (and adhering to) a privacy statement may help alleviate any users’ concerns over use of information provided by them. Above all, users will come to trust a website if they feel the organisation has the user’s best interests at heart and that the organisation is not trying to hide anything from the user. Trust and transparency are critical for successful citizen-centric eGovernment (Ecotec 2007). Governments must ensure that they address user fears regarding the security and use of the personal data they supply. Engaging users in participation online is one way to establish trust (Ecotec 2007:17, UN 2008:91). In addressing trust and transparency concerns with government services online, Estonia has gone as far as to allow citizens to log on and see which ministries have accessed their private data and for what purpose. The Netherlands provide an “e-citizen charter”, which outlines the expectations and responsibilities of both the government and the citizen20.
4.5.3 Appropriate font (readable, resizable, good contrast) The font used on a website should be at a size that makes it easy for users to read. If users do not find the font-size readable, then they should be able to control the font-size. Care should be taken to ensure there is good contrast between the font and its background. Various contrast checking tools are available online for free use. The typefaces we love on paper don't work well on-screen. Reproduced at a much lower resolution on the computer monitor, each letter is represented by square pixels on a grid, rather than by smooth lines of ink on paper. On-screen characters with curved or diagonal strokes — especially italics — often break down into unrecognizable shapes. Verdana, a sans serif, Georgia, a serif, and Trebuchet have become standards for readability on the Web.
4.6 Search Facility Best Practices
4.6.1 Provide a clear and simple interface Key recommendations from AGIMO are: Focus on meeting general user needs Unless a site’s target audience is particularly search-savvy (for example, library or academic users), a search interface should cater to needs of general users. Keep the search form simple
20 http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/104894
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Section 0: Appendices The search interface should be kept as simple as possible – ideally a search input field and a “search” or “go” button. The width of the search input box should be a minimum of 30 characters to allow multiple search term entry to be largely visible.
SEARCH Go Go Other choices such as drop down options have been shown to cause confusion and misunderstandings for users, however sometimes it is appropriate to offer a choice of content to search. Independent experts agree that where the choice is between two (say for example, search whole site or search products) then the choice should be indicated by a radio button; if the choice is between three (there should be no need to offer more than three), then a dropdown list should be used. These controls should be placed before the search box and clearly labelled
Make the search facility available throughout the site To promote consistency not only within one site, but also across all Australian government websites, AGIMO recommend the search facility be available in the header area of all pages on a website. Carefully consider if advanced search options should be provided Advanced search options allow users to conduct more targeted searches, often with the use of Boolean operators (‘and’, ‘or’, ‘not’, ‘near’, etc). While advanced search options are well understood by experts (such as librarians or researchers) general users may not require nor understand the practice of advanced searching. If advanced search options are provided, they should be accessed from a link in the primary search interface or from the search results page and not form part of the primary search interface itself.
4.6.2 Behaves like Google Google is the most used search engine in the world.21 Google is so pervasive that users are now expecting all search engines (internet and intranet) to behave like Google.22 That is, there is a box where they can type words, a button labelled “search” and the results page loads quickly with relevant results, including a short description, (on the top half of the first search result page) that link them to content that satisfies their goal or need. Designing a search that deviates from the Google model could cause substantial confusion for the user.
4.6.3 Clear and scannable results When presented with pages and pages of search results, users can easily be overwhelmed. Search results should be presented in a clear, pleasing and user-friendly design. Minimise the details provided for each result Search results pages can often provide too much information to the user. For example, size in bytes, links to other similar matches, and relevance expressed as a percentage. Scanning search results can be made easier by limiting the detail provided for each result. AGIMO recommend providing the following details for each search result: The page URL The page title (as a link to the document) A document summary or abstract Ensure that descriptions are meaningful Providing a document summary or abstract for each search result can help the user understand the result in context. A summary of abstract can be sourced from metadata or automatically abstracted by the search software. If automated abstracts are used, care needs to be taken to help ensure that the text does not include irrelevant details, such as the standard header and the navigation elements that appear on all pages.
21 http://www.ahfx.net/weblog.php?article=135
22 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050509.html
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4.6.4 Consider ‘faceted’ searching Where users require options to narrow their search parameters, such as searching for a particular car on a car sales website, traditional search interfaces provide many input fields or drop-down options for users to specify their search parameters (called parametric searching). This form of searching relies on the user having detailed prior knowledge in order to search. Faceted searching allows different users to search for items in many different ways. For example, a cooking recipe can be searched for by ingredient, geographic region, style of cooking, cost, difficulty, type of diet (e.g. vegetarian) or other aspects of the recipe. Each such aspect of an item is called a ‘facet’. Once items are classified in this way, a ‘faceted’ search provides a mechanism for browsing through the classifications, with each step narrowing down the number of matching items. Some large websites such as www.amazon.com and in Australia, www.abc.net.au and the National Library of Australia (www.nla.gov.au), employ faceted searching.
4.6.5 Manipulating search results By manipulating search results, website managers can help users find what they are really looking for. Consider search engine 'best bets' Establishing a separate database of ‘key’ pages for a given subject is done to enable ‘best bets’. When a user submits search terms, these are looked-up in this database and any matching entries are listed at the very beginning of the results page. For example, on a bank website, the home loan centre homepage can be presented as a best bet in response to any query which includes ‘mortgage’, ‘homeloan’, ‘property finance’, ‘housing’ etc. By clearly marking these results as the ‘best bets’, users may have more confidence in their quality. The introduction of a human element into the creation of the ‘best bets’ allows a high-quality collection of perhaps a few hundred pages to be identified out of the tens of thousands that may exist. Implement search engine synonyms There are a number of common reasons for users not finding information when searching. For example: Users may enter the incorrect terminology. Pages may use a range of words for the one subject, so any search using one term will miss the results from pages using other terms. Users may make spelling mistakes or typographical errors. Users for whom English is not their first language may misspell or enter foreign language terms into search facilities. These can be resolved by implementing a list of synonyms in the search engine. When the user enters a term, it is looked up in the synonym list and any equivalent words are also included in the search terms. In this way, the desired information can be found even if the search terms do not exactly match the content of the pages. Synonyms can also be used to increase the extent to which users from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can access the resources on the site. By providing, in the synonym list, terms in other languages spoken by target groups, foreign language terms entered can retrieve English language resources, and vice versa. Consider stemming and ‘fuzzy matching’ Stemming and fuzzy matching are designed to provide matches even when the user does not enter exactly the same terms as those used in the pages. While they can be useful, they can also have the side effect of considerably increasing the number of search results returned and may reduce the overall quality of matches. ‘Stemming’ involves a search engine automatically adding different endings to the words entered. For example, ‘walk’ would also find ‘walks’, ‘walked’ and ‘walking’. This can be useful for managing inconsistencies in the documents being searched, as well as address the differences between Australian/British spelling and North American spelling.
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Section 0: Appendices ‘Fuzzy matching’ is the name given to the general class of options that matches words that ‘sound like’ those entered by the user. The specific method of doing this varies between search tools and is referred to by different names (‘soundex’, ‘phonetic matching’, etc). Fuzzy matches are best presented as suggestions, rather than being automatically applied, to avoid topic drift. For example, a soundex algorithm rates lion, lean, lan, lawn, lane and logan (among many others) as equivalent to ‘loan’. Help users recover from spelling or typographical errors A 2004 study of BBC search engine records found that one in 12 search terms were misspelled. Search engines should account for common spelling and typographical errors to increase the chance of a search success (Galitz 2007:249).
4.6.6 Relevant results shown first Search result pages should provide ‘high precision and low recall’ results so that only the most relevant search results are returned rather than many pages of results that include very low- relevance results. Ten to 50 results, with the least amount of description information to allow users to determine which results suit their needs, and in order of decreasing relevance (Galitz 2007: 255), will ensure users can find the information that they need as quickly as possible.
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5. Best Practice Websites Benchmarking
This section presents examples of Australian and international websites that have been deemed as best of breed examples of the best practices identified in section 4.
5.1 Methodology and Approach Best Practices
5.1.1 Australian Federal Government
The Australian Federal Government portal site (www.australia.gov.au) was designed using an iterative, user-centred approach. The site demonstrates many of the other best practice features outlined in this document, such as: topic-based structure (The site’s structure is not based on the organisational departments) multiple paths to content consistent navigation simple and clear search facility and search results.
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5.2 Site Structure Best Practices
5.2.1 Directgov, UK www.direct.gov.uk acts as a portal to the breadth of UK services at all levels of government and also provides extensive content on a variety of topics. The site structure exhibits most of the features associated with site structure best practice:
The site structure is based on: o Tasks – for example in the “Do it online” section o Topics – such as “Home and Community” and “Health and wellbeing” o Roles – such as “Young People” and “Parents”
Multiple paths to content are provided – users can ‘browse by subject’ or ‘browse by people’.
Category labels are clear and mutually exclusive. Examples of the most significant subcategories displayed under each category assist the understanding of the labels.
The site navigation appears consistently (for all pages beneath the home page) and has a distinct appearance from normal links.
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5.2.2 NHS Choices, UK The UK’s NHS Choices site (www.nhs.uk) provides an extensive resource on a variety of health topics and also helps to connect people with services. The site is a good example of content cross-linking. The page pictured at left is from the section on arthritis. The ‘useful links’ section on the right of the page provides links to related topics elsewhere on the site and externally. The ‘find a service’ feature also appears in a number of places throughout the site.
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5.3 Interaction Design Best Practices
5.3.1 Amazon The online store www.amazon.com is a good example of the consistent design of interactive elements and has a user-friendly interface. Buttons, form elements and clickable icons are always in the same position and have a consistent behaviour. o The site “header”, which includes the search box, shopping cart, access to account details and the shop “departments” appears on every page. o All buttons relating to significant actions such as purchasing and account management are the same colour: yellow. o Hyperlinks are consistently shown in blue (although not underlined).
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5.3.2 Yahoo The account signup form for the portal www.yahoo.com demonstrates best practice in the areas of online form design and error handling: Form labels are top aligned. They are also right aligned as vertical space is constrained in order to avoid scrolling. Field lengths are used an affordance. For example, the postcode field is shorter than those for first and last names. Form help and tips are minimal. If they are needed, they appear next to the relevant field as it comes into focus. The form provides support for tabbing, and the tab order of fields is sensible. While the required fields are not indicated initially, if the form is completed incorrectly the required fields are highlighted and the nature of the error is stated next to the field, ie. “This information is required”. The form could be improved by placing the word “optional” next to the one optional field, which is the “Alternative email address”. Fields in the form are arranged into groups such as “Tell us about yourself” and “ Select an ID and password” The button for the primary action, “Create my account” is given more visual importance than the “Cancel” button, which represents a secondary action.
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5.4 Website Content Best Practices
5.4.1 Department of Justice, Victoria The content on the Department of Justice website provides an excellent example of high quality, well written web content:
The content is well-written: o Clear and concise sub-headings are used throughout o Content is largely written in the active voice o Paragraphs are limited to one concept or idea o Page lengths are kept under control to minimise scrolling on pages o Bulleted lists are often employed to help users scan text o No sign of spelling or grammatical errors is apparent
All page titles are meaningful and match the major heading of the page.
Link text is always descriptive and underlining is only used for linked text.
The font colour used for linked text is reserved only for text that is linked. Different colours are used for visited and unvisited links (although the difference in hue is difficult to discern).
The site content is written in a style of language that is appropriate for the general public. Being a website for legal and justice related information, an area often plagued by legalese and jargon, this is particularly important.
5.4.2 Department of Housing, New South Wales
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Content on the NSW Department of Housing site is well-written and demonstrates the following best practices:
Sub-headings are used throughout to break-up content on a single page.
Sub-headings are succinct and unambiguous.
Content is written in the active voice which makes sentences simpler in structure.
One concept or idea is covered per paragraph.
Concise copy means page lengths are generally short which minimises scrolling.
Use of bulleted lists to help users scan though text on the page
No spelling or grammatical errors are evident
Page titles are meaningful and generally succinct. Page titles also match the major heading of the page.
Link text is descriptive and underlining is only used for linked text. However, link text for PDFs is not dealt with in a consistent way. In some instances the link text includes the file size of the document, while in other places, the file size is not included. It is not always made clear that a link leads to a downloadable document.
The font colour used for linked text is only used for linked text. However, in contrast to best practice principles, different colours are not used for visited and unvisited links on this website.
The style of language used in this website is suitable for the general public. Sentences are generally short and succinct and the tone is genial.
Information appears to be current and up-to-date (at the time of review, the most recent news item was less than a week old).
Content is written in the pyramid style. For example, in the section dealing with rental payments, the first sentence answers users’ likely questions: when and how rent is paid.
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5.5 Branding and Identity Best Practices
5.5.1 Environment Protection Authority The EPA (www.epa.vic.gov.au), apart from the trust generated by a known government entity, demonstrates the following branding and identity best practices: A sans-serif typeface is used throughout the site The logo is clear at low resolutions Hyperlinks are blue and underlined.
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5.5.2 Directgov, UK The UK government’s Directgov site (www.direct.gov.uk) has a logo which is particularly suited to the web, and is recognisable even when only the first letter is shown at a small size (see below).
Full Directgov logo
The small “D” of the Directgov logo is used (as a favicon) to identify the site in the browser as can be seen above to the left of the address bar.
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5.6 Search Facility Best Practices
5.6.1 Department of Health, UK The UK Department of Health website provides an excellent search facility which follows all best practice principles: The search function is a simple interface consisting of a label, an input field, and a ‘go’ button. Note: an advanced search option is also available. The advanced search interface is complex and does not conform to many best practice principles. The search facility is available on every page within the site. The search results are clear and scannable. Each search result displays the following: o A page title which acts as the link to the item. o An abstract (with instances of the search term highlighted). o A URL or name of the relevant section displays in smaller, lighter font under the abstract. o A date. It is unclear if this date is the published date, last updated date or alluding to another type of date. The search engine employs stemming. A search for “walk” will includes results for walk, walks, and walking in the search results. The search facility provides synonym matching. The search results page suggests related terms. For example, when searching for “disease”, the search results page displays above the first result: “Also try: Diseases, Communicable diseases, Communicable disease transmission, Medical examination” The search results are faceted. A list of categories and the number of results within each is displayed in the left-hand column. “Best bets” are employed to promote key pages for selected search terms. For example, when searching for “influenza” the first three search results are denoted with “We recommend”. Spelling errors are identified and corrected suggestions are made. For example: “You searched for influen. Did you mean: influenza, influence, influx”
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5.6.2 Department of Health and Human Services, USA The USA’s Department of Health and Human Services website employs a search facility which follows many best practice principles: The search function is a simple interface consisting of an input field, and a ‘search’ button. Note, an advanced search option is also available which utilises a complex interface. The search facility is available on every page within the site. However the duplication of the search facility on the search results page is debatable. The search results are clear and scannable. Each search result displays the following: o A page title which acts as the link to the item. o An abstract is displayed (with instances of the search term highlighted). o A URL or name of the relevant section displays in smaller, lighter font under the abstract. o A date. It is unclear if this date is the published date, last updated date or alluding to another type of date. o The size of the file (not a best practice principle). The search facility provides synonym matching. For example, when searching for “influenza”, the search results page displays above the first result: “You could also try: flu” “Best bets” are employed. For example, when searching for “influenza” the first result displayed is denoted as a “Featured Link”. Spelling errors are identified and corrected suggestions are made. For example: when searching for “influensa” the following is displayed above any search results: “Did you mean: influenza”.
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6. Online trends in the Human Services Sector
Best practice principals refer to practices that are more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other methods or practices. They are based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people. It is not always possible to apply this label to features, methods or processes in a sector that is rapidly changing and evolving and this necessitates regular reviews of the best practices outlined in this document. What is possible is the identification of current online trends, which provides an overview of the solutions being introduced to meet user needs but without the independent assessment of whether they meet best practice.
6.1 Content
6.1.1 Health conditions and treatments resources A number of national and regional governments around the world are providing vetted information on health conditions and treatments. These are often in the form of a searchable A to Z index of health issues. Examples: o Singapore (www.singhealth.com.sg) o United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk) o USA (www.healthfinder.gov)
Healthfinder.gov provides a resource on health topics
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6.1.2 Index of services Common across government health sites is an index of services offered. Indexes of services may be: a list of all services delivered by or funded by the government body, or
a more comprehensive database of public, community sector and private services offered. They may also be searchable by topic, service name and location. It is common for all the services of a department to be listed in one place, to save users having to navigate the organisational structure. Service information may include eligibility information and instructions on how to access the service. The United Kingdom’s NHS Choices website offers a particularly sophisticated service search feature across government and non-government services: Examples: Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (www.dhhs.tas.gov.au)
United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk, www.direct.gov.uk)
South Australia – Human Services Finder (www.hsfinder.sa.gov.au)
The NHS Choices service index
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6.2 Interactive Features
6.2.1 Content update notifications A number of government sites in general provide a feature to be notified of updates to content. Some sites, such as www.usa.gov, give users the option to be updated by email of changes to a particular page. Other sites use a model where users indicate their interests and can be updated by email. Many sites also offer RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds to update users of new and updated content. This feature may be of particular use to partner agencies who would like to be notified of changes to policy and legislation that affects them. Examples: United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk, www.direct.gov.uk, www.everychildmatters.gov.uk)
USA (www.usa.gov)
6.2.2 Health self-assessment tools These tools allow users to enter details about themselves and assess whether they have any health issues they should be attending to. The UK’ NHS Choices site (www.nhs.uk) provides a number of tools, including a mole self-assessment tool and a healthy weight calculator. Examples: United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk)
USA (www.healthfinder.gov)
The mole self assessment tool on NHS Choices
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6.2.3 Social interaction Particularly in the area of consumer health, social interaction features are being offered. The United Kingdom’s NHS Choices site (www.nhs.uk) provides forums and the opportunity for users to comments on articles and blog posts of featured bloggers. Outside of government, online social support networks such as www.patientslikeme.com and www.quitnet.com are becoming popular spaces in which users can interact and share advice and stories related to their health challenges. The communities also become a valuable resource for health researchers. Examples: United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk)
USA – Private Sector (www.patientslikeme.com, www.quitnet.com)
www.patientslikeme.com provides online social support communities for a variety of health conditions
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6.2.4 Electronic Funds Transfer As part of a broader trend in eGovernment (UN 2008), governments are beginning to offer online payment as an option for partner agencies. Example: New South Wales (www.housing.nsw.gov.au)
6.2.5 Customisation In line with the move towards customer-centric service delivery, government health sites in particular are beginning to offer greater customisation. The NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk) allows health service consumers to bookmark pages viewed within the site in their own ‘Your pages’ section. Users can also indicate their areas of interest, and these topics will be highlighted as the user browses the site. The US Government’s Healthfinder site (www.healthfinder.gov) provides a simple interface on the homepage where users can enter their age and gender and relevant content will be displayed. A number of countries around the world have enabled a high level of customisation of online by providing all citizens with a unique identification number (UN 2008). Examples: United Kingdom (www.nhs.uk) USA (www.healthfinder.gov) Singapore (www.ecitizen.gov.sg/singpass)
6.3 Content separation by user
6.3.1 Separation of customer-targeted and organisational content In the government space more broadly, there is a trend towards keeping content targeted to business and citizen customers separate from organisational content such as policies, legislation and reports. The United Kingdom provides a portal for all government services (www.direct.gov.uk) which includes the full suite of human services, and a consumer-focused health site (www.nhs.uk). Information on programs, policies, guidelines and information for service partners are restricted to departmental sites such as www.dh.gov.uk and portal sites for partners such as www.info4local.gov.uk, which provides information for local government. The USA also has the consumer-target Healthfinder site (www.healthfinder.gov) as distinct from the United States Department of Health and Human Services site (http://www.hhs.gov/) which contains organisational information, information for local government and agencies as well as information about services.
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Section 0: Appendices Bibliography Australian Government Information Management Office (2006), Responsive Government – A New Service Agenda
Australian Government Information Management Office (2008), Consulting with Government – online
Australian Government Information Management Office (2004), Information Architecture for Websites: Better Practice Checklist
Bayens, G (2006), E Government in The Netherlands: An Architectural Approach, Netherlands ICTU
Burden, C (2007), 2007 Gold Mouse Report, Congressional Management Foundation
Capgemini (2007), The User Challenge: Benchmarking the Supply of Online Public Services, Report prepared for the European Commission
Dillon, A and Turnbull, D (2005), Information Architecture, Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Science
Ecotec Resarch & Consulting (2007), A Handbook for Citizen-centric eGovernment. (Prepared for the European Union)
European Commission Joint Research Centre (2008), Web 2.0 in Government: Why and how?
Fuchs, S. and Rosati, L. (2005), The Italian and the English model of information retrieval used in governmental websites, euroIA conference paper
Galitz, W. (2007), The Essential Guide to User Interface Design: An Introduction to GUI Design Principles and Techniques, Wiley Press
Gartner Group (2000), Key Issues in E-Government Strategy and Management. Research Notes, Key Issues
Heeks, R. (2002), e-Government in Africa: Promise and Practice, Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester
Industry Advisory Council (2005), Managing Citizen-Centric Web Content, Best Practices Whitepaper
Lynch, P. J., Horton, S. and Rosenfeld, L. (2002), Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, Yale University Press
McGovern, G., Norton, R., O’Dowd, C (2002), The Web Content Style Guide, FT Press
Nielsen, J. (1993), Usability Engineering. Academic Press, San Diego, CA
Nielsen, J. (1993), Iterative User Interface Design, IEEE Computer Vol. 26, Issue 11 pp 32-41
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives (2008), New Technologies and Government of Canada Communications. (Prepared for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada)
Seifert, J. (2003), A Primer on E-Government: Sectors, Stages, Opportunities and Challenges of Online Governance. (Report for US Congress)
Sharp, D. (2006), Digital Lifestyles Monitor, Swinburne University of Technology
Toub, S. (2000), Evaluating Information Architecture, Argus Center for Information Architecture
United Nations (2008), United Nations E-Government Survey 2008
United Kingdom Cabinet Office (2006), Death of the Surfer … Birth of the Supersite, UK Cabinet Office Press Release
Varney, Sir David (2006), Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer
Vicnet (2007), Community Languages Online, (Prepared for the Department for Victorian Communities)
Vision Australia (2007), Ten Tips for a More Accessible Website,
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Section 0: Appendices Webcredible (2008), Local Council Websites: Good, But No Cigar, Webcredible Usability Study
Wroblewski, L. (2008), Web Form Design, Rosenfeld Media
Wyld, D. C. (2007), The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0, IBM Center for the Business of Government Report
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Appendices
Appendix A. Model of the domains of eGovernment
Following is a description of a model of the domains of eGovernment adapted by Richard Heeks at the University of Manchester (Heeks 2002) from an earlier model developed by KPMG. The model proposes three domains: Improving Government Processes: eAdministration Connecting citizens: eCitizens and eServices Building External Interactions: eSociety
6.3.1 Improving Government Processes: eAdministration eGovernment initiatives within this domain deal particularly with improving the internal workings of the public sector. They include:
Cutting process costs: improving the input:output ratio by cutting financial costs and/or time costs.
Managing process performance: planning, monitoring and controlling the performance of process resources (human, financial and other).
Making strategic connections in government: connecting arms, agencies, levels and data stores of government to strengthen capacity to investigate, develop and implement the strategy and policy that guides government processes.
Creating empowerment: transferring power, authority and resources for processes from their existing locus to new locations.
6.3.2 Connecting Citizens: eCitizens and eServices Such initiatives deal particularly with the relationship between government and citizens: either as voters/stakeholders from whom the public sector should derive its legitimacy, or as customers who consume public services. These initiatives may well incorporate the process improvements identified in section B1. However, they also include a broader remit:
Talking to citizens: providing citizens with details of public sector activities. This mainly relates to certain types of accountability: making public servants more accountable for their decisions and actions.
Listening to citizens: increasing the input of citizens into public sector decisions and actions. This could be flagged as either democratisation or participation.
Improving public services: improving the services delivered to members of the public along dimensions such as quality, convenience and cost.
6.3.3 Building External Interactions: eSociety Such initiatives deal particularly with the relationship between public agencies and other institutions - other public agencies, private sector companies, non-profit and community organisations. As with citizen connections, these initiatives may well incorporate the process improvements identified in section B1. However, they also include a broader remit:
Working better with business: improving the interaction between government and business. This includes digitising regulation of, procurement from, and services to, business to improve quality, convenience and cost.
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Section 0: Appendices Developing communities: building the social and economic capacities and capital of local communities.
Building partnerships: creating organisational groupings to achieve economic and social objectives. The public sector is almost always one of the partners, though occasionally it acts only as a facilitator for others.
Appendix B. Best Practice Principles for Government (non IA)
Website Content Best Practices
6.3.4 Purpose-written content One mistake commonly made in organisations is to simply take an existing printed document and turn it into html. No one expects a printed document to work as a radio script and yet many people think such a document would simply translate to web copy. Printed documents may be repurposed for web but preferably, copy should be developed for the purpose of the site. Gerry McGovern, worldwide authority on managing online content, emphasises that “writing for the web is not the same as writing for print. People read differently on the Web. They scan read - jumping quickly from one piece of content to the next. People are much more action-orientated on the Web. They get online to get something done.”23 Key points recommended by McGovern include: Use simple and informal writing - most users prefer the use of a conversational tone when scanning online text. A page heading should relate the key idea of the piece and comprise not more than eight words. Use meaningful sub-headings. Apply the inverted pyramid style of writing to text - start an article with the most important fact followed by the next most important and so on. Use the active voice, personal pronouns and action words – this will encourage energetic content. Ensure that only one idea is outlined in each paragraph or “chunk” (manageable bit of text). Avoid scrolling as users become impatient when scanning reams of information. An ideal article length is 500 words or less. Highlight keywords and use bulleted lists to help users scan text. Edit content for spelling and grammar errors. Keep your text tight – cut the word count and then cut it some more.
6.3.5 Information is accurate, current and up-to-date Users should not have to wonder whether they are looking at the latest information. Content should always be up-to-date, correct and current. If it isn’t, users lose trust in the site and in the organisation. Users expect instant updates and do not accept print-publishing timelines for the web. Inaccurate or dated content will, at best, increase calls to the organisation as users seek clarification or result in lost site and organisational patronage and revenue. At worst, it could result in a serious, fatal error. Consider a doctor checking dosage information for a drug – out-of-date information could result in death in such a case.
6.3.6 Multilingual support As the internet continues to provide a communication channel to the wider community, improvement of translated content on Victorian government websites is needed to ensure that online information is accessible for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. This
23 http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2003/nt_2003_04_28_writing_1.htm
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Section 0: Appendices is in line with wide-ranging Victorian Government policy that supports access to government information for all Victorians24. In late 2007, Vicnet, a division of the State Library of Victoria, delivered findings and recommendations from research into how multilingual web-based government information can be created and used in the best way for CALD communities. One of the key steps outlined in the findings is the “development of standards and guidelines for the creation of multilingual content”. In 2001, Victoria Online conducted research into the feasibility of multilingual provisions for vic.gov.au. The research recognised that “languages are expensive to support on a website due primarily to the need to employ external contractors to translate and manage the content”25. The resulting over-arching strategy for multilingual support recommended by the research was to produce and maintain minimal content (navigation pages only) and concentrate on aggregating links to existing translated resources.
6.3.7 Appropriate style of language Reading from computer screens is tiring for the eyes and about 25% slower than reading from printed matter26. Coupled with this fact is the need for governmental websites to target a broad range of users with a broad range of literacy skills. As such, the easier the style of writing the easier it is for users to comprehend the information. A UK study27 found a high-profile health information website could “only be understood by people whose reading ability is well beyond that of the average UK citizen”. This created potentially “serious consequences” of patients misunderstanding the information available. The research found that “sizeable proportions of Western populations have limited language and math skills making it difficult for them to fully and safely understand and act upon online health information”. The USA’s Web Content Managers Advisory Council recommends the following tips28 to ensure an appropriate style of language: Know the website’s audience and write for them. Assume that the general public is one of the key audiences for the website homepage and other major entry points of the site. When writing for multiple audiences, tailor writing-style to the audience with the least expertise. Review homepages, major entry points, and navigational elements to ensure they are written in plain language, for the general public. Use language tools, including language software, to evaluate the readability of the website's content. Test content for readability with typical visitors.
6.3.8 Pyramid & chunking content Research has shown (McGovern et al. 2002:2) that generally users do not like reading long passages of text on-screen. “Long pages tend to disorient readers; they require users to scroll long distances and to remember what is off-screen” (Lynch et al. 2002). Therefore writing for the web is very different to writing for print. The “inverted pyramid” concept is a writing style that puts the most important information at the top, followed by the remaining information in order of importance, with the least important at the bottom. The pyramid writing style is popular with journalists and is also the recommended way of writing content for the web.
24 http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/index.php?env=-innews/detail:m1182-1-1-8-s-0:n-1452-1-0--
25 http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/index.php?env=-innews/detail.tpl:m1516-1-1-8:l284-0-1-:n499-0-0
26 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9703b.html
27 http://staff.bath.ac.uk/mpsmnkb/MNKBoulos_HDL04.PDF
28 http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/managing_content/writing_and_editing.shtml
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Section 0: Appendices The inverted pyramid should be made up of “chunks” of content. Chunking is the process of dividing information into separate topics for users to read and comprehend more easily. After breaking chunks up into manageable lengths, appropriate headings and subheadings should be employed to provide an indication of the contents. Each chunk should consist of a single idea or concept.
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