Acknowledgement

Many people deserve credit for creating this document. Special thanks to the Internet Common Look and Feel Working Group leaders for their considerable contribution.

The Internet Common Look and Feel Working Group, an inter-institutional, multidisciplinary committee composed of approximately 75 members, provided support for this document. The Working Group is charged with providing a forum for consultation on government-wide issues associated with developing Internet standards that enhance information and service delivery, address universal accessibility issues, and strengthen federal presence and visibility. It does this by providing advice to the Treasury Board Secretariat for developing government-wide policy and procedures for use on Government of Canada (GoC) sites.

The Common Look and Feel Working Group also acts as a government-wide forum for co-ordinating inter- institutional activities related to using common look and feel recommendations; sharing and exchanging best practices; maintaining awareness of developments related to service delivery, universal accessibility, federal identity issues; and, simplifying the process of adopting new recommendations in Web development and maintenance.

CL&F Co-chairs: Alan Way, Chair Treasury Board Secretariat Donna Wood, Chair Public Works and Government Services Canada

Common Look and Feel Report Prepared by: Alan Way Treasury Board Secretariat Grant Johnson Treasury Board Secretariat Marilyn Smith National Research Council

Special Thanks: Cal Becker Industry Canada Guy Belanger Human Resources Development Canada Nancy Brodie National Library of Canada Karyn Curtis Transport Canada Barbara Dundas Transport Canada Chuck Letourneau Industry Canada Joe Ricciardi Treasury Board Secretariat

Committee Members: Duncan Bailey Treasury Board Secretariat Pèter Balogh Public Works and Government Services Canada Eileen Bays-Coutts Finance Canada Suzanne Beaudoin Public Works and Government Services Canada Cal Becker Industry Canada Guy Belanger Human Resources Development Canada D.J. Blackwood Revenue Canada Sylvie Boileau Communication Research Centre Canada Nancy Brodie National Library of Canada Glen Brunton Industry Canada Richard Caron Canadian Heritage Alain Calvet Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages Edith Core Industry Canada Sharron Curley Public Works and Government Services Canada Karyn Curtis Transport Canada Ian Darragh Canadian International Development Agency Judy David Public Works and Government Services Canada Nancy Davy Treasury Board Secretariat Doug DeHart Department of National Defence Karen Donaldson Transport Canada Wayne Duford Canadian Heritage Barbara Dundas Transport Canada Pierre Gagnier Public Service Commission Chantal Gauthier National Library of Canada Annick Gauvin-Fleurant Canadian Space Agency Denis Gratton Privy Council Office

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Terry Harding Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Pauline Hawkes Public Works and Government Services Canada Dave Huddlestone Canadian Heritage Grant Johnson Treasury Board Secretariat Mark Kennedy Natural Resources Canada Jane Kralik Industry Canada Carol Lemery Public Works and Government Services Canada John MacCraken Statistics Canada Peter Martin Industry Canada Scott McGregor Industry Canada Grace Moores Industry Canada Lynne Mulvihill Industry Canada Margo Nielson Citizenship and Immigration Canada Daniela Planka Status of Women Canada Judy Poirier Citizenship and Immigration Canada Scott Prieur Fisheries and Oceans Charles Reynolds Health Canada Daryl Rock Human Resources Development Canada Kate Seguin Revenue Canada Duncan Shaw Human Resources Development Canada Chis Stevenson Public Works and Government Services Canada Peter Smith Industry Canada Craig Taylor Canadian Heritage Paula Tozer Environment Canada Linda Wood Public Works and Government Services Canada Deane Zeeman Finance Canada

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Update Common Look and Feel migrates to Government On-line

In the fall of 1999, through the Speech from the Throne, the government set the ambitious goal of providing Canadians with access to all government information and services on-line, at the time and place of their choosing. Despite enormous diversities in geography, demography, and physical and technological abilities, all Canadians are united by a need to know about programs and services offered to them by their government that are relevant in their daily lives.

The Government On-line (GOL) initiative seeks to address that need by increasing the amount of information available through Internet technologies and by improving overall access to the vast resources produced by government institutions. Under the direction of the Treasury Board Secretariat Advisory Committee, the Information Management Subcommittee (TIMS) has undertaken to champion GOL to ensure that policies and procedures for effective government-wide implementation are made available.

Obviously, the scope of the GOL initiative is broad, and there are many issues to consider. With a long history in information management and information technology assessment and implementation, the Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB) has the skills and expertise necessary to spearhead this multifaceted initiative on behalf of TIMS. As champion of GOL, CIOB will draw upon a wide range of specialists and stakeholders to ensure close alignment of business and technology requirements of both the electronic service delivery/GOL and the Strategic IM/IT Infrastructure initiatives.

Making it easy to obtain GoC information via the Internet is one aspect of the larger electronic service delivery (ESD) model that will make up GOL. In recognition of the need to create a unified approach to the delivery of electronic on-line products and services for Canadians, TBS is transferring from the Service and Innovation sector (S&I) to the CIOB, the Common Look and Feel for Internet (CL&F) initiative. The CL&F initiative has gained tremendous support from both CL&F Working Group members and GoC institutions over the past 20 months. CIOB will continue to work with the (S&I) Federal Identity Program (FIP), which has established preliminary guidelines for CL&F implementation, to ensure issues associated with the FIP policies and programs are effectively addressed within both CL&F and GOL. In addition, S&I will continue to focus on complementary non-electronic channels and the Service Canada pilots. CIOB and S&I will collaborate on all areas to ensure consistency across all service channels.

Many GoC institutions have begun to implement elements of CL&F during the course of regular Web maintenance and new site development. Already, the GoC is beginning to present a more unified visual design and navigational approach to Canadians. With this report and recommendations, an attempt has been made to address the issues and concerns raised by institutions following the release of Draft 1 in April 1999. The S&I Sector is confident institutions will have a clearer sense of how to begin CL&F implementation. Although some aspects of larger issues remain unresolved, these are clearly identified, along with an overview of the progress made to date in investigating options and reaching final conclusions.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Table of Contents

Index of Recommendations 1 Introduction 5 Background 7 Statement of Objectives 11 Section 1: Communication A Citizen-centred Approach 13 Section 2: Identification Visibility and Recognition 21 Section 3: Navigation Common Sense Connections 33 Section 4: Content Information Design 41 Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies Reaching All Canadians 47 Glossary 55

Figures 1-20 63

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 1

Index of Recommendations

1 All Web pages on all GoC Web sites should incorporate navigational buttons that allow users to proceed through the site in the language of their choice, or to access identical information in the alternate official language. 15 (a) Language buttons on Welcome Pages should be displayed in the manner indicated to ensure visual equality and continuity within the visual standards of CL&F. 15 (b) Language navigation buttons on all Content Pages should be incorporated in the mandatory menu bar. The language button should hyperlink directly to the identical content in the alternate official language. 15 2 All messages generated by GoC web servers, including instructions, permissions, confirmations and errors, must comply with official languages requirements, meaning the content of the message must appear in both official languages. 15 3 All text equivalents must be given in the language of the Web page in which they are embedded. 15 4 The mandatory GILS elements that make up the metatag for any given Web page must correspond to the official language of the page itself. 15 5 All GoC Web sites should comply with W3C Priority 1 and Priority 2 checkpoints to ensure sites can be easily accessed by the widest possible audience. 17 6 All GoC Web sites shall incorporate Welcome Pages at the main point of entry to the site and at any point at which users are introduced to a new sub-site for a specific program or service. Each Welcome Page shall incorporate three key elements: federal identifiers, institutional signature and language choice buttons. All elements of each Welcome Page should be viewable without scrolling in a 640 x 480-pixel screen. 22 7 All Web pages on all GoC Web sites should incorporate the following federal identifiers: the "Canada" wordmark and the institutional FIP signature. The identifiers must be high quality reproductions in terms of accuracy, colour and resolution. 22 (a) The "Canada" wordmark should appear in the lower right display area on Welcome Pages and in the upper right display area on Content Pages. 22 (b) The institutional FIP signature should appear in the upper left display area on both welcome and Content Pages. 22 9 GoC Web sites should not display third-party icons, symbols or logos that represent the products or services of private enterprises or individuals. Only approved symbols for government-wide use may be incorporated in GoC Web sites. 23 10 All GoC Web sites shall include the following Disclaimer of Liability text, accessed through a Disclaimer hyperlink, on externally sourced information that is hosted on a GoC site. 24 11 All GoC Web pages shall have a date indicator to signal users have reached the end of that page and to signify the currency of the content. All currency indicators shall be applied in one of the following formats: 25 12 All GoC Web pages shall conclude with direct access to plain language information regarding the rights, responsibilities and legal obligations of the information provider and the end-user, in the format of an Important Notices link. Recommendations specific to each of these notices are listed below. 25 13 The following Copyright/Permission to Reproduce text should be included within the Important Notice link at the bottom of all GoC Web pages. 27

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14 In exceptional circumstances in which institutions believe application of the Crown copyright symbol is necessary to protect specific elements of their Web sites, CL&F legal advisors recommends a more contemporary approach, using one of the following formats. 28 15 All GoC Web sites shall include a Privacy Notice within the Important Notices hyperlink. 30 16 All GoC Web sites shall include a direct hyperlink to the Privacy Statement section of the Important Notices and Disclaimers page whenever Web pages provide an opportunity for users to input personal information (i.e. Common Gateway Interface forms, program registration, information requests, etc.). 30 17 All GoC Web pages shall include the following text within the Important Notices link, to serve as a notice indicating the site is compliant with the Official Languages Act. 31 18 All outgoing e-mail messages sent by GoC employees must include the sender's name, position and institution, as well as telephone and fax numbers (with area code and extension numbers), and postal and e-mail addresses. Where an e-mail address serves a program or service rather than an individual, contact information must be provided including institution, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. 31 19 Determine the most technically feasible and organizationally practical methods of ensuring all e-mail messages sent by GoC employees demonstrate consistent application of appropriate FIP identifiers. 32 21 All GoC Web sites shall migrate to the gc.ca domain within the next three years, during the course of regular Web maintenance cycles. 35 22 All GoC institutions shall adopt one of the three following domain naming conventions when registering with the gc.ca registrar. Each of these conventions supports language equity as outlined in the Official Languages Act: 35 25 All institutions should meet Official Language Act requirements with respect to web site directory names and file names. Where lexical terms are used to name elements of directory structure, both official languages must be treated employed. Alternatively, institutions may adopt practices that ensure OLA policies are not contravened and ensure that one language does not predominate over the other from the user point of view by using naming conventions such as: 36 26 All GoC Web pages should include the standard mandatory menu bar, placed at the top of every Web page, to facilitate navigation through and between GoC sites. The menu options should include: Language (English/Fran‡ais). Contact Us, Help, Search, and Canada Site. 37 27 All Web pages shall incorporate a primary institutional menu similar in design and placement to the mandatory menu. The number of buttons and choice of terminology should represent plain language descriptors of the organization's programs and services. 38 28 All Web pages should include text equivalents for all navigation aids to ensure universal accessibility requirements are met. 38 29 All GoC Web sites should adopt the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) as a metadata standard for description of Web resources. The following five metatags must be included: Title, Originator, Language of Resource, Date and Controlled Subject. 40 30 All Web sites should employ common typography standards associated with font types, sizes, colours, and heading format. 43 31 Frames should not be used on GoC sites. 44 32 HTML should be the primary format for all documents on GoC Web sites. Portable Document Format (PDF - minimum Version 2.1) should be used only as an alternate format. In cases where the document cannot be represented in HTML, users should be given information on how to obtain alternate versions (print, Braille, audio, etc.). 45

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Index of Recommendations 3

33 To ensure universal accessibility, GoC Web pages that offer information in alternate formats should include a text indication of the file type that provides a hyperlink to a site where the necessary software can be obtained. 45 34 All GoC Web sites should incorporate text equivalents for non-textual elements to ensure universal accessibility goals are achieved. 45 35 All GoC Web sites should use only standard 216 Web-safe colours for Web site elements including menu bars and navigation aids, typography and background, and for simple graphic components. 46 36 Establish a Common Look and Feel Standing Committee to remain current with emerging technologies. 47 37 GoC Web sites should incorporate Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to achieve common look and feel standards in the most efficient manner possible. 50 38 All GoC sites should incorporate HTML 4 text equivalents for all non-text elements, in accordance with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. 50 39 Alternate technologies such as hand-held, print, Braille, and audio devices should be handled with "media" element in Cascading Style Sheets. 50 40 All GoC sites should maintain the common look and feel layout for all Web content, controlled either through Cascading Style Sheets or similarly sized tables. 51 41 HTML 4.0 Strict should be adopted as the standard for new and revised Web pages; all sites should specify doctype HTML 4.0 strict DTD for validation. 51 42 All GoC institutions should apply HTML validators to existing sites to assess accessibility status (existing HTML 2.0 or 3.2 conformant Web pages should pass the 4.0 Transitional DTD validation suite). HTML Validation should be applied to new GoC sites prior to posting. 51 43 Web analyzer tools should be the standard means of collecting site usage data. Counters should not be used to perform this function. 52 44 All GoC Web sites should provide users with a means of contacting institutions/individuals via electronic mail options, using a combination of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) server-side technology and Mailto tools. 53 45 All sites should incorporate an automatic acknowledgement feature to assure users their correspondence has been received and read. 53

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Index of Recommendations 4

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 5

Introduction

In February 1998, Treasury Board ministers made nine key policy decisions aimed at strengthening the identity, presence, and visibility of the Government of Canada (GoC).The ministers noted that it is in the public interest to recognize and identify with programs and services delivered to them by their government. In part, the policies were developed to fulfil the Government’s obligation to provide Canadians with evidence that their tax dollars are used to provide programs, services and infrastructure that is relevant and important to their everyday lives.

The ministers recognized that innovative use of existing and emerging technologies would play a key role in achieving their overall objective of strengthening the Federal Identity Program (FIP). One of their decisions focused specifically on the opportunities inherent in electronic media, and set out a clear mandate for optimizing its potential.

FIP Policy Decision: The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) will develop, in consultation with departments and agencies, a common look and feel for all federal Internet/intranet sites and electronic networks. The Federal Identity Program is to be applied consistently to all electronic services, including Government of Canada Internet/intranet sites, products and deliverables.

In June 1998, the Common Look and Feel Working Group (CL&F WG) was established, under the direction of Treasury Board Secretariat. The CL&F WG was made up of 75 individuals with expertise in field related to the use of electronic media as a tool for information dissemination: Web developers, communications experts, publishers, information technology professionals and information designers. In total, more than 50 GoC institutions were represented, including central agencies, stakeholders, line departments, and crown corporations. Over a one-year period, more than 50 meetings directly associated to CL&F were attended.

CL&F supports a citizen-centred approach to that lets Canadians acquire information on their terms, and according to their needs. To accomplish the objectives of that approach, CL&F must consider both the people of Canada and the tools they use to obtain information. All Canadians, regardless of ability, geographic location or demographic category, must be given equal access to information on GoC Web sites. Thus, the information must be designed in such a way that it can be obtained and adapted by a wide range of technologies, including personal computers, assistive devices, and advanced technologies. Content on GoC sites must be as easy to acquire through a slow modem or old browser as it is through a screen reader or voice activator. Adopting this approach now will ensure CL&F remains relevant as cellular and digital technologies become more wide spread and as new communication technologies emerge.

The CL&F recommendations outlined in this document address four cornerstones that will support effective use of electronic media by the GoC: communication, identification, navigation and information. A common look, created through information design standards for typography, imagery and the use of space, along with mandatory elements including FIP identifiers, will promote immediate visual recognition of GoC information on the Web. The common feel will be established through server conventions (i.e. domain names, directory structures, etc.) and navigation tools that enable users to move seamlessly and transparently through any site with the GoC domain.

By balancing mandatory elements and creative design, CL&F will enhance federal identity and increase the visibility of the Government of Canada and its institutions, improve the consistency of GoC Web sites, and ensure all government information Web pages are available to all users, regardless of physical and technological capabilities. CL&F recommendations are also aligned with two additional TB minister decisions made in February 1998, namely that:

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Introduction 6

FIP Policy Decision: The Government of Canada’s identity is to have primacy over the identity of individual institutions and is not to be overshadowed by unique identifiers and symbols.

FIP Policy Decision: The Government of Canada identity requirements are to be part of collaborative arrangements with the private sector and other governments or jurisdictions to ensure strong presence and visibility for the Government of Canada and its programs and services to Canadians.

Common look and feel will help Canadians realize the range and scope of services offered by the Government of Canada, and associate the services they use with the service provider (GoC). Ultimately, both image and infrastructure will help position the GoC as an excellent source of information that is convenient to obtain, current and accurate.

Participation of all GoC institutions is key to successful implementation of the ministers’ decisions, and to the objectives of CL&F mandate. The CL&F WG has faced many challenges in developing a comprehensive guide for GoC institutions. The benefits of this outstanding work are already evident through GoC Web sites that have begun to implement CL&F recommendations. In addition to a more cohesive presence on the Internet, GoC information on these sites is easier to locate, identify, and utilize.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 7

Background: WWW as a Tool for Information Service Delivery

Every day, thousands of Canadians in urban and rural communities across the country are faced with questions about influences that shape their lives: employment, citizenship, the legal system, science and technology, health matters, etc. Finding answers can be a daunting task; knowing where to look is half the challenge.

The Government of Canada (GoC) delivers hundreds of programs and services to citizens through more than 10,000 locations. Now, with advanced technologies, the opportunity exists to exponentially broaden its reach and meet the needs of Canadians in far more effective ways. Electronic networks, the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) give individuals the power to get information on demand—when and where it is most convenient for them. CL&F is one of several GoC initiatives aimed at improving access to and organization of information about government programs and services

Canadians and the Internet

With the advent of the Internet, Canadians have become connected with people and organizations around the world. In the Citizen's First survey, conducted in 1998 by Erin Research, Canadians identified three problems associated with wanting to utilize government programs and services: time and technology, government staff, and difficulties in locating the service. Respondents were dissatisfied by how long it took to find information and frustrated by the technology they had to use—especially busy phone lines and voice mail. They indicated a strong interest in being able to complete more tasks without visiting government offices, and showed a willingness to use a wider range of tools, including the Internet, to achieve this. Results of the Citizens First survey raise an interesting question. If Canadians feel disconnected from Government, could it be because they don't associate the programs and services they utilize with the actual service provider?

Information Technology

The Internet has opened new gateways through which Canadians can interact with Government, effectively supporting round-the-clock access to services and information. Use of Web technology in Government started out at the program and service level. The Government of Canada first began to use the Internet as a cost-effective means of delivering programs and services to Canadians. Individual institutions developed Web sites to reflect their own subject areas, and a distributed model for content preparation naturally evolved. Not surprisingly, this decentralized approach has been criticized for its inability to co-ordinate government- wide service delivery. The Government had the will to implement new strategies, but lacked the structures to support a more integrated model. In 1997, the GoC Internet Guide was posted to provide clear instructions in the development and maintenance of GoC Web sites. It emphasizes the need to ensure GoC sites are consistent and respect the needs of Canadians, and that quality rules over quantity and simplicity reigns over hype.

Recent advances in information technology have made it possible to provide service in ways that could only have been imagined two decades ago. But modern information systems require substantial up-front investments in planning and resources. It no longer makes sense to allow individual institutions to develop new, and sometimes incompatible, information architecture and delivery systems. The citizen-centred delivery model combines electronic technologies with horizontally and vertically integrated management structures to provide service that makes sense. It gives end-users seamless entry to the full range of government institutions, and sets the stage for using the Web to strengthen federal identity.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Background 8

It Just Makes Sense

CL&F is not an attempt to bring Web design to the lowest common denominator or return to text only Web sites. Rather it challenges Web developers and content providers to consider both information and information design within the context of universal accessibility. Information design and infrastructure of any given Web site will affect an institution's ability to meet moral and legal obligations to make all information available to all Canadians.

Current Government of Canada On-line presence

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Background 9

CL&F for Internet is a model of how the Government of Canada will provide electronic information to the public and to its employees today and in the future. One of the next steps in fulfilling the mandate provided by TB ministers is to apply CL&F to GoC Intranet sites to ensure all internal communications initiatives reap the full benefits of improved consistency in communication, identification, navigation and information. The application of CL&F to GoC intranet sites will ensure that all institution sites are fully compliant with related policies including, the Official Languages Act, the Access to Information Act, the Government Communication Policy, the Fair Communications Practices Policy, the Alternative Format Guidelines, and the recently established (July 1999) policy on the Provision of Accommodation for Employees with Disabilities.

Common Look and Feel

Note: These illustrations are examples only and do not represent existing web sites.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Background 10

Bringing People and Technology Together: A Single-window Approach

Canadians have a right to expect Government to provide information and services in an approachable, user- friendly and consistent manner, and to make all information equally available to all Canadians. To achieve this, Internet service initiatives must consider both the people and the tools they use. Because electronic access to information relies on a variety of information technologies, Web developers should think beyond traditional personal computers. Individuals who use computer aids, such as screen readers or voice activators, should be able to obtain the same information as people who utilize advanced multi-modal computing devices. Institutions also need to recognize that most end-users have less sophisticated tools than most Web developers, and to consider the issues associated with access in remote areas (particularly lower bandwidths and less-developed high-tech infrastructures).

Canada's changing demographics also underline the need for innovative approaches to service delivery. As Canadians age, their demands for government services tend to increase. Improved cost efficiencies in service delivery will enable the Government to channel more resources into high priority areas. GoC institutions must also ensure individuals can locate all information in the official language of their choice.

CL&F is one of several GoC initiatives aimed at improving access to government services in a fast, reliable, convenient and cost-effective manner. This can only be achieved through government-wide commitment to horizontal service delivery structure. One of the ways in which Treasury Board will support the initiative is by making GoC Web sites more user-friendly and effective. With Internet technology, the Government can offer a single entry point to a wide range of programs and services—directly from any personal computer or appropriate computing device.

In June 1999, the main GoC Web site, www.canada.gc.ca, was re-launched with CL&F standards in place. This site, operated by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) now provides a single window for GoC Information. Amongst its directory listings, the Canada site now offers links to approximately 450 other sites and sub-sites directly associated with programs and services delivered by more than 160 GoC Institutions.

Information service delivery will be further enhanced by an integrated search system for all GoC sites. The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) is a subject reference index that effectively creates a catalogue for all government information holdings. GILS allows users to initiate precise, government-wide subject area searches, and provides information about materials available on the Internet or in other media. Because it can simultaneously search the data collections of decentralized institutions, GILS is much more efficient than a massive central database.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 11 CL&F Statement of Objectives: Four Key Factors

While the primary goal of the CL&F initiative is to execute Treasury Board ministers’ directive to establish a Common Look and Feel for all Government of Canada Internet/Intranet sites and electronic products and services, four key objectives underlie the initiative. Each recommendation in this document is directly linked to meeting GoC’s obligation to improve communication with all Canadians by, identifying the source of information distributed, simplifying and standardizing navigation, and establishing visual standards to enhance information presentation and further reinforce the other three objectives.

Communication CL&F is designed to reflect the government-wide focus on applying a citizen-centred Citizen-centred approach to program and service delivery. To effectively communicate with all Canadians via Approach Internet, CL&F must be aligned with several existing policies and initiatives. Specifically, CL&F aims to provide a responsible framework that supports linguistic equality as outlined in the Official Languages Act, the privacy issues within the Privacy Act and all initiatives geared toward improving equal opportunity in the workplace.

Identification In addition to their decision regarding CL&F, TB ministers further reinforced their goal of Visibility and Recognition improving identity, presence and visibility of the GoC by stating that GoC identity must have primacy over the identity of individual institutions and must not be overshadowed by unique identifiers and symbols. Thus, CL&F sets out specific recommendations for consistent application of GoC symbols, appropriate use of institutional identifiers, and recognition of collaborative agreements. In addition, CL&F provides plain language notices and disclaimers associated with source identification, privacy and policy compliance.

Navigation Electronic service delivery provides excellent opportunities for Canadians to obtain Common Sense information on GoC programs and services when and where they need it. Given the Connections enormous resources now available on-line at GoC sites, a logical and consistent system of navigation is key to improving access. An effective navigation is dependent on consistent application of standards that are both visible and invisible to the end-user. Well-designed and strategically placed menu bars give users visual cues to site navigation; search functions help simplify the task of locating specific information. These elements will be further enhanced by placing all GoC sites under one domain and standardizing elements such as file names, languages directories and URLs.

Content Regardless of the media, content is the single most important element of any Information Design communication activity. The Internet offers many presentation options not available in more traditional media and a greater capacity to give Canadians more information that can be located at their convenience. It also enables information providers to create dynamic content by adding graphics, animation, or audio/video components to textual elements. The CL&F recommendations associated with communication, identification and navigation provide a foundation for the overriding content objective, which is to ensure that all content on GoC Web sites is equally accessible to all Canadians. While the Internet is the most effective means of achieving this objective, it can only do so when good information design practices are applied to individual institutional sites. CL&F recommendations associated with content and layout have been established to ensure GoC sites support universal accessibility, source identification and effective navigation.

Implementing CL&F recommendations will be a monumental task for large institutions with extensive Web sites, requiring a substantial investment of human and financial resource investment. The Enabling and Emerging Technologies section provides information on authoring tools and other devices that can help simplify the process. In the long run, CL&F will provide substantial cost savings and information management benefits. CL&F will set Canada apart on the ever-expanding World Wide Web, thereby enabling Canadians to find and identify credible information about GoC programs and services that impact their daily lives.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06

13

Section 1 Communication: A Citizen-centred Approach

CL&F is designed to reflect the government-wide focus on applying a citizen-centred approach to program and service delivery. To effectively communicate with all Canadians via Internet, CL&F must be aligned with several existing policies and initiatives. Specifically, CL&F aims to provide a responsible framework that supports linguistic equality as outlined in the Official Languages Act, the privacy issues within the Privacy Act and all initiatives geared toward improving equal opportunity in the workplace.

The notion of communicating with Canadians holds inherent challenges on many fronts. With two official languages and population that grows more culturally diverse with each passing year, finding ways to provide information to the public has become increasingly complex. Combine that consideration with the fact that Canada’s population is geographically dispersed, demographically diverse and represented by a wide range of physical and mental abilities, and it seems a recipe for failure. But the bottom line is that Canadians have a right to expect Government to provide information and services in an approachable, user-friendly and consistent manner, and to make all information equally accessible to all Canadians.

Thousands of Canadians have hundreds of different needs, none of which should exclude them from being able to obtain GoC information and services. The Internet offers tremendous potential to communicate with individual Canadians much more effectively: regardless of language, location age or ability. But because it is the only source for most of the information it holds, the GoC carries the full responsibility of ensuring that all information is universally accessible. The new 'citizen-centred' approach adopted by CL&F is based on an integrated and intuitive service delivery model. Jocelyne Bourgon, former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet, stated the objectives this approach well in the 5th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada (March 1998):

In service delivery, the challenge will be to use information technology to provide Canadians with access to government services on their terms and according to their needs and circumstances … (P)rogress is needed to project a common image for departments to share and operate a common infrastructure for the Government of Canada to provide a single window centred on citizens' needs.

Equal Access for All

Computers and electronic networks, like the Internet, have been wonderfully enabling technologies for many people. In remote areas, personal or public computers now give individuals immediate access to GoC information that might have taken weeks to obtain through regular mail. For others who have sensory, physical, mobility or intellectual disabilities, the ability to have information delivered to a customized desktop means they can transform the data into a format that makes it personally accessible.

In Canada, it is equally important to consider the geographic and demographic constraints encountered by some segments of the population. While people in remote areas may have the most to gain from improved communication methodologies, bandwidth in rural and remote areas may be too narrow to effectively support heavy data transmission. Likewise, the benefits of easy access to information on GoC programs and services could be lost to individuals with reduced economic means, if they are using older computer and communications technologies that cannot interface with modern, complex delivery systems. Even the type or version of browser an individual uses ultimately affects the way a given site will look and behave on their system.

The citizen-centred approach puts the onus on GoC institutions to consider both the people and the tools they use during Web development and maintenance. Electronic communication relies on a variety of information technologies, Web developers should think beyond traditional personal computers. Individuals who use computer aids, such as screen readers or voice activators, should be able to obtain the same

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Section 1: Communication 14 information as people who utilize advanced multi-modal computing devices. Institutions also need to recognize that most end-users have less sophisticated tools than most Web developers, and to consider the issues associated with electronic media in remote areas (particularly lower bandwidths and less-developed high-tech infrastructures).

It is every Canadian’s right to receive government information or service in a form that can be used; the Government of Canada is obliged to provide it. Persons with disabilities may have legitimate complaints under the Canadian Human Rights Code if they are excluded from receiving equitable service compared with other Canadians. The following recommendations address many of the issues associated with universal accessibility; many are directly linked to industry standards such as the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Several of these recommendations can be adopted immediately, while others are earmarked for future adoption as the technology matures.

Official Languages

All GoC Web sites must comply with relevant policies of the Official Languages Act (OLA). While publishing information in both official languages is nothing new, the use of electronic media calls for additional consideration of the linguistic aspects associated with Web technology and software interfaces. Web developers must ensure OLA requirements are met both in the content and the architecture of any given GoC site or sub-site, in accordance with Treasury Board's Policy on Using the Official Languages on Electronic Networks.

The following recommendations related to the use official languages address particular aspects of Web site application that are not yet specified in existing policy documents. These recommendations are directed toward Treasury Board's Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB) for further consideration and analysis, prior to full implementation. Once final recommendations have been approved, the above-mentioned policy will be revised to ensure CL&F and related policy documents are in accord. The rapid evolution of Web technologies and standards warrants a revision of current conventions to ensure they are up-to-date and precise.

The most fundamental requirement is that end-users be given the ability to enter and navigate through any GoC site in the language of their choice. Changing languages mid-stream or being able to view the same information in the alternate language should be equally simple. Thus, it is important to incorporate navigational tools that facilitate this choice on every page of every Web site, including both Welcome Pages and Content Pages.

Specific procedures have been developed to ensure CL&F facilitates full compliance with OLA requirements or offers alternatives to ensure existing requirements are not contradicted. For example, end-users should be able to view a statement regarding any GoC site's compliance with the Official Languages Act. This will be accomplished through the Important Notices link, to be situated at the bottom of each GoC Web page (See Section 2: Identification – Important Notices). Official languages concerns are addressed in the following recommendations:

Domain Names 21., 22., 23. E-mail addresses. 24. Directory and File Names 25. Text Equivalents 3. GILS metatags 4. Sever-generated messages 2. Language buttons 1.

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1 Recommendation: All Web pages on all GoC Web sites should incorporate navigational buttons that allow users to proceed through the site in the language of their choice, or to access identical information in the alternate official language. (a) Language buttons on Welcome Pages should be displayed in the manner indicated to ensure visual equality and continuity within the visual standards of CL&F. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURE 9 (b) Language navigation buttons on all Content Pages should be incorporated in the mandatory menu bar. The language button should hyperlink directly to the identical content in the alternate official language. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURE 10 Rationale: Establishing standard placement for language buttons on all GoC Welcome and Content Pages will facilitate navigation in the end-user’s preferred language and increase representation of GoC institutions as bodies that provide information and service in a citizen-based approach.

Other Official Language Considerations

Several other Web features require special attention to ensure OLA requirements are fully met, including server messages, text equivalents and GILS metatags. Web servers have a number of automatic features such as instructions, e-mail redirection and error messages. Unless the server is able to recognize the language profile chosen by the user and respond accordingly, all messages generated automatically in response to user activity must be bilingual.

Because text equivalents (see Best Practices under Universal Accessibility) are essentially a tool through which site content can be obtained in alternative formats, they too, must be available in the end-user's language of choice. Similarly, because GILS metatags are designed to improve government-wide information searching through standardization of searchable criteria, metatag titles and content of both mandatory and optional elements must be included in the official language of the Content Page. Ensuring GILS metatags comply with official language requirements is essential to providing equal capabilities and query results for government-wide searching.

2 Recommendation: All messages generated by GoC web servers, including instructions, permissions, confirmations and errors, must comply with official languages requirements, meaning the content of the message must appear in both official languages. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURE 19 3 Recommendation: All text equivalents must be given in the language of the Web page in which they are embedded. 4 Recommendation: The mandatory GILS elements that make up the metatag for any given Web page must correspond to the official language of the page itself.

Note: More information on Text Equivalents (Recommendation 3) is found in the following section on Universal Accessibility and in Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies. More information on the use of GILS metatags (Recommendation 4) is found in Section 3: Navigation – Government Information Locator Service.

Universal Accessibility

Internet technologies have provided many Canadians with an enhanced sense of intellectual and economic freedom. But for many people, gaining entry to Web content is more complicated than clicking mouse and operating a modem. Some Canadians rely on assistive technologies such as text readers, audio players and voice activated devices to overcome the barriers presented by standard technologies. Others may be limited by their own technology. But old browsers, non-standard operating systems, slow connections, small screens or text-only screens should not stand in the way of obtaining information that is available to others.

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Thanks largely to the efforts of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Internet accessibility has become a global issue that commands the attention of software and system designers during the development phase. CL&F has aligned its recommendations with the W3C Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WACG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international body dedicated to helping the Web reach its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. Founded in 1994, W3C is jointly hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Computer Science [MIT/LCS] in the United States; the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique [INRIA] in Europe; and the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus in Japan. In partnership with industry, W3C is currently working to establish standards that will enable Web developers to create universally accessible sites. This Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is just one of W3C’s areas of interest.

In keeping with the citizen-centred approach of the CL&F initiative, universal accessibility recommendations are directed toward ensuring equitable access to all content on GoC Web sites. While site design is an important element of the electronic media, universal accessibility guidelines have been developed to ensure anyone can obtain content, regardless of the technologies they use. The key to effective implementation of universal accessibility guidelines lies in designing sites to serve the widest possible audience and the broadest possible range of hardware and software platforms, from assistive devices to emerging technologies. W3C WAI working groups continually test WAC Guidelines against a full range of browsers and assistive devices before recommending widespread implementation.

There are many older, current and emerging display and control technologies that are not capable of rendering the full multimedia content that is becoming prevalent on the Web. Graphical, text-only or speciality browsers that pre-date current releases or low band-width connections present barriers to access, as do grey-scale or monochrome displays, enlarged monitors, and miniature display devices (such as pager displays, digital cellular phone displays, personal digital assistants, etc.). Web developers cannot assume that all end users can apply the full range of human physical and sensory ability, along with the standard suite of computer technology to Internet usage. Thus, they need to consider mobile communications technologies such as hands-free/eyes-free systems, speech synthesis and voice recognition technologies, one-button scanning and control features and mice-emulators, and alternative input systems (touch screens, eye-gaze systems, mouse or trackball devices.

Seamless transformations, context and orientation, and usability are all key factors in designing a Web site that is available to everyone, and can be interpreted by the technologies they use. WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a comprehensive set of recommendations published in 1999, have already been recognized by the international standards community. On one hand, the guidelines aim to meet the needs of people with disabilities who rely on electronic devices to maximize the use of their computer systems. On the other hand, the guidelines will also assist individuals who are using advanced technologies: mobile and voice Web page viewing technologies, electronic agents such as indexing robots, etc. Like all standards, WAI guidelines will evolve over time, as developers and users become more proficient in applying new technologies to Internet usage.

Universal accessibility does not depend on minimal Web page design; it depends on thoughtful design. Along with WAI guidelines, CL&F recommendations provide direction for Web authors, particularly those using multimedia content, to ensure that all site content and functions are available to all users. Authors should not be discouraged from using multimedia, but rather should use it in a manner that ensures that the material they publish is functional for the widest possible audience. The GoC has adopted the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure the majority of Canadians will find it relatively easy to use on-line information and services.

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WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are intended to foster a degree of interoperability amongst competing technologies that benefits all end users, and ensure site content is available on all older or alternative browsers or user agents. The Guidelines promote the doctrine of ‘graceful degradation’ meaning while some older/other types of user agents (i.e. cell phone displays) will not ‘see’ the same layout, all end-users will receive the same content. Web developers are encouraged to design their Web pages such that while the site is optimised for the highest level of display technology, the critical content is still available to be rendered through older or alternate output technologies.

Each guideline is accompanied by techniques or checkpoints that help Web developers meet the requirements to varying degrees. Each checkpoint is assigned a Priority Level (1, 2 or 3) based on its impact on accessibility.

Priority 1 Web developers must satisfy these checkpoints, otherwise one or more groups will find it impossible to access information on the site. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some group to be able to use Web documents. Priority 2 Web developers should satisfy these checkpoints, otherwise one or more groups will find it difficult to access information on the site. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents. Priority 3 Web developers may address this checkpoint, otherwise one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information on the site. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents1.

The CL&F Working Group agreed to adopt WCAG Priority 1 and Priority 2 as minimum standards for all GoC sites; Priority 3 compliance is considered a best practice.

W3C encourages designers to use emerging technologies, with the attendant challenge that all the features needed to ensure graceful degradation are built in using WCAG techniques. The benefits of several recent technology developments are discussed in Section 5 of this document: Enabling and Emerging Technologies. Specifically, recommendations and rationale for the use of Cascading Style Sheets, hypertext Mark-up Language 4.0, Java and Flash are discussed in greater detail, along with recommendations for effective use of electronic mail.

5 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should comply with W3C Priority 1 and Priority 2 checkpoints to ensure sites can be easily accessed by the widest possible audience. Rationale: W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are intended to make Web pages more functional for people with disabilities and to individuals using new Web page viewing technologies and electronic agents such as indexing robots. The guidelines outline procedures for Web authors to ensure that content and functions are equally accessible to all users. Authors need to be particularly aware of guidelines associated with the use of multimedia components and the application of text equivalents (See Section 5: Emerging and Enabling Technologies).

Best Practices

The goal of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WACG) is to help authors create Web pages that transform gracefully, and thus remain accessible despite constraints due to physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities, work constraints or technological barriers. The following list provides an overview of WCAG; more detailed

1 Copyright © 1999 W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C liability, trademark, document use and software licensing rules apply.

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Section 1: Communication 18 information on how to apply these guidelines, along with compliance checkpoints, is available through the W3C Web site at www.w3c.org. Several other elements of Web design and content development require careful consideration to support universal accessibility standards within CL&F. More detail on these issues is provided within the Identification, Navigation, Information, and Enabling and Emerging Technologies sections of this document.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

• Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content that, when presented to the user, conveys essentially the same function or purpose as auditory or visual content. • Don't rely on colour alone: ensure text and graphics are understandable when viewed without colour. • Use mark-up and style sheets properly: mark up documents with proper structural elements; control presentation with style sheets rather than with presentation elements and attributes. • Clarify natural language usage: use mark up language that facilitates pronunciation or interpretation of abbreviated or foreign text. • Create tables that transform gracefully: ensure tables have necessary mark up to be transformed by accessible browsers and other user agents. • Ensure Web pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully and remain accessible even when newer technologies are not supported or are turned off. • Ensure user-control of time sensitive content changes; ensure moving, blinking, scrolling or auto- updating objects or Web pages may be paused or stopped by the end-user. • Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces; ensure user interfaces follow principles of accessible design: device-independent access to functionality, keyboard operability, self-voicing, etc. • Design for device-independence: use features that enable activation of Web page elements via input devices other than a pointing device (e.g. keyboard, voice, etc.). • Use interim solutions so that assistive technologies and older browsers will operate correctly. • Use W3C technologies (according to specification) and follow accessibility guidelines. Where it is not possible to use a W3C technology, or doing so results in material that does not transform gracefully, provide an alternative version of the content that is accessible. • Provide context and orientation information to help users understand complex Web pages or elements. • Provide clear navigation mechanisms (i.e. orientation information, navigation bars, site maps, etc.) to increase the likelihood that visitors will find what they are looking for on a given site. • Ensure documents are clear and simple to promote comprehension.

Text and Non-text Equivalents

New technologies have significantly changed the original intent of the Internet as a tool through which textual documents could quickly be transmitted from computer to computer. Today, Web sites are highly interactive, and incorporate a tremendous amount of multimedia content: graphics, audio/video clips, animated images, etc.

Text and non-text equivalents are essentially a tool to ensure all information conveyed on any given site can be obtained by all users and can fulfil the same function or purpose , regardless of the technology applied to gain entry to the site. Both types of equivalent are vitally important to individuals who use assistive devices, such as text readers, and multimodal technologies to gain entry to GoC Web sites.

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To meet WCA Guidelines, all non-text elements on GoC sites—icons, graphics, audio/video clips, multimedia components, automatically generated messages, etc.—must be accompanied by text equivalents that provide a comparable representation. For example, the text equivalent of the “Canada” wordmark would be plain text that reads “symbol of the Government of Canada”. The text equivalent of a photographic image should describe the image and provide information about what message that image is trying to portray. Audio/video content should be accompanied by a text transcription of spoken messages and, if necessary, additional text to describe related activity that other viewers would hear and/or see.

Non-text equivalents seek to meet the needs of users for whom text itself makes content inaccessible. Examples of non-text equivalents include audio recordings of content elements or video clips that translate content through sign language renderings. In the context of CL&F text and non-text equivalents are generally intended to serve as alternatives for portions of the primary content that are inaccessible to people with disabilities.

A more full explanation of how to develop and incorporate text and non-text equivalents is available in Section 5: Emerging and Enabling Technologies.

Graceful Transformation

W3C offers the following guidelines to achieve graceful transformation on GoC Web sites. Additional information on some of these techniques is available in Section 5: Emerging and Enabling Technologies. • Separate content (what is said) from structure (how it is organized) and from presentation (how it appears on the screen, when spoken, when rendered by a Braille device, etc.); • Use text or provide text equivalent; textual information is generally available to all users and browsing devices; • Avoid sensory-specific content that creates barriers for people who cannot see or hear. If using audio, video, or applets that present visual information, provide equivalent information in forms suited for other senses. Text is the most useful, as screen readers can speak all information presented in this form. • Avoid creating documents that rely on a specific type of hardware. It should be possible to navigate through any site without mice, and view content on screens that are small, low resolution, black and white, and to obtain content on systems that do not have screens but utilize voice or text output mechanisms.

Accessibility Validation

All efforts to meet accessibility requirements should be validated by both automatic tools and human review. Automated methods are generally rapid and convenient, but cannot identify all related issues. Human review can help ensure clarity of language and ease of navigation. Validation exercises are most effective when applied early and often in the development phase. Accessibility issues are often easier to avoid in the development process than to repair in the final product. More information on validation methods is available through the W3C Web site at www.w3c.org. More information on HTML validation is found in Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies.

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Section 2 Identification: Visibility and Recognition

TB ministerial decisions to create a common look and feel for Internet was taken within the context of a series of activities targeted at improving federal identity, presence and visibility. Amongst the nine decisions made in February 1998, ministers also established that GoC identity must have primacy over the identity of individual institutions and that it must not be overshadowed by unique identifiers and symbols. Thus, CL&F sets out specific recommendations for consistent application of GoC symbols, appropriate use of institutional identifiers, and recognition of collaborative agreements. In addition, CL&F provides plain language notices and disclaimers associated with source identification, privacy and policy compliance.

Source identification is particularly critical in electronic media. The amount of information available to individuals has increased exponentially in recent decades, making it more and more difficult to distinguish credible information from that put forth by less reputable sources. Internet users should be able to obtain clearly identified GoC information, presented in a logical, consistent manner.

As the gateway to information on a particular program or service, the Welcome Page of any GoC institution is a key component of on-line communication. In the context of the common look and feel initiative, Welcome Pages can be said to serve three main functions. They help users: identify the source institution, associate the site and the institution with the Government of Canada, and proceed through the site in the official language of their choice.

While every institution will have a primary Welcome Page at the main entry point to its "corporate" Web site, in reality that represents only one of many possibly entry points to the site itself. Each institution is responsible for many different programs and services, many of which are extensive enough to warrant their own sub-site. Thus, any Web page on a GoC site that introduces users to a specific program or service offered by that institution (either alone or in partnership) should also include a default Welcome Page that identifies the source, confirms the GoC association, and provides language options for continued navigation.

Several additional factors contribute to increased federal identity, presence and visibility in electronic media. Individually, these symbols help users distinguish the source of information they are viewing; collectively, they serve to reinforce the links between the Government of Canada and the institutions, departments and agencies that carry out its policies, programs and services. In that sense, it is important for GoC Web sites to effectively incorporate symbols of the GoC, institution identifiers and indicators of collaborative agreements between GoC and other organizations.

In addition to unifying the presentation of GoC programs and services, standard use of federal identifiers helps clarify the origin and authority of on-line documentation. The mandatory elements described in the following section provide a framework on which GoC institutions can hang their individual hats, so to speak. While standardized use and placement of federal identifiers increases visual recognition of GoC sites, the minimalist approach taken in CL&F provides ample space for institutions to develop Web designs that reflect the programs and services they offer.

From the perspective of government, identification is also associated with issues such as information ownership, liability and indemnity, policy compliance and end-users’ privacy. For that reason, the CL&F WG has called upon legal experts from Justice Canada and other GoC institutions to assist in the development of an Important Notices link, which will appear on every page of every GoC Web site.

Finally, is vitally important that end-users be provided clear indications of the scope of any given GoC site. While any given GoC site may have links to alternate sources of valid information, such links should be accompanied by a message that clearly states the GoC holds no responsibility for the information contained on external sites.

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Welcome Page

Any Web page that introduces users to a GoC institution or to a specific program or service offered by a GoC institution is considered a Welcome Page. Thus, the following Welcome Page recommendations, which have been established to improve access to and service delivery through GoC sites, may apply to several Web pages within any given GoC site.

6 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites shall incorporate Welcome Pages at the main point of entry to the site and at any point at which users are introduced to a new sub-site for a specific program or service. Each Welcome Page shall incorporate three key elements: federal identifiers, institutional signature and language choice buttons. All elements of each Welcome Page should be viewable without scrolling in a 640 x 480-pixel screen. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURES 9, 10 Rationale: Welcome Pages are key to initial communication, identification and navigation on all GoC Web sites, and must therefore be designed to facilitate these functions. The standard single screen size ensures all necessary elements are viewable without scrolling and provides immediate access to the full content of any Welcome Page. While the centre area of any Welcome Page is left open for customisation to suit the needs of the institution (or its programs and services), standardization of the screen size and placement of mandatory elements will enhance visual consistency across all GoC sites.

Federal Identity Program Identifiers

In accordance with Federal Identity Program policies, every page of every GoC Web site must clearly identify the Government of Canada as the ultimate source. This is accomplished through the application of GoC identifiers, including the “Canada” wordmark and institutional signatures. To enhance visual recognition of GoC sites, standards for size, placement and prominence of these elements should be followed by all Web developers.

7 Recommendation: All Web pages on all GoC Web sites should incorporate the following federal identifiers: the “Canada” wordmark and the institutional FIP signature. The identifiers must be high quality reproductions in terms of accuracy, colour and resolution.

(a) The “Canada” wordmark should appear in the lower right display area on Welcome Pages and in the upper right display area on Content Pages. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURES 9,10

(b) The institutional FIP signature should appear in the upper left display area on both welcome and Content Pages. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURES 9, 10 Rationale: Standards for the size, placement and prominence of the “Canada” wordmark and FIP institutional signatures at the initial point of entry to GoC sites (the Welcome Page), and on all additional Web pages, foster visual recognition of individual institutions and increases the recognition of their links to the GoC. Consistent use of standard federal identifiers will ensure any area of any site can be easily identified as belonging to the Government of Canada, and will indicate that the information has been provided by a GoC institution. FIP identifiers also serve to assure users that the information is being appropriately used in the intended context.

Institutional Message Space

CL&F recommendations have reserved the centre area of each Welcome Page and the left-hand column of each Content Page on GoC sites as an Institutional Message space. Here, within the framework of CL&F mandatory elements, institutions can incorporate visual/textual elements to develop thematic, promotional or marketing concepts that reflect individual institutes, programs or services. Institutes are encouraged to use

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this space to create dynamic designs that entice users to examine the site further. In addition, this is an excellent place to establish visual clues that will facilitate user navigation throughout the remainder of the site. Web developers are encouraged to optimize institutional presence through the application of textual and visual elements, with the attendant challenge of ensuring universal accessibility guidelines as outlined in Section1: Communication are satisfied. Further detail on how textual and visual elements can be effectively applied is available in Section 4: Information. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURES 1, 17

Collaborative Arrangements

GoC institutions participating in collaborative arrangements with other levels of government or private sector face additional challenges in ensuring fedeal identity, presence and visibility. Web sites are perhaps one of the most contentious applications as space for identification is often limited and the party hosting the web site maintains creative control of the web site.

These issues fall into areas of responsibility of both the Government Communication Policy and the Federal Identity Program Policy. The Federal Identity Program (FIP) has been mandated through a TB decision to further develop policy and visual standards for the application of GoC identifiers in all collaborative arrangements.

FIP Policy Decision: Government of Canada identity requirements are to be part of collaborative arrangements with the private sector and other governments or jurisdictions to ensure strong presence and visibility for the Government of Canada and its programs and services to Canadians

Early in 2000, Corporate Identity and Gevernment Communications of TBS Service and Innovation will create an interdepartmental working group to examine all identity issues relating to collaborative arrangements and develop solutions.

8 Recommendation: GoC organizations should ensure that web sites that represent a collaborative arrangement acknowledge their participation by prominently displaying one of the FIP identifiers thereby achieving a visual presence and balance between the government and its partners.

Third-party Icons

Apart from exemptions made within the context of collaborative agreements, the Government of Canada Communications Policy clearly disallows the creation of an unfair competitive advantage in the private sector through the endorsement of private interests. Professional certifications, special file formats, and software plug-ins may be important to a specific audience, however use of associated icons does constitute an endorsement. Providing relevant information discretely in text format, rather than using symbols and logos, reduces the appearance of endorsement.

The President of the Treasury Board has approved a number of symbols for government-wide use, such as the Millennium Bureau symbol and the Year of the Elderly Person symbol. However, even approved government-wide symbols should be displayed with discretion.

9 Recommendation: GoC Web sites should not display third-party icons, symbols or logos that represent the products or services of private enterprises or individuals. Only TB approved symbols for government-wide use may be incorporated in GoC Web sites.

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Disclaimers of Liability

It is common to see three kinds of disclaimers of liability on institutional Web sites: disclaimers of liability for the accuracy or reliability of government-sourced information; disclaimers of liability for externally-sourced information; and disclaimers of liability for the contents of externally-linked information resources. Overuse of disclaimers has a tendency to discredit the product and the information source, thus CL&F recommendations seek to avoid their indiscriminate application.

CL&F legal advisors from the Constitutional and Administrative Law Section of the Department of Justice have indicated there is little prospect of attaching liability to the Crown by reason of the information on an institutional Web site being inaccurate, unreliable or out-dated. For that reason, the CL&F recommendations advise against the use of disclaimers for government-sourced information and for externally linked information (i.e. information on external Web sites via links from the institutional Web site). However, disclaimers should be used for externally sourced information, i.e., third-party information hosted on the institutional Web site. The disclaimer should be directly attached to the externally sourced information and should describe the type of information to which the disclaimer applies (i.e. database, document, etc.).

10 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites shall include the following Disclaimer of Liability text, accessed through a Disclaimer hyperlink, on externally sourced information that is hosted on a GoC site. Rationale: Institutions that choose to host externally sourced information on their Web sites should protect themselves from liabilities associated with the accuracy or reliability of such information.

Disclaimer. Some of the information in this (description of externally sourced information) has been provided by external sources. (Institution) is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information supplied by external sources. Users wishing to rely upon this information should consult directly with the source of the information.

Currency of Information/End-of-Page Indicator

As GoC Web sites are increasingly used to obtain valid, accurate and up-to-date information for personal and professional use, it is vitally important that GoC institutions provide clear indications of the currency of Web materials. It is also useful to establish a standard marker that signifies users have reached the end of any given Web page.

Given the wide variety of types of information likely to be posted on any given Web site, no single currency indicator is applicable to all situations. Therefore, CL&F is suggesting three variations on the theme: Date Published, Date Modified, and Last Updated. To minimize confusion, all three options should be use in conjunction with ISO all-numeric date standards (YYYY MM DD).

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11 Recommendation: All GoC Web pages shall have a date indicator to signal users have reached the end of that page and to signify the currency of the content. All currency indicators shall use the ISO standard for all numeric date display (YYYY MM DD) and use one of the following formats: Date published: 2000 01 01 Date modified: 2000 01 01 Last updated: 2000 01 01 ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 11

Rationale:: Including a Currency Indicator is recognized as an industry best practice that users have come to expect. Use of the ISO standard (YYYY MM DD) will enhance conformity amongst all GoC sites.

Important Notices

In consideration of the fact that electronic media is relatively new, and that every day hundreds of Canadians use it for the first time, it is vitally important that GoC institutions provide information about the rights, responsibilities and legal obligations of the information provider and the end-user. Without overburdening end-users, institutions should demonstrate their compliance with the many policies and procedures that govern information dissemination through electronic media.

This can best be achieved through a standard hyperlink, Important Notices, to be located at the bottom of each Web page on every GoC site. Generally, CL&F takes the position that material on GoC Web sites have been posted to support information dissemination through free public access. For that reason, a plain language approach has been adopted for the important Notices hyperlink, which will connect users to information on the following topics:

13 Copyright/Permission to Reproduce, Prohibitions on Commercial Reproduction and Identification of Third-party Materials 14 Application of Crown copyright symbol 15 Privacy Notice 16 Privacy Notice 17 Official Languages Notice

CL&F legal advisors indicate there is no need to include indemnification notices on GoC Web sites. As a matter of law and policy, it is inappropriate establish conditions associated with the use of a GoC Web site that attempt to oblige users to indemnify the federal Crown in the event that such use somehow generates litigation implicating the Crown.

12 Recommendation: All GoC Web pages shall conclude with direct access to plain language information regarding the rights, responsibilities and legal obligations of the information provider and the end-user, in the format of an Important Notices and Disclaimers link. Recommendations specific to each of these notices are listed below. Rationale: Standard wording and placement for information about rights, responsibilities and legal obligations associated with using materials found on GoC Web sites lends credibility to the information source and further demonstrates that all GoC information is subject to the same rules and regulations. Adopting a plain language approach to such notices and disclaimers helps users understand their purpose and better identify how the rules and regulations apply in specific circumstances.

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Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

The Internet provides a tremendous vehicle for distributing an enormous range of information to Canadians, when and where they need it. One of CL&F’s overriding goals is to give Canadians information that is easily identified as having been created and/or distributed by the Government of Canada. Through the act of posting information on this medium, institutions are essentially indicating they want individuals to use, and to share, information found in this freely available format.

All works of substantive originality are covered by copyright protection, regardless of whether or not the Crown copyright symbol is applied ( Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Year). Application of Crown copyright is most often intended as an assertion of ownership, rather than as a blanket prohibition on the reproduction or use of the materials. The use of the copyright tag is primarily an exercise in branding, thereby ensuring credit for the author institution. Apart from branding, copyright notices serve almost no practical or legal purpose for the Crown.

However, Web sites typically contain some examples of information that cannot sustain Crown copyright because they lack sufficient originality (i.e. databases,) or were produced jointly with organizations outside the GoC and are therefore subject to third-party copyright. In addition, much information remains useful to the public long after its original copyright has expired. For all of these reasons, it may be inappropriate to assert Crown copyright vis-à-vis individual GoC sites in their entirety.

Current Communications Policy clearly indicates Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) as the administrator of Crown copyright for print publications on behalf of GoC institutions. However, there is some indication that the electronic media—which promotes free distribution of GoC information--calls for an updated copyright model. CL& F legal advisors, representing various GoC institutions through Justice Canada, are of the opinion that CL&F should dispense with the Crown copyright notice altogether because: a) it serves virtually no legal purpose; b) copyright attaches to works with or without a notice; and c) dispensing with the copyright notice would dispense with the need to make a determination about whether individual components of institutional Web sites could sustain copyright, as well as the corresponding need to determine whether the notices and disclaimers footer should or should not contain a copyright notice in each individual work.

These factors prompted the legal advisors to investigate the potential for protecting institutional Web sites using contract law. "Click-on agreements" are common among government institutions, e.g., where users are obliged signify their acceptance of the institutional Internet use policy by clicking "Agree", as a preliminary to viewing information on the Internet. Click-on agreements are also in common use elsewhere on the Internet.

Legally, click-on agreements could provide a measure of protection for government Web sites that is simply not available from copyright. On the other hand, as a matter of policy, it would be a serious nuisance for users to have to "Agree" to a set of terms and conditions every time they entered an institutional Web site. As a matter of law, click-on agreements would also have the effect of raising Government exposure to liability for negligent misrepresentation, e.g., if institutional materials are unreliable or stale. For those reasons, the legal advisors recommend against the general use of click-on agreements on institutional Web sites. There may be a place for institutional use of click-on agreements, in conjunction with disclaimers of liability, but there is no present reason to recommend their general use.

The absence of a copyright notice does not mean that copyright does not exist; anyone wishing to reproduce materials from an institutional Web site is therefore going to require permission. Instead of responding to individual requisitions for permission, institutions should make extensive use of permission notices on their Web sites, i.e., a notice to the public indicating the terms and conditions on which the materials on the site

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may be reproduced without further permission from the author institution. In fact, a copyright notice without a permission notice leaves the user in the position of not being able to reproduce the materials without infringement of copyright (subject to the fair dealing exceptions for private study and research). For practical purposes, users wishing to obtain permission to reproduce freely available materials should be directed to contact the information provider directly, rather than going through PWGSC.

In exceptional circumstances, institutions may wish to prohibit reproduction of some materials posted on their sites (i.e. priced publications that have been made available over the Internet). Such institutions should carefully examine their reasons for prohibiting the commercial redistribution of these materials. If the institution's primary interest is in facilitating the widest possible dissemination of its information, commercial redistribution should not be prohibited. Rather, commercial redistributors could be required attach a notice to their reproductions to the effect that the materials are available in their original form from a GoC Web site.

Finally, it is important to consider adequate protection for third-party copyright materials and graphical elements on GoC Web sites. Generally, it is preferable for institutional Web sites to provide links to the third- party materials, rather than host them directly. An institution that hosts non-Crown copyright materials that are subject to prohibitions on reproduction really has no meaningful way of ensuring that the third-party copyright is respected. However, CL&F recognizes it is becoming more common for GoC institutions to "partner" with private-sector organisations and to operate joint Web sites or to be jointly responsible for the operation of sections of an institutional Web site. In such cases, a "third-party copyright" disclaimer is appropriate to provide information on the reproduction of textual and graphical content.

If there is no legal basis or practical reason to affix Crown copyright legends with respect to GoC Web sites per se, the practice should be discouraged. That being said, CL&F has left the door open for institutions to apply Crown copyright notices on elements of GoC Web sites that are capable of sustaining it. Upon the recommendation of CL&F WG legal advisors, the copyright-tagging practices have been updated for the 21st century and made more consistent with the hallmarks of the Federal Identity Policy. Rather than identifying Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as the copyright holder, CL&F recommendations suggest clear identification of the actual information provider, by naming of the institution in the copyright tag (i.e.  Applied Title of Department, date.)

While further discussion on this area may be warranted, CL&F recommends the following approach.

13 Recommendation: The following Copyright/Permission to Reproduce text should be included within the Important Notice link at the bottom of all GoC Web pages. Rationale: Inclusion of a plain language Copyright/Permission to Reproduce notice on the concluding hyperlink from all Web pages provides direct access to information regarding content ownership and the rules and regulations associated with reproduction of materials posted on GoC Web sites.

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Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

Materials on this Web site have been produced and/or compiled by the (Applied Title of the Institution) for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada (GoC).

Much of the material on this site is covered by the Copyright Act (http://canada.justice.gc.ca/FTP/EN/Laws/Chap/C/C-42.txt), by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and by international agreements. Such copyright serves to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

Non-commercial Reproduction Information on this site has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non- commercial use. Unless otherwise noted by the application of the copyright symbol ( Applied Title of Institution, Date), materials on this site may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the (Applied Title of the Institution). We ask only that:

• Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; • The (Applied Title of the Institution) be identified as the source department; and, • The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the (Applied Title of the Institution).

Commercial Reproduction Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the GoC copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission granting process, PWGSC helps ensure individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce GoC materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please contact: Public Works and Government Services Canada Contact Information Third-party Materials Some of the materials and graphical elements found on GoC Web sites are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by a GoC institution and an external organization, as part of a collaborative agreement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply; it may be necessary to seek permission from the author or copyright holder prior to reproduction. To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this site, please contact:

Chief Information Officer Applied Title of the Institution Contact Information

14 Recommendation: In exceptional circumstances in which institutions believe application of the Crown copyright symbol is necessary to protect specific elements of their Web sites, CL&F legal advisors recommends a more contemporary approach, using one of the following formats.

© Government of Canada, date - or - © Applied Title of Institution, date

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Privacy Notice

Governments across Canada and the United States are now adopting the common practice of including a privacy notice on all Web sites. The privacy notice advises site users on how the Web site operator will utilize information automatically acquired from the visit. The key message to be delivered through a privacy notice is that the information will be used ONLY for Web site management and security. The notice should also make it clear that personal information will NOT be collected, unless the user chooses to provide it voluntarily by utilizing on-line forms, participating in surveys, etc.

In regards to GoC Web sites, each institution’s privacy policy should be developed through co-operative effort of individuals/areas that hold responsibility for information technology, computer security, privacy and protection of personal information, and information management. Any variation from the departmental privacy policy must be highlighted at the point where it occurs. In such instances, departments must obtain clear consent from the end-user to collect and use personal information.

The Privacy Notice should be included within the Important Notices link, which is clearly displayed at the bottom of all pages on every GoC Web site. In additionaddition, a separate, direct link to privacy statement portion of the Important Notices must clearly displayed on any Web page that collects personally identifiable information (i.e. Common Gateway Interface form used to order publications, request services, register for programs, etc.). Any GoC Web site that provides opportunity for individuals to submit personal information must inform individuals regarding how the personal information will be used, where and how long it will be kept (i.e. in which Personal Information Bank), and how they can obtain their information.

Key elements of any GoC Web site privacy statement include: • Identification of the organization and contact information; • A clear indication that all personally identifiable information, whether collected automatically or through electronic mail, on-line forms or other device, is protected under the Privacy Act; • An explanation of the purpose for which the information is collected in any particular instance and assurance that it will be used ONLY for that purpose in that particular instance. • A clear indication as to where, and for how long, information will be kept; • Instructions regarding how users can obtain access to this information; • A statement explaining that non-identifiable or statistical information may be collected for audit purposes or for use in maximising effectiveness, etc.

In such instances, the statement should also include: - an explanation of any use of information by security to trace suspected hackers, etc.; - A statement identifying cookies or any other data that will be placed on the user’s system, along with a description of how they are used and the purpose for which the data is being collected; - A description of any privacy enhancing technologies employed or available for use; and - A notice that individuals may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner with unresolved privacy concerns.

Some institutions may wish to include additional privacy statements, concerning links to external sites not covered by GoC privacy policies or the on-line collection of information from children. In other instances, institutions may utilize the services of an external service provider as the site a Web master, in which case it would be appropriate to provide a link through which users can contact that individual or organization. In such circumstances, the GoC institution must make it clear that users are sending information to a resource outside the institution, and that their information will be covered by the Web master’s privacy policy, rather than that of the GoC.

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15 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites shall include a Privacy Notice within the Important Notices hyperlink. Rationale: The Privacy Notice assures end-users that information automatically acquired through a visit to any GoC site will not be used other than for the express purposes of Web maintenance and security.

Government of Canada Privacy Statement The Government of Canada (GoC) and Department X are committed to respecting the personal privacy of individuals who visit our Web sites. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices of Department X Web sites.

• The GoC does not automatically gather any personal information from you, such as your name, phone number, e-mail or street address during your visit to its Web sites. This information is only obtained if you supply it voluntarily, usually through contacting us via e-mail, or registering in a secure portion of the site.

• All personal information you do provide is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that, at the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected, the purpose for which it is being collected and that you have a right of access to the information.

• Some institutions within the GoC use software that receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of computers that have connected with their Web sites. In such instances, institutions make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting GoC sites.

• The GoC does not regularly use ‘cookies’ to track how visitors use the Web sites of individual institutions. Whenever we enable ‘cookies’ to facilitate your transactions, we will first inform you. (Note: Cookies are files that a Web site can place on your hard drive, without your knowledge, to monitor your use of that site.)

• Visitor information is not disclosed to anyone except GoC personnel who need the information, e.g., to respond to a request. The information you give us will be shared with another government department ONLY if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not use the information to create individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the federal government.

• Department X is a participant in the GoC Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which gives you the opportunity to communicate with the Department in a confidential manner.

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act in Department X may be directed to (name or position) by e-mail to (link) or by calling (XXX) XXX-XXXX. If you are not satisfied that we have adequately respected your privacy, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by calling 1-800-267-0441 or via the Internet at www.privcom.gc.ca

16 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites shall include a direct hyperlink to the Privacy Statement section of the Important Notices and Disclaimers page whenever Web pages provide an opportunity for users to input personal information (i.e. Common Gateway Interface forms, program registration, information requests, etc.). Rationale: GoC Web site visitors should be given a direct link to the Privacy Notice, from any point at which they are given the opportunity to voluntarily provide personal information.

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Official Languages

Background information on the importance of CL&F’s adherence to Official Language Act policies and procedures is available in Section1: Communication.

17 Recommendation: All GoC Web pages shall include the following text within the Important Notices link, to serve as a notice indicating the site is compliant with the Official Languages Act. Rationale: Inclusion of the Official Languages Act notice assures users that all site information supplied directly by institutions is compliant with the Act, yet indicates that information from external sources may be available only in the language in which it was provided.

Official Languages. (Applied Title of Institution) respects the Official Languages Act and relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information on this site is available in both French and English. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources is available only in the language in which it was provided.

E-mail Correspondents

With the increased use of electronic mail as a communication tool for delivering GoC information, it is increasingly important to identify the source of the information at both institutional and individual levels. Public servants who provide information via e-mail can not make assumptions regarding the end-use of information. E-mail recipients may respond immediately, store the message indefinitely, forward it to other recipients, import it to other documents or print a hard copy record. Thus, all e-mail messages must contain enough information to identify the individual and the institution s/he represents, as well as sufficient contact information to facilitate further communication via various methods (i.e. telephone, fax, post, etc.).

Most government e-mail software now includes an "autosignature" function, which automatically attaches user-defined text to the bottom of every outgoing e-mail. Institutions that do not have the autosignature function in their e-mail software should develop other means of including appropriate identification information in all electronic correspondence. In situations in which e-mail is sent not by a specific individual, but rather by a service or program office (i.e. [email protected]), full institutional contact information should still be made available.

The Federal Identity Program applies to all GoC corporate identity applications, such as institutional letterhead, business cards, complimentary cards, note paper, etc., and e-mail is no exception. With the evolution of graphic, windows-based e-mail software, the incorporation of the visual identifiers of the GoC is now possible. E-mail must be treated in the same manner as traditional business stationery applications to ensure proper federal identification through the institutional signature and the "Canada" wordmark. To ensure consistency in application, this initiative would need to be managed by mail and/or systems administrators rather than by individual GoC employees.

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18 Recommendation: All outgoing e-mail messages sent by GoC employees must include the sender's name, position and institution, as well as telephone and fax numbers (with area code and extension numbers), and postal and e-mail addresses. Where an e-mail address serves a program or service rather than an individual, contact information must be provided including institution, postal and e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 18 19 Recommendation: Determine the most technically feasible and organizationally practical methods of ensuring all e-mail messages sent by GoC employees demonstrate consistent application of appropriate FIP identifiers. ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 18

Exit Notice

While the vast majority of notices and disclaimers required on GoC Web sites serve to help users understand the roles, responsibilities and legal obligations of information providers and GoC Internet site users, the Exit Notice is distinct both in purpose and in placement. Unlike the elements included in the Important Notices hyperlink at the end of each GoC Web page, the Exit Notice should be an automatically generated message that pops up on the screen when users have chosen a link that takes them beyond the realm the gc.ca domain. The purpose of the Exit Notice is to clearly establish the boundaries at which GoC roles, responsibilities and legal obligations cease to apply. The Exit Notice will also minimize confusion resulting from inconsistencies that become evident when users transfer from GoC sites to privately developed sites...

20 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should develop a strategy to incorporate Exit Notices in site architecture as a means of informing users that they are about to leave the gc.ca domain and enter an area that is no longer covered by or subject to CL&F recommendations, rules and regulations. Rationale: Inclusion of an exit notice provides users with a clear demonstration of where the rules and regulations that govern to GoC Web sites cease to apply, thereby eliminating confusion as to responsibility associated with different levels of service standards.

You are now leaving the (Title) Web site. Please be advised that rules and regulations governing Government of Canada Web sites, including official language requirements do not apply beyond this point.

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Section 3 Navigation: Common Sense Connections

Electronic service delivery provides excellent opportunities for Canadians to obtain information on GoC programs and services when and where they need it. Given the enormous resources now available on-line at GoC sites, a logical and consistent system of navigation is key to improving access. An effective navigation is dependent on consistent application of standards that are both visible and invisible to the end-user. Well-designed and strategically placed menu bars give users visual cues to site navigation; search functions help simplify the task of locating specific information. These elements will be further enhanced by placing all GoC sites under one domain and standardizing elements such as file names, languages directories and URLs.

The Internet provides an excellent means of allowing Canadians to acquire information they need in a particular subject area—even if several different institutions have a direct impact on programs and services within that field. For end-users, navigation is a key factor in the decision to explore a given site or look elsewhere for the information they seek. Sites with confusing menu systems, unclear titles or poorly thought- out links are quickly left behind for more user-friendly options. Given the enormous resources now available on-line at GoC sites, a logical and consistent navigation system is of critical importance.

To a large degree, navigation covers the elements that make up the ‘feel’ component of any given Web site. Consistency in the application of domain and file names, menu bars, and search and retrieval systems across all GoC sites will facilitate navigation through individual sites and provide a sense of uninterrupted flow from one site to another.

Effective navigation is dependent on consistent application of standards that are both visible and invisible to the end-user. A single domain name supports GoC identification and indicates to end-users that individual institution Web sites are part of a larger family. File name standards also reinforce source identification. Well- designed and strategically placed menu bars give users visual cues to assist in wayfinding through sites, while search functions simplify the task of locating specific information.

Creating a common feel for all GoC Web sites, Web page by Web page, serves a number of purposes associated with providing better service to all members of the public. GoC institutions use a variety of hardware types, operating systems, Web server products and Web authoring tools. Their sites may consist of static HTML pages—with or without some dynamic content (headers, trailers, menus, etc.)—or be wholly dynamic. Standardizing a single navigation system across all GoC sites will give end-users the ability to move through any or all sites, regardless of the hardware or software that supports individual sites.

Standardization also offers benefits to Web developers and content providers. Much like a pre-fabricated home package, the framework described in the following section will create efficiencies in site development and maintenance. It will also reinforce the federal identity.

Domain Names

Just as government telephone numbers across the country are easily recognized by the ‘9’ at the front of the prefix, the CL&F recommendation to adopt a single domain name seeks to establish a similar identifier for GoC on the Internet. Domain names are vital to end-users for two reasons. Firstly, the domain name is the highest level reference to an individual site. If they know the exact domain name, users can effectively ‘direct dial’ to the information they want. Secondly, as the domain name appears in both Web addresses and in E- mail addresses, it increases user awareness that individuals they contact via e-mail are representatives of a GoC institution. In addition to acting as gateways to information and public servants, Web sites and E-mail addresses are common elements of marketing, promotional and information materials. A common domain name would further enhance federal identity, presence and visibility.

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It has been agreed by the WG that all GoC departments will migrate to the gc.ca domain early in the course of the CL&F implementation. Bringing all GoC sites into a single domain will improve public recognition and make it easier for individuals to remember domain names they use on a regular basis. The standardization may also increase their chances of finding a site they have not previously visited. Informal surveys suggest Canadians are beginning to associate the gc.ca domain with the GoC. The gc.ca registrar currently permits the registration of two domain names for each institution. Institutions may continue to use additional domain names as aliases (i.e. *....caca ; *.com; *.org; *.net),*.net provided they are also registered within the gc.ca domain and only the gc.ca domain name is advertised or promoted on other media materials.

As a matter of protecting GoC domain names from confusion, mischief and misuse, it is in the best interests of institutions to register a series of domain names that include the organization’s title. Unlike *.ca domain registration, there are few rules or restrictions for the *.com, *.org, and *.net domains, and as a result, any individual in the world may register a domain name using any non-trademarked name. The only protection against this type of confusions is to register your title first. Such confusion and misuse has begun to occur with GoC institutional names and will continue as long as there is percieved gain in capturing domains of potential value, a practice commonly referred to a “cybersquatting”.

At present, GoC institutions apply a wide range of approaches to indicating their identity within the domain name: bilingual hyphenated acronyms, unilingual acronyms, selected keyword(s) from a title, truncated keywords, etc. While no single solution is likely to meet the needs of all GoC institutions and provide an intuitive, memorable way for Canadians to locate individual sites in the language of their choice, there is a need for greater consistency in institution identification. Thus, CL&F proposes three options, all of which have been developed to meet OLA requirements.

The simplest solution is a bilingual monomial name that accurately represents the institution’s primary purpose in both official languages (i.e. information.gc.cainformation.gc.ca). Acronyms or compound terms that are identical in both languages provide an equally suitable solution (i.e. infoexport.gc.cainfoexport.gc.ca). Unfortunately, these options have limited potential, as very few institutions can be represented by a single term that conveys the same meaning in English and in French.

A second option is to provide equal prominence to both official languages by registering two domain names that follow the same format. Institutions are free to choose any format from the following options, but should aim for an option that is both intuitive and memorable. For example:

Title approximation: www.healthcanada.gc.ca, www.santecanada.gc.ca Title truncation: www.space.gc.ca, www.spatiale.gc.ca Acronym: www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, www.cnrc-nrc.gc.ca Monomial: www.justice.gc.ca

♦ SEE FIGURE 2 FOR ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Most GoC institutions currently use a hyphenated bilingual acronym for their domain names. In view of the CL&F objectives, this option is less than ideal in that not all organization acronyms are well recognized, and arguably very few would be known publicly in both language formats (i.e. nlc-bnc.gc.ca). CL&F does not fully support this practice, and therefore suggests a minor adaptation to help institutions meet OLA requirements and provide linguistic equality for end-users. Institutions that wish to continue using the bilingual acronym format, must register two formats: one with the English acronym first, the other giving prominence to the French acronym (i.e. pco-bpc.gc.ca / bpc-pco.gc.ca).

If elements used in the domain name are items other than the full names or acronyms of GoC institutions (or branches, divisions, programs or initiatives), these elements must also respect the official languages requirements outlined in this document. This means that English or French words, or combinations thereof, that are used as domain names are subject the same criteria as other domain names (i.e. www.books- livres.gc.ca and www.livres-books.gc.ca, or otherwise unilingual but parallel www.books.gc.ca and www.livres.gc.ca).

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A final domain name consideration linked directly to OLA requirements is that of domain name display in browser windows. All GoC sites should be configured such that the domain name visible to the end-user corresponds to the language of the selected Web page or content (i.e. www.tbs-sct.gc.ca displays above English content; www.sct-tbs.gc.ca displays above French content.) This is contrary to the common practice of displaying one domain name on all Web pages throughout a site, even though that site may have two or more registered and advertised domain names.

Specific recommendations for domain names are outlined below and additional examples are provided in Figure 2. In all instances, domain names appearing in other media (i.e. publications, presentations, advertising, correspondence etc.) should reflect the official language of the information itself.

21 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites shall migrate to the gc.ca domain within the next three years, during the course of regular Web maintenance cycles. Rationale: Standardizing the gc.ca suffix across all institutions will make it easier to locate and enter GoC Web sites. It will increase federal identity, presence and visibility and may eventually increase brand name for GoC. A more intuitive naming standard for GoC Web sites will also facilitate public access to Web sites and E-mail addresses.

22 Recommendation: All GoC institutions shall adopt one of the three following domain naming conventions when registering with the gc.ca registrar. Each of these conventions supports language equity as outlined in the Official Languages Act: ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 2 • A single domain name, provided it equally represents both official languages; • Two unilingual domain names, one English and one French, provided both are consistent in style and format; • Two bilingual domian names, provided the French is predominant in one version and the English predominates in the other.

23 Recommendation: In order to maintain the integrity of government information and web sites, GoC organizations should protect their titles by registering domain names which include their title for the *com domain, as well as the *.org and *.net domains.

E-mail Addresses

Electronic mail has become a primary vehicle for communicating—within the public service and with the Canadian public. E-mail addressesare increasingly used for identifying individuals, they contain enough information to identify an organization and its web site domain name.

For this reason, it is important that all domain name information to the right of the @ symbol reflect the same domain name approach in complying with official language requirements as is employed at the institutional Web server level. Thus, institutions that have registered two domain names (one predominantly English, the other predominantly French) must extend this consistency to e-mail addresses.

While individuals would continue to maintain one e-mail account, the organization’s mail server would be required to recognise two e-mail addresses for each individual. For example: Jane Doe working for HRDC would have two distinct e-mail addresses to apply to print or electronic communication materials: [email protected] on English materials and [email protected] on French materials.

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24 Recommendation: All GoC electronic mail administrators must provide all public servants with e- mail addresses that demonstrate compliance with official language requirements by applying the e-mail address format that reflects the institution's chosen domain name(s): ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 4 • [email protected] • [email protected] and [email protected]

Directory Names / File Names

Web masters establishing directory structures and content developers creating appropriate file names face many similar questions in relation to meeting OLA requirements. Directory and file names are convenient points of reference for Web site developers or managers, but frequently evolve to reflect a bias toward one official language.

Directory and file naming conventions are more closely associated with site maintenance than public service: users are not required to type directories or file names to find information and have more efficient tools (such a bookmarks) to reference them. In fact, directory names and file names have diminished in significance as navigation or information aids, thanks to improved site navigation and more diverse methods for file generation. However, directory structures and file names are still prominently displayed in Web browser windows, and should therefore reflect the language of the site content.

The common practice of giving both language versions of a file an identical name and adding “*_e.html” or “*_f.html” is convenient from a site maintenance perspective but falls short of meeting official language requirements in the vast majority of cases (i.e. about_e.html, about_f.html). The file names, as well as directory structures, should be congruent with the language of the file content. Again, CL&F is proposing two options to provide maximum flexibility on this issue.

Institutions may choose to meet OLA requirements by creating two distinct directory structures, one in each official language, or by developing a single alpha-numeric file naming system that does not employ terms which are recognizable as either uniquely English or French (ex. …/ab/19a/1999_10_13c.html). In essence, CL&F is offering one choice that fully meets OLA requirements and one that eliminates the need to meet OLA requirements by avoiding the use of terms altogether. While this proposal restricts the use of names, nouns, abbreviations and acronyms, it ultimately provides an effective means of reducing the risk of non-compliance with the OLA. Note that the requirements for the use of lexical entries from a dictionary of English or French in directories or file names are the same as for their use in domain names (see Section 2: Identification – Domain Names). ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 3

Additional naming convention recommendations can be found in the official language requirements section of the Government of Canada Internet Guide (www.canada.gc.ca/programs/guide/2_1_6e.html). File name extensions (i.e. *.html, *.sgml, *.asp, etc.) are, of course, the exception as they are industry standards and beyond the influence of the Official Languages Act.

25 Recommendation: All institutions should meet Official Language Act requirements with respect to web site directory names and file names. Where lexical terms are used to name elements of directory structure, both official languages must be treated employed. Alternatively, institutions may adopt practices that ensure OLA policies are not contravened and ensure that one language does not predominate over the other from the user point of view by using naming conventions such as: ♦ SEE ALSO FIGURE 3 • Language neutral nomenclature (e.g. numeric or alphanumeric) • combinations of parts of both official languages equivalents, balanced with use of elements from both languages

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Mandatory Menu

To facilitate navigation within individual GoC sites and between multiple GoC sites, a Mandatory Menu has been developed to provide specific service enhancements. Prominently placed at the top of every GoC Web page, the buttons on the Mandatory Menu provide direct links to crucial navigation features. The Mandatory Menu buttons are placed such that the most critical buttons hold the most prominent positions. For example, the language choice and ‘Canada Site’ buttons should be placed at the left and right extremes (respectively) of the mandatory menu bar itself.

Menu Option Function

English/Français Links to the page content in the other official language

Contact Us Provides a means for users to send electronic mail or to find the information necessary to utilize other means of communication (telephone and facsimile numbers, street and post office box addresses, etc.) with the organization or delegated officials

Help Links to page containing a site map and other assistive information such as frequently asked questions or other user information

Search Links to search and retrieval systems (including the Government Information Locator System, GILS) that enable users to obtain information on a particular subject in any GoC site

Canada Site Provides a direct link to the Government of Canada Web site

26 Recommendation: All GoC Web pages should include the standard mandatory menu bar, placed at the top of every Web page, to facilitate navigation through and between GoC sites. The menu options should include: Language (English/Français). Contact Us, Help, Search, and Canada Site. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURES 5-8, 12-16 Rationale: Consistent use of a mandatory menu facilitates wayfinding on GoC sites and consistently consolidates key common functions across all GoC web sites.

Institutional Menus

While the mandatory menu facilitates navigation and access to information at the general level, and makes movement from one GoC site to another more manageable, the institutional menu is a key feature in providing service delivery within an individual site. Each GoC site and sub-site will need to adopt terminology on the menu buttons that reflects its specific programs and services, yet some degree of standardization should be applied to enhance over CL&F objectives. As it can be anticipated that some similarity in the content of institutional menus will occur from site to site, CL&F suggests Web developers should consider including the following standard elements: What’s New, Publications/Catalogue, Menu/Contents, Home/Previous/Next, Programs & Services, Index, Submit/Order

For that reason, CL&F is proposing a standard look and placement for the primary institutional menu. While institutions are free to choose the colour, number of buttons (from 5-10) and content of their primary institutional menu, the size and design should match that of the mandatory menu. In addition, the primary institutional menu should be placed directly below the mandatory menu. The terminology used on menu

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buttons should be selected carefully to ensure choices are clear to end-users who may or may not understand the phrases or terminology used internally to reflect programs or services.

GoC institutions are free to develop additional secondary menu systems as required. Institutions with many Web sites or many levels of content may need this additional navigation assistance. Such secondary menus should be located in the left column of Content Pages. They may incorporate a more graphic or visually thematic approach to displaying navigation options than is used in the mandatory menu. Secondary menus should be designed with the appropriate attention to accessibility concerns and should visually complement overall Web page layout.

While the primary institutional menu should contain links to major subject areas that are institution-wide or major functions not included in the mandatory menu, the secondary menu may contain links that are more content specific, such as institutional sub-sites, program and service areas, or lengthy content files. (For examples of the many possible approaches see Figures 15 and 17.

27 Recommendation: All Web pages shall incorporate a primary institutional menu similar in design and placement to the mandatory menu. The number of buttons and choice of terminology should represent plain language descriptors of the organization’s programs and services. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURES 15, 17 Rationale: Establishing a standard format and location for the primary institutional menu facilitates attainment of CL&F navigation objectives and further enhances communication and identification objectives.

Text Equivalents for Navigation Tools

Navigation is a fundamental key to universal accessibility in electronic media. Poorly designed navigation systems can create barriers for individuals using assistive devices or multimodal technologies. To ensure all visitors can enter all areas of GoC sites, Web developers must incorporate text equivalents in all navigation aids, including menu bars/buttons, hyperlinks, back/forward/home indicators, etc.

28 Recommendation: All Web pages should include text equivalents for all navigation aids to ensure universal accessibility requirements are met. Rationale: The use of text equivalents, as outlined by the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, ensures all navigational tools are universally accessible.

Search and Retrieval

Individually and collectively, GoC institutions produce an enormous amount of information on a wide variety of subjects, in virtually every media. Coupled with the proliferation of information from other sources available on the Internet, users are becoming increasingly dependent on search engines to help sift through the hundreds or thousands of sites that deal with a particular subject area.

Low-precision Searching

At present, Internet users can apply some 250 search engines that operate on a low-precision, full text search protocol. A single query can result in thousands of “hits” from sites around the world. Faced with an insurmountable list of questionable sources, the user is forced to wade through site after site in search of current, valid information. Many give up before finding what they really want.

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Despite its drawbacks, low precision searching through privately operated search engines remains a common practice. For that reason, it is vitally important that GoC Web sites register with appropriate search engines, as a means of making content available to a wider audience. The key to making effective use of search engines is to provide accurate information in the HTML elements used by Web crawlers. To enhance access to individual sites, GoC institutions should strive for the highest precision possible in title, H1, H2 and H3 HTML elements. In particular, Web developers should ensure the HTML TITLE tags contain key phrases for retrieval. These elements, along with their corresponding URLs, are captured by most standard crawlers.

More sophisticated crawlers may also collect the first 20 lines of a document; others have progressed to a full-text index of the entire document. Titles and headings should be chosen carefully, to convey as much information as possible. GoC Web masters should assess privately operated search engines and register with those that show the best potential for directing users to relevant information on their sites.

Local Search

When searching for information regarding a specific subject area, individual Canadians and government employees alike are often faced with the challenge of trying to determine which institution is responsible for related programs or services. In some instance, more than one GoC institutions may be responsible for specific aspects of a particular subject area.

Improved access to all GoC information holdings can be accomplished in part through more efficient search functions. The inclusion of a Search button on the CL&F mandatory menu bar ensures users can link to search functions from any page of a GoC Web site to conduct either site-specific or government-wide subject area searches. To improve search capabilities, GoC institutions must be willing to participate in the development of a site architecture protocol that supports two functions: local (i.e. Search Our Site) and government-wide searching.

High-precision Searching

The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) is a metadata standard that supports precision searching of GoC information holdings. GILS was first introduced by the United States Government to describe its information resources; the Canadian version is broader in scope and is designed to operate within the context of a bilingual government. Its more complex scheme reflects a conscious attempt to describe the many different types of information types produced by government agencies. GILS overcomes the difficulty of locating government information in two ways: • By improving access to information; if one set of GILS elements is used by all departments to describe information holdings, only one set of elements is needed to locate it effectively. • By increasing the interoperability between institutional servers: Gathering metadata from various departments on distributed network of servers allows people to search more than one site in a single query conducted through the Canada Site.

Metadata is the key to GILS functionality. Essentially information about information, metadata is made up of elements that define standard descriptions of information holdings. There are two types of metadata: automatically generated indexes used by search services and cataloguing records created by libraries. While automatically generated indexes often provide too little information to be truly useful, manually generated cataloguing records are too costly to create and maintain.

GILS is designed to strike a balance between these two extremes. For initial GILS implementation, CL&F is recommending that GoC institutions describe Internet resources using five mandatory metadata elements in document headers: Title, Originator, Language of Resource, Date and Controlled Subject. The GILS system also offers almost 30 optional elements that could be used to further enhance individual records and overall search capabilities. For a complete list of optional elements, please refer to the Canadian GILS Web site at: http://gils.gc.ca.

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Since metadata can be used to describe any type of information resource or service, GILS gives Internet users information about resources that are not available on-line, but can be obtained through other means (i.e. print materials, databases, microforms, audio/video productions, etc.). Even if institutions do not yet have all their publications on-line, GILS allows users to confirm the information they seek is available in some format. GILS records will also help individuals with special needs determine whether information is available in a format that meets their individual needs (i.e. Braille document, voice recording, etc.).

The metadata information allows users to employ precision searching tools with relative ease. If just three mandatory elements are incorporated in GoC GILS records, users will be able to target their selections based on author, title, and language. Additional GILS elements will support searching by date or a controlled list of subject terms.

Benefits of GILS

One of the primary benefits of GILS is that does not restrict the user to information posted on GoC Web sites. GILS records can be used to identify a variety of publicly available GoC information resources including print publications, audio/video and multimedia productions, collections, phone-based services and similar resources. Because it facilitates the interchange and reuse of data, GILS will ultimately create information collections with value beyond that of their individual parts.

GILS is becoming an international standard that specifies support for distributed information retrieval protocol. The system balances cost/benefit equations in that the creation and maintenance of metadata represents a sound investment of time and effort. By making metadata available to a broader audience and expanding potential utilization of resources, GILS leverages institution investment.

Functionality

As the main GoC site, the Canada site (www.canada.gc.ca) now acts as the central repository for GILS records. The site includes a Web Crawler that indexes departmental sites to create a searchable central index. As departments create GILS records to describe their information holdings, the same Web crawler will collect GILS records in a central catalogue. Whenever departments create GILS records, they will be enhancing their local search capabilities as well as participating in the distributed search network. Several authoring tools are available from the private sector and government departments (e.g. Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada).

To work effectively for Canadian Internet users, GILS must be adopted by all government institutions. At the very minimum, GILS metadata should be embedded in Welcome Pages, home pages and other significant resources. The mandatory GILS elements should be applied, plus any set of controlled subject terms developed to support cross department searching within clusters or across the GOC. Widespread adoption will improve search capabilities for end-users seeking GoC information and raise general awareness of the breadth and depth of GoC information holdings. A further explanation of GILS is available at www.gils.gc.ca.

29 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should adopt the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) as a metadata standard for description of Web resources. The following five metatags must be included: Title, Originator, Language of Resource, Date and Controlled Subject. Rationale: Common metatags, together with improved search capabilities, are key components in assisting Canadians search and retrieve information on all GoC web sites.

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Section 4 Content: Information Design

Regardless of the media, content is the single most important element of any communication activity. The Internet offers many presentation options not available in more traditional media and a greater capacity to give Canadians more information that can be acquired at their convenience. It also enables information providers to create dynamic content by adding graphics, animation, or audio/video components to textual elements. The CL&F recommendations associated with communication, identification and navigation provide a foundation for the overriding content objective, which is to ensure that all content on GoC Web sites is equally avaiiable to all Canadians. While the Internet is the most effective means of achieving this objective, it can only do so when good information design practices are applied to individual institutional sites. CL&F recommendations associated with content and layout have been established to ensure GoC sites support universal accessibility, source identification and effective navigation.

With GoC institutions offering more information on-line, and more Canadians employing a wider range of technologies to obtain that information, the demand for universal access to content is increasing from several perspectives. Accessibility initiatives, such as those spearheaded by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are designed to ensure all site content can be obtained through all technologies: from voice activation systems and text readers to wireless personal communication devices. The key to fulfilling the Web’s potential as an accessible medium is the broad application of three crucial elements: text equivalents, alternate formats and effective information design standards.

Creating a ‘common look and feel’ for an extended family of related Web sites holds enormous challenges. The programs and services offered by GoC institutions are incredibly diverse and often serve a very specific purpose, for a very specific audience. In some cases, the purpose of a site may be strictly to provide information, in others it may facilitate delivery of a particular service. Other institutions face the challenge of promoting their programs and services against the backdrop of the highly competitive private sector. Because each page of every GoC Web site contributes to the overall achievement of CL&F objectives, the following recommendations are balanced so as to maintain an appropriate degree of integrity while giving institutions the freedom they need to develop Web pages that serve a variety of functions.

Developing a Web site is not a one-time effort: well-designed sites are continuously evolving. Revisions are prompted by user feedback, better understanding of usage patterns, clearer focus of communications objectives, development of new material, modifications to existing documentation, and new interactive options. In the same way, CL&F will content recommendations will remain open to revision.

Information design must be developed from a user’s point of view and testing is a necessary part of the process. Coherent presentation of content is intrinsically linked to layout, typography, graphic standards, the use of symbols and measurement specifications that can be applied to all GoC Web pages, regardless of their function, to establish a standard framework.

All sites should be tested with a variety of browser software to ensure Web page layout remains intact regardless of what platforms end-users employ. Testing should focus on ease of use, navigation, screen layout, comprehension and user satisfaction. Sites should also be tested with the graphics option turned off, as many users prefer this option as a means of accelerating document downloading. Web developers need to be aware that various hardware and software platforms can all significantly alter the appearance of a site, especially colour in graphics and backgrounds.

Information Design

Effective information design results from careful consideration of several design elements: colour, space, imagery, typography and layout. While Web technologies offer new opportunities for creativity in information design, there are distinct benefits to be gained in communication, identification, navigation and content

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Section 4: Content 42 through standardization of some design elements. When applied across a large group of related Web sites, information design standards increase visual recognition by end-users and lead to stronger associations between various GoC institutions.

In the process of its becoming a mainstream media, Web developers and communication experts have sought to make the Internet more attractive to users and more effective for organizations. Initially an efficient means of disseminating text, the World Wide Web is now a vehicle through which information in virtually any format can be distributed to a wide audience.

This evolution in the look and feel of Web sites has forced organizations to dedicate substantial resources to their development and maintenance. It has also become apparent that elements such as colour, imagery and space can enhance or detract from providing clear messages and simple navigation. Good information design has become increasingly important.

In keeping with good information design, the common look and feel Web page layout observes practices developed to maintain consistent, professional and highly cognitive relationships between all elements on each Web page. Effective use of white space in the left-hand column, along with a fixed width for content space, reinforces visual recognition of GoC sites. It also follows current universal accessibility guidelines designed to avoid interpretation issues associated with non-linear text. Until such time as parallel text columns can be coded to facilitate interpretation by assistive devices, use of the Institutional Message space on Content Pages is limited to graphic elements.

Few sites will meet all of the following recommendations without some changes. The degree of change necessary will depend on how extensively non-text elements have been used, what tools were used to create the Web pages, etc. However, this recommendation is important enough to warrant whatever impact may be incurred in its implementation.

Visual Elements

Minimalism is the rule of thumb in designing Web sites. Graphic files should be as small as possible to facilitate rapid delivery via any end-user technology and should include text equivalents to ensure all users can obtain a description of what the graphic contains and what purpose it serves. Users should be warned of large file sizes. Navigational aids, such as buttons and links, should be well designed and easy to use.

No specific procedural guideline could adequately cover the use of imagery, but it is recommended that GoC Web sites minimize non-essential visual information. Where visual images are used, they must be accompanied by appropriate ALT Text tags to ensure that all users are provided with information about what the images represent and can identify the target (or destination) of images that act as links. (Note: An explanation of the prohibitions on third-party icons, non-Treasury Board approved icons, endorsements and advertisements is available in Section 2: Identification.)

GoC institutions are free to use Web and multimedia technologies to enhance sites, on the condition that all elements are universally accessible on the primary site. Web developers and content providers can maintain alternate versions of sites that offer demonstrations of advanced technologies, alternate formats or interactive multimedia components. These must be presented as secondary sites and must incorporate appropriate hyperlinks if users are expected to download software or plug-ins to operate multimedia components. Only the address for the primary—and most accessible—site is to be used on promotional and marketing materials.

Imagery

Well-designed and carefully placed images can improve the visual appeal and information content of Web sites. However, the time it takes to display large images may drive users away from the site. Many users choose to turn off their display options; others, including individuals with certain disabilities or those with non-

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graphical browsers, can not view images at any time. Therefore, imagery should be kept to a minimum on GoC Web pages. In addition, all images (graphics, photographs, icons, etc.) should be accompanied by descriptive text equivalents to ensure all users can obtain the same information. It is critical to indicate when images act as links to other Web pages of the site or to other sites. Web developers may choose to use thumbnail images as a link to enable users to view larger versions, and should include information regarding the file size and format.

Animated or Scrolling Images and Text

Various simple mechanisms can be used to add an element of motion to either text or graphics, thereby enhancing the look, adding a degree of entertainment, or serving some other legitimate purpose within the context of a particular Web site. W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines do not ban the use of animated or scrolling images and text, but do provide specific instructions on how they can be implemented without having a negative impact on accessibility. When used, these elements should not self-activate; rather, they should be user-controlled, meaning both activation and deactivation are dependent upon specific requests from the user. In addition, text equivalents must be provided via ALT text or LONGDESC tags. If there is any doubt as to the value of an animated or scrolling text or image, it should be removed from the site.

Text Elements

Like visual elements, Web site texts should be simple and concise. Content should fit within one or two screens, since users are reluctant to scroll endlessly through documents. All information must also be accessible in a text-only format. Font sizes are limited to a single size for headers, and a single size for body text. Hierarchical distinctions can then be made using other font features such as bold and italic. Users should be warned of large file sizes. Developers should structure information so that it is relatively easy to update.

Typography

Typography choices can enhance or detract from the overall visual appeal of a site. Although user display preferences in individual browsers have ultimate control over text presentation and fonts are displayed as coded only when browsers are set to the default preference, there are benefits to be gained through standard font presentation on all GoC Web sites. For example, it alleviates the problems associated with the fact that is deprecated in HTML 4.0, some tags render text indecipherable to screen readers, and that Helvetica font is not recognized by most word processors and HTML editors. GoC type standards have been designed to enhance federal identity and to improve consistency, viewer cognition, on-screen legibility and ease of printing. Government-wide adoption of Cascading Style Sheets (see Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies) along with HTML 4.0 Strict will facilitate font deprecation and provide better control of heading hierarchy, body text and other text elements.

30 Recommendation: All Web sites should employ common typography standards associated with font types, sizes, colours, and heading format. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURE 20

Layout

Web page layout is critical to universal accessibility in that some common styles of Web page design actually create barriers for individuals using assistive devices and non-graphical technologies. W3C is currently working with industry to develop Web authoring tools and browser technologies that have greater compatibility. But until advances are made on that front, it will remain the responsibility of individual Web developers with the GoC to ensure Web sites are designed with accessibility concerns in mind. One of the fundamental problems on many inaccessible sites is non-sequential text. Assistive devices such as screen readers operate by interpreting text code, line by line across a given Web page or screen. Thus, if

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information is embedded in frames or tables, the assistive device may be unable to interpret it in an intelligible manner. For example, if a table is three columns wide and each row contains five lines of text, a screen reader will read line one in all three columns (from left to right), then line two of all three columns, etc., etc. Such barriers to content can be easily avoided through thoughtful Web page design in accordance with CL&F and W3C guidelines. Information on how to use tables effectively for the layout of images or data presentation is provided in the W3C WCAG Techniques Document and in the W3C WCAG Curriculum (www.w3c.org/).

31 Recommendation: Frames should not be used on GoC sites. Rationale: Frames are an example of non-sequential text, which can create interpretation problems for individuals using assistive technologies and for advanced multi-modal systems. Frames present additional problems when trying to ensure that organizational identification and CL&F elements remain attached to content when located via search engines. Frames can also prevent users from easily bookmarking specific web site content

Document Formats

Given the range of information developed and distributed by GoC institutions, it is not surprising that an equally diverse array of software products is used during the process of document creation. While not all information is initially designed for future posting on the World Wide Web, the reality is that once public demand for a document is evident, a Web posting becomes almost inevitable. Most authoring tools produce proprietary code that does not conform to W3C DTD. However, the Consortium is encouraging all manufacturers to design new releases according to the W3C Authoring Tool Guidelines recommendations

Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) is the most common format for Web materials. In recent years, HTML programmers have developed Web authoring tools that improve efficiency in Web design and maintenance and provide better access for individuals using assistive devices and advanced technologies. As soon as possible, all GoC institutions should migrate to authoring tools and management systems that support HTML 4.0 and accessibility features. When used in conjunction with Cascading Style Sheets (see Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies), HTML is the best choice for optimum site development.

CL&F recognizes the shear mass of GoC information holdings makes it virtually impossible to convert all information, regardless of original file type, into HTML documents that can be posted on GoC Web sites. The Portable Document Format (PDF) offers the most viable alternative to reformatting documents created in other programs. However, it has some key shortcomings that negatively impact access to information for some users. While PDF makes it possible to reproduce documents that look essentially the same whether displayed on a computer monitor or in printed format and facilitates searching, indexing and linking in a manner similar to HTML mark-up, PDF files with complex formatting cannot be read by some assistive devices. Early versions of Adobe PDF are particularly problematic in that they rely solely on visual graphic representation of content, which many screen-readers and non-graphical browsers cannot interpret. Adopting PDF Version 2.1, which is capable of converting from PDF to ASCII or HTML, as the minimum standard will reduce the incidence of inaccessible formats. However, Web developers and information providers should be cautious in when converting documents with complex layouts (multi-column, images, tables, interlaced articles, etc.), as some shortfalls in the software still exist.

When alternate document formats are used on GoC Web sites, Web developers should provide hyperlinks to the sites from which users can download the software needed to open or view such files. However, CL&F identification recommendations prohibit the inclusion of third-party icons on GoC Web sites, in accordance with existing GoC policies that guard against the appearance of endorsements of private/commercial products and services. To achieve universal accessibility objectives in the most impartial way, the hyperlinks should be created using only textual elements rather than corporate icons or logos.

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32 Recommendation: HTML should be the primary format for all documents on GoC Web sites. Portable Document Format (PDF - minimum Version 2.1) should be used only as an alternate format. In cases where the document cannot be represented in HTML, users should be given information on how to obtain alternate versions (print, Braille, audio, etc.). Rationale: HTML offers the best formatting standards to ensure GoC sites meet universal accessibility requirements.

33 Recommendation: To ensure universal accessibility, GoC Web pages that offer information in alternate formats should include a text indication of the file type that provides a hyperlink to a site where the necessary software can be obtained. Rationale: Identifying alternative format documents on GoC Web sites, and providing hyperlinks to sites where necessary software can be obtain is crucial to meeting CL&F universal accessibility requirements. However, as the GoC must not perceived as endorsing particular products or services and primacy of FIP identifiers must be maintained, standard corporate or software icons/logos are not permitted.

Text Equivalents

The multimedia nature of the Internet provides new opportunities for information providers to present information in a variety of formats: text elements can be accompanied and enhanced by audio or video clips, animated graphics, user interface elements, etc. While incorporating such elements can make a site more interesting and dynamic for individuals who use standard technologies to enter GoC Web sites, they can seriously restrict people who employ non-standard devices. For example, individuals with visual impairments who rely on text readers may have no means of interpreting an embedded video clip unless the Web author incorporates universal accessibility components into the site architecture.

Text equivalents are equally important for site elements that are often taken for granted by standard technology users. While graphic images may provide an interesting alternative to standard menu buttons for most of the target audience, they could make the site completely unavailable for a particular group. Similarly, most GoC Web authors will utilize graphic elements to achieve CL&F identification objectives (i.e. using a standard .gif file for the “Canada” wordmark and federal signatures). Unless an appropriate text equivalent is attached to those elements, some technologies and assistive devices would be unable to interpret the source for the end-user.

34 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should incorporate text equivalents for non-textual elements to ensure universal accessibility goals are achieved (see Section 1: Communication - Universal Accessibility) Rationale: Text equivalents for non-text elements are the only effective means of ensuring universal accessibility requirements for GoC Web sites are adequately addressed for end-users employing assistive technologies, text-only browsers and advanced multi-modal computing devices

Use of Colour

In general, CL&F recommends the use of 216-Web safe colours in all elements of site design to ensure the highest level of display accuracy across all platforms and systems. Web designers should also be aware that colour choices can seriously hamper the functioning of a Web site. While end-users can control colour elements to suit their needs, picking complementary colour schemes that display sufficient contrast is the best way to avoid creating problems for people with visual and perceptual disabilities. More information on the effective use of colour on Web sites is available at www.ergogero.com/FAQ/cfaqhome.htm.

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35 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should use only standard 216 Web-safe colours for Web site elements including menu bars and navigation aids, typography and background, and for simple graphic components. Rationale: Only the 216 Web-safe colour options ensures compatibility with the full range of browsers and platforms available. It also makes good design sense to pick complementary colour schemes that display sufficient contrast for the average user. Black text on a white background provides high contrast and utility with respect to on-screen and printed information, and provides numerous accessibility advantages. (Note: More information on controlling colour control through the application of Cascading Style Sheets is available in Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies.

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Section 5 Enabling and Emerging Technologies

As mentioned previously, the World Wide Web has been enormously helpful in allowing a broader audience to obtain a wider range of information. Much of the Web's promise lies in emerging technologies that extend its ever-increasing ability to provide new services in innovative ways. For that reason, it will be essential to establish a CL&F Standing Committee, capable of tracking advances in industry and updating recommendations as needed. The Standing Committee should make a point of tracking W3C activities, as the Consortium works with industry to ensure accessibility issues are addressed during the development phase of language and protocol standards. Among the newer technologies examined by the CL&F Working Group, two in particular stand out as having widespread advantages for GoC institutions - HTML 4 and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). HTML 4 extends HTML with mechanisms for style sheets, scripting, frames, embedding objects, improved support for right to left and mixed direction text, richer tables, and enhancements to forms, offering improved accessibility for people with disabilities. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) provide a simple mechanism for standardizing information design (e.g. font size and type, spacing, etc.) on GoC Web site Content Pages. In addition to defining how documents are presented on-screen and in print, cascading style sheets determine how site content is interpreted by assistive technologies. Thus, in addition to supporting overall CL&F objectives, they are the most effective means of ensuring GoC sites are highly accessible across all platforms. A strong commitment to the application of enabling and emerging technologies is key to achieving CL&F objectives, both today and in the future. The advantage of making this commitment now is that GoC sites will be better prepared to operate effectively—to provide equal access to all content—as new technologies emerge.

36 Recommendation: Establish a Common Look and Feel Standing Committee to remain current with emerging technologies.

Universal Web Accessibility with HTML 4 (the following is an extract from the W3C web site)

As part of their ongoing efforts to pursue and promote accessibility, the Web Accessibility Initiative ([WAI]), joined forces with the W3C HTML Working Group in the design of HTML 4, which became a W3C Recommendation in December, 1997. For this latest release of the World Wide Web's publishing language, the WAI group sought remedies for a number of authoring habits that cause problems for users with:

Screen readers Screen readers intercept code being sent to a monitor and direct the output to speech synthesis or a refreshable Braille display.

Audio browsers Audio browsers read and interpret HTML (and style sheets) and are capable of producing inflected speech output.

Text-only browsers Some devices (including handheld devices with small character displays) may only be able to display characters.

In particular, the WAI group addressed: 1. Unstructured pages, which disorient users and hinder navigation. 2. Abuse of HTML structural elements to for purposes of layout or formatting. 3. Heavy reliance on graphical information (e.g., images, image maps, tables used for layout, frames, scripts, etc.) with no text alternatives.

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Note: HTML 4.01 is a revision of HTML 4.0 that corrects errors and makes some changes since the previous revision.

The CL&F Working Group recommends that information on all GoC web sites is equally accessible to all Canadians by adopting the following guidelines:

Improved structure

Highly structured documents are more accessible than those that aren't, so HTML 4 has added a number of elements and attributes that enrich document structure. The new constructs will also allow software tools (e.g., search robots, document transformation tools, etc.) to extract more information from these documents. The following structural elements are new in HTML 4:

For structured text, the ABBR and ACRONYM elements, in conjunction with style sheets and the "lang" (language) attribute, will provide assistance to speech synthesizers. The Q element identifies inline quotations, complementing the exiting BLOCKQUOTE element.

The INS and DEL elements identify new and deleted portions of a document (great for editors). To create structured forms, the FIELDSET and LEGEND elements organize form controls into semantically-related groups. The OPTGROUP element groups menu options into semantically related groups. Grouping menu options improves navigability and reduces the burden of browsing (and trying to remember) long lists of choices.

Several new elements (THEAD, TBODY, TFOOT, COLGROUP, and COL) have been added to group table rows and columns into meaningful sections. Several new attributes ("scope", "headers", and "axes") label table cells so that non-visual browsers may render a table in a linear fashion, based on the semantically significant labels.

Style sheets

HTML was not designed with professional publishing in mind; its designers intended it to organize content, not present it. Consequently, many of the language's presentation elements and attributes do not always meet the needs of power page designers. To overcome layout limitations, the W3C HTML Working Group decided not to add new presentation features to HTML 4, but instead to assign the task of presentation to style sheet languages such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS1 and CSS2). While style sheets are not part of HTML 4 proper, HTML 4 is the first version of the language to integrate them fully.

Why did the HTML Working Group adopt this strategy? For one, experience shows that distinguishing a document's structure and its presentation leads to more maintainable and reusable documents. Also, by extracting formatting directives from HTML documents, authors may design documents for a variety of users and target media in mind with minimal changes to their original HTML documents. The same HTML document, with different style sheets, may be tailored to color-blind users, those requiring large print, those with braille readers, speech speech synthesizers, hand-held devices, tty devices, etc. But style sheets have another significant impact on accessibility. They eliminate the need to to rely on "tricks" for achieving visual layout and formatting effects. These tricks have the unfortunate side-effect of making pages inaccessible.

For instance, HTML does not have an element or attribute to indent a paragraph, so many authors have resorted to using the BLOCKQUOTE element to indent text even when there is no quotation involved (many visual browsers indent the content of the element). This is misleading to non-visual users: when an audio browser encounters a BLOCKQUOTE element, it should be able to assume that the enclosed text is a quotation. More often than not, that assumption proves incorrect since the element has been misused for a presentation effect.

The BLOCKQUOTE example demonstrates the misuse, for presentation purposes, of an element intended to provide logical information. Many similar traps can seduce HTML authors: they use tables and invisible GIF

Common Look and Feel for Internet: Report and Recommendations 2000 01 06 Section 5: Enabling and Emerging Technologies 49 images for layout; they use H2 or H3 to change the font size of some text that is not a header; they use the EM element to italicize text when in fact, EM is meant to emphasize text (often presented with an italic font style, but rendered differently by a speech synthesizer); they use lists for alignment, etc.

Now, style sheets will give authors a richer palette for layout and formatting at the same time they eliminate the accessibility problems that arise from markup abuse.

Alternate content

A picture may be worth a thousand words to some people, but others need at least a few words to get the picture. Authors should always complement non-textual contexts -- images, video, audio, scripts, and applets -- with alternate text content and textual descriptions. These are vital for visually impaired users, but extremely useful to may others: those who browse with text-only tools, those who configure their browsers not to display images (e.g, their modem is too slow or they simply prefer non-graphical browsing), or for those users who are "temporarily disabled," such as commuters who want to browse the Web while driving to work.

In HTML 4, there are a host of new mechanisms for specifying alternate content and descriptions: • As in previous versions of HTML, authors may use the "alt" attribute to specify alternate text. As of HTML 4, this attribute must be specified for the IMG and AREA elements; it is optional for INPUT and APPLET. • The new "title" attribute gives a short description of an image, etc. Graphical browsers frequently pop-up this information when a user pauses over an element with the mouse (tool-tips), but it is equally useful to non-visual browsers. • The new "longdesc" attribute designates an external document that gives a long description of an image, etc. • The new CAPTION element and "summary" attribute (the TABLE element) describe a table's purpose. • In addition to the new frame elements, the NOFRAMES element specifies content to be rendered when a browser cannot render a frame document. • In addition to the SCRIPT element, the NOSCRIPT element specifies content to be rendered when a browser cannot render script content. • The "title" attribute has many accessibility-related applications. For instance, with the new ABBR (abbreviation) and ACRONYM elements, it may indicate the expansion text of an abbreviation. Or it may provide a short description of an included sound clip. Or it may provide information about why a horizontal rule (the HR element) has been used to convey a structural division (although authors should be sure to use structural markup as well, such as the DIV or SPAN elements). • But of all the new elements, the OBJECT element (for including images, applets, or any type of object) is the most important for specifying alternate content. With it, authors may specify rich alternate content (i.e., that contains markup, impossible with attribute values) at the same location they specify the object to be included. • When a browser cannot render the image, applet, etc. included by an OBJECT element, it renders the OBJECT's (marked up) content instead. • One important application of this OBJECT feature involves client-side image maps. In HTML 4, the content model of the MAP element has been expanded to allow marked up anchor (A) elements that give the geometries of the map's active regions. When placed inside of an OBJECT element, the textual version of the image map will only be rendered if the graphical version cannot be. Thus, authors may create graphical and non-graphical image maps at the same location in their documents.

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Easier navigation and orientation

Visually impaired users have tremendous difficulties browsing pages where navigation options rely largely on graphical cues. For instance, image maps with no textual alternatives are next to impossible to navigate. Or link text that offers no context (e.g., a link which simply reads "click here") is as frustrating as a road sign that reads only "Exit" -- exit to where? Or adjacent links not separated by non-link characters confuse screen readers, which generally interpret them as a single link.

HTML 4 includes several features to facilitate navigation:

• For client-side image maps, the MAP element may contain anchor elements (A) that simultaneously specify the active regions of the image map and provide detailed textual explanations of links. • Remember, these links may be marked up with rich alternate descriptions of the image map. • The "title" attribute, with the A element, can describe the nature of a link so that users may decide whether to follow it. • The "accesskey" attribute allows users to activate links or form controls from the keyboard. • The "tabindex" attribute allows users to use the keyboard to navigate the links or form controls on a page in a logical sequence. • The LINK element (specified in the header of a document) together with the "media" attribute allow user agents to load appropriate pages for a specific target medium automatically, making user navigation to those pages unnecessary.

Better for everyone

Investing in physical-world accessibility modifications, (wheelchair ramps, curb cuts, etc.) has benefitted a much larger community than those with disabilities: how often have parents with baby carriages or cyclists appreciated these same improvements? The benefits from accessibility innovations can similarly be generalized to other situations:

• Highly structured documents convey more information (e.g., to search engines). • Using style sheets with HTML instead of images for handsome text and fancy layout can reduce download times and once widespread, is likely to improve overall Internet performance because of faster download times. • Smoother browsing in eyes-busy or hands-free situations or with limited display screens (e.g., browsing the Web in your car, hand-held devices, etc.).

37 Recommendation: GoC Web sites should incorporate Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to achieve common look and feel standards in the most efficient manner possible. Rationale: See Universal Web Accessibility with HTML 4 on page 47

38 Recommendation: All GoC sites should incorporate HTML 4 text equivalents for all non-text elements, in accordance with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

39 Recommendation: Alternate technologies such as hand-held, print, Braille, and audio devices should be handled with "media" element in Cascading Style Sheets.

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Rationale: Taking the initiative to develop recommendations to improve the interface between GoC Web sites with personal electronic devices at this point will enable GoC institutions to support future developments with minimal effort and expense.

CSS also provide efficiencies in Web development and maintenance. The Common Look and Feel Toolbox provides details regarding GoC style sheet elements, as well as element files that can be imported for use. Institutions are not expected to fully implement CSS immediately. However, they are expected to imitate the common look and feel standards established by GoC cascading style sheets, which have been developed to address both federal identity and Web accessibility.

40 Recommendation: All GoC sites should maintain the common look and feel layout for all Web content, controlled either through Cascading Style Sheets or similarly sized tables. ♦SEE ALSO FIGURE 20 Rationale: Effective use of space is crucial to good information design. Standards for labels, line width, Web page layout, etc., will further enhance visual recognition of GoC sites and make it easy for users to locate exactly what they are looking for. Carefully coded Cascading Style Sheets are the most efficient means of achieving this standard, but simply coded tables may also be used to establish placement of elements.

41 Recommendation: HTML 4.0 Strict should be adopted as the standard for new and revised Web pages; all sites should specify doctype HTML 4.0 strict DTD for validation. Rationale: By moving to HTML 4, GoC information will become highly structured documents which will bring with it many advantages, such as better searching and more accessible pages. An even more important advantage will be the ability to reformulate our HTML pages to XML (see XHTML 1.0 and HTML 4.01 below)

42 Recommendation: All GoC institutions should apply HTML validators to existing sites to assess accessibility status (existing HTML 2.0 or 3.2 conformant Web pages should pass the 4.0 Transitional DTD validation suite). HTML Validation should be applied to new GoC sites prior to posting. Rationale: Validating HTML pages—on both existing and future sites—against a DTD will ensure they are syntactically correct. It should be noted that not all HTML editors are capable of performing this function, and that some are only effective in validating a vendor’s proprietary DTD.

XHTML 1.0 and HTML 4.01 (the following is an extract from the W3C web site)

XHTML 1.0 is the first major change to HTML since HTML 4.0 was released in 1997. It brings the rigor of XML to Web pages and is the keystone in W3C's work to create standards that provide richer Web pages on an ever increasing range of browser platforms including cell phones, televisions, cars, wallet sized wireless communicators, kiosks, and desktops.

XHTML is modular making it easy to combine with markup tags for things like vector graphics, multimedia, math, electronic commerce and more. Content providers will find it easier to produce content for a wide range of platforms, with better assurances as to how the content is rendered.

The modular design reflects the realization that a one-size-fits-all approach will no longer work in a world where browsers vary enormously in their capabilities. A browser in a cellphone can't offer the same experience as a top of the range multimedia desktop machine. The cellphone doesn't even have the memory to load the page designed for the desktop browser.

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XHTML 1.0 is the first step and the HTML working group is busy on the next. XHTML 1.0 reformulates HTML as an XML application. This makes it easier to process and easier to maintain. XHTML 1.0 borrows the tags from W3C's earlier work on HTML 4, and can be interpreted by existing browsers, by following a few simple guidelines. This allows you to start using XHTML now!

You can roll over your old HTML documents into XHTML using W3C's Open Source HTML Tidy utility. This tool also cleans up markup errors, removes clutter and prettifies the markup making it easier to maintain. HTML 4.01 is a revision of the HTML 4.0 Recommendation first released on 18th December 1997. The revision fixes minor errors that have been found since then. The XHTML 1.0 spec relies on HTML 4.01 for the meanings of HTML tags. This allowed us to reduce the size of the XHTML 1.0 spec very considerably.

Web Analyzer Tools

As corporate investment in Web site development and maintenance continues to rise, many organizations rely on statistics regarding site usage to measure associated costs and benefits. Some use simple counters, or others use more sophisticated Web analyzer tools to obtain data.

43 Recommendation: Web analyzer tools should be the standard means of collecting site usage data. Counters should not be used to perform this function. Rationale: Counters add little value to a site and often appear to be self-congratulatory. Web analyzer tools provide more information and are transparent to the end user.

Electronic Mail

While GoC Web sites are an excellent means of providing information to the Canadians at their convenience, it is vitally important that individuals also be given the opportunity to contact a specific institution, operational area or individual when they need additional information or support. Electronic mail is an effective alternative to personal contact via the telephone or in-person visits, but it has inherent challenges. This section seeks to address issues specific to making the most of electronic mail functions on GoC Web sites.

Electronic mail is fast becoming a preferred communication tool for busy Canadians. By standardizing the look and feel (content and format) of electronic forms on all GoC Web sites, this initiative will make it easier for individuals using electronic media to make contact with public servants from any institution. This goal can be achieved through the implementation of three simple tools: CGI and Mailto options and auto- acknowledgement functions.

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) Forms

CGI forms are an appropriate means of validating input or capturing structured data, such as on-line surveys, information requests, registration, purchase orders, etc. To best serve the public, CGI forms should include fields for the user’s name, E-mail address and mailing address, as well as a field where they can input comments, questions, or requests for information. End-users should also be given the opportunity to indicate their preferred method of receiving response. As CGI forms generally represent a separate page on Web sites, they are subject to the same recommendations for mandatory elements that apply to Site Content Pages (See Section 1: Information Design).

It is important to note that CGI forms do not employ the user’s personal E-mail in the interface process. Rather, it is the user’s client that sends the form. Therefore, if the sender inputs his or her information incorrectly, or fails to supply personal addressing information, there is no way to initiate a response. Generic server forms do not provide data concerning the Web page from which a response originated by default. This option can be programmed, but represents considerable programming overhead. Evidence suggests that many people distrust Web forms that request the input of personal information, largely because they fear

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being added to a mailing list. Care should be used in the application of CGI forms in that they have various accessibility limitations.

Mailto Tools

Mailto tools have become a widely used convention on the Web and are an excellent means of enabling end- users to make quick comments about specific Web pages or topics. These tools offer a number of benefits in that users do not have to input their personal information the message header automatically includes their addressing information, a date stamp and various other pertinent information. They can also easily be tailored to include the URL of the originating Web page in the subject line.

Mailto tools also have several disadvantages. Firstly, the client’s browser should be configured to send E-mail (most systems are configured in this manner), and because all text is free-text input, it cannot be validated. The tool lacks an automatic confirmation or acknowledgement function, meaning there is no way to inform users that their correspondence has been received. To facilitate universal accessibility, the Internet address that MAILTO responses will be delivered to should be made visible for users who can not utilize this function. Although this will open up that address to SPAM, the risk is unavoidable.

44 Recommendation: All GoC Web sites should provide users with a means of contacting institutions/individuals via electronic mail options, using a combination of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) server-side technology and Mailto tools. Rationale: While both Common Gateway Interface (CGI) forms and Mailto tools are effective means of building user interface options into Web sites, to a large extent they serve different purposes. As neither option meets the full range of services the GoC wishes to provide, both tools may be applied to meet institutional and end-user needs.

45 Recommendation: All sites should incorporate an automatic acknowledgement feature to assure users their correspondence has been received and read. Rationale: Automatic acknowledgements are an effective means of assuring users their correspondence was correctly routed to the intended destination. The function can be performed by displaying an acknowledgement screen or, if the user has E-mail, through a standard E-mail response. The automatic E- mail response option could pose one problem: If someone maliciously enters the address of another automated response system, rather than his or her own user address, it could initiate an endless loop of auto-responses.

E-mail Service Operations

The primary goal of E-mail services is to provide a means by which users can contact individuals or operational areas for additional information. A decentralized service that incorporates multiple E-mail endpoints is the most effective way to achieve this, but it has limitations that ultimately affect the institution’s ability to provide the best possible service. Therefore, institutions should create a system in which all incoming E-mail is copied to a central repository that is responsible for tracking trends and improving efficiencies. By tracking frequently asked questions, institutions can identify gaps in the information contained on their Web sites and alter content to better meet the public’s needs.

A single centralized E-mail address—which directs all incoming communications to one addressee—creates an additional layer between the user and the recipient, causes unnecessary delays in transmission, and does not adequately meet GoC service standards. The two-fold system proposed provides optimum service and allows individual operational area and the institution as a whole to monitor comments/requests that pertain to each page of the site. To ensure prompt response time and better service, resources should be allocated so FTE’s could be dedicated to this task.

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55 Glossary Note: A glossary is only as relevant as it is current. This glossary provides reference for general terminology only, and was originally prepared in April 1999, and should be continually updated.

A . Anchor Text or image used as a target for a hyperlink. When ABBR the user activates the link, the browser moves to the Abbreviated form (e.g., WWW, HTTP, etc.). Mandatory anchor, which may be in the same or another HTML 4.0 tag (where warranted). document.

Acceptable Use Practices (AUP) Animated GIF The official policy statement that governs the use of an A series of slightly differing GIF graphics presented in internal network, a computer system or the Internet. sequence to create the illusion of movement.

Access counter Anonymous FTP A small program added to a Web page to count the FTP (file transfer protocol) allows the transfer of files number of times that the page is accessed. across the Internet. Anonymous ftp permits users without accounts on a particular system, to download ACCESSKEY files from it or upload files to it. This attribute assigns an access key to an element. An access key is a single character from the document Applet character set. Pressing an access key assigned to an A small application that performs a particular task on a element gives focus to the element. The action that Web page. occurs when an element receives focus depends on the element. For example, when a user activates a link Archie defined by the ‘A’ element, the user agent generally An archiving tool that searches a database of FTP sites follows the link. When a user activates a radio button, for specific files. the user agent changes the value of the radio button. When the user activates a text field, it allows input, etc. ASCII Mandatory HTML 4.0 tag (where warranted). American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

ActiveX Attribute Similar to Java, ActiveX technology causes Web pages In HTML, the set of characters which modifies or to be interactive. Responses to questions can be establishes the characteristic of a tag, for example, in collected, the user can push buttons to cause an event the tag , the attribute is size. to occur and interact with the page in other ways. Authentication Alias An electronic means of identifying and verifying A name or designator substituted for a more legitimate application users and devices. complicated one, or for a list of names or designators. For example, if someone has an alphanumeric e-mail Authoring tools address, they may have an alias that is meaningful; or, Software applications that are used to integrate if someone has a mailing list to which they must send multimedia features into interactive applications. e-mail, they could create an alias for that group of addresses. B .

ALT Backbone HTML tag which allows authors to specify alternate text Part of the Internet connection and transfer system, to serve as content when the element cannot be which operates at speeds over 45Mbps. rendered normally. Specifying alternate text assists users without graphic display terminals, users whose Bandwidth browsers don't support forms, visually impaired users, A measure of the transmission capacity of various those who use speech synthesizers, those who have mediums which provide an Internet connection, i.e., configured their graphical user agents not to display conventional phone lines, network cable, ISDN lines. images, etc. Mandatory HTML 4.0 tag (where Bandwidth, or data "traffic", is measured in baud or bits warranted). per second.

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Body Client-side The text and images of a Web page that are displayed The client is the computer requesting information from in the browser window. a server that stores and makes information available. If a Web page requires a program or applet be present Bookmark on the users' computer, it is said to be client-side. Term used in Netscape browsers that allows the user to save the address of the current page as a "shortcut" Corporate signature rather than requiring the entire address to be entered Consists of the flag symbol and a bilingual title, and is each time the same site is visited. established as follows: (a) The Coat of Arms must be used to identify: bps ministers and their offices; parliamentary Bits per second. A measure of bandwidth, it takes 8 secretaries; institutions whose heads report directly bits to describe a single character. Today, bandwidth to Parliament; institutions with quasi-judicial is typically measured in kilobits per second (kbps). functions (their use of the Coat of Arms instead of the flag symbol requires authorization by the Browser Minister responsible and the agreement of the The software used to display and interact with the President of the Treasury Board). World Wide Web. (b) The flag symbol must be used to identify all departments, agencies, corporations, commissions, Button boards, councils, as well as any other federal body Image or icon used across a number of Web pages as and activity (unless they are authorized to use the a hypertext link. Coat of Arms).

C . Cryptography The discipline dealing with the principles, means and Cache methods for making plain information unintelligible. It Files on a user's computer in which the Web browser also deals with ways to convert the unintelligible stores pages, images, sounds, URLs. The information information into intelligible form. can be accessed quickly if the user returns to a page, bypassing the need to reload. Also called upon when Cyberspace the browser cannot access the file requested from the Term describing the Internet, coined by William Gibson Web, usually with a warning to alert the user to the fact in his 1984 science-fiction novel, Neuromancer. the information may not be the most current available. D . Canada wordmark The global identifier of government of Canada; it Departmental signature consists of the word "Canada" with the Canadian flag See Corporate signature. over the final "a". It must always be used in association with the appropriate corporate signature. Dial-in An Internet account that connects personal computers Chat room (PCs) to the Internet. Software and a modem or a Areas of the Internet where users can exchange text terminal adapter must be present on the user's PC in messages in "real time". The rooms are usually order to dial the Internet Service Provider and establish organized by topic. All of the conversation taking place a TCP/IP link to the Internet. With a modem, the may be seen at the same time, unless two or more connection is made via a regular telephone line and users decide to go to a private chat room. with a terminal adapter, the connection is made via an ISDN telephone line. CGI Common gateway interface. A program used to collect Domain data from the World Wide Web, submit them to an Also referred to as zone. The portion of the URL that application like a search engine or data base, and then identifies the host. Outside of the United States, the return the results as HTML documents for display in a host is the two-letter country code, for example, in browser. Canada, the domain is ".ca". In the U.S., and for organizations that register their URL in the U.S., there Clickable image map are 6 hosts: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), A graphic in a Web page that has "hot spots" or areas .gov (governmental), .org (organization), and .arpa. which, when clicked, will take the user to another part of New hosts for the U.S. system are expected in the near the page or to another Web page. future. The Canadian federal government has established "gc.ca" as the domain for federal organizations.

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Domain Name Flames The highest level reference to a Web site. For example, Insulting or extreme e-mail messages. the domain name for the Canada Site is www.canada.gc.ca. Also, the domain name is the Form portion of an e-mail address which lies to the right of A Web document that collects data by prompting users the @ sign. to insert information in text boxes filled or check boxes, or manipulate radio or push buttons. The results are Domain name registration generally collected and processed using CGI The domain name of an Internet site must be registered (Common Gateway Interface) scripts. in order to be accessed. FTP DNS File transfer protocol. A standard software protocol that Domain name server. A computer whose principal facilitates file transfer across the Internet. function is to locate host Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which are four sets of numbers, based on G . host names which alphanumeric and separated by dots. For example, a site's IP address may be Gateway 131.134.196.10 and it's host name www.canada.gc.ca. A computer that connects one network with another when the two networks use different protocols. Download Electronic transfer of information from one computer to GENet (Government Enterprise Network) another, as files or programs. The information network that GTIS has deployed in the National Capital Region to provide single network DTD (Document Type Definition) connection and interconnection among government departments and to provide access to common E . government services such as on-line pay.

E-mail (electronic mail) GIF A system that allows network users or groups of users Graphic interchange format. A format for encoding to exchange messages. The term also refers to the images that was developed by CompuServe. messages themselves and is also often used as a verb to describe the act of sending electronic messages. GIFT (Government Information Finder Technology) Encryption The GIFT technology will provide search and retrieval The transformation of readable data into an unreadable access to authored documents from across stream of characters using a reversible coding process. government. It will be transparent and seamless to the user; it will be based on accepted standards and be F . able to recognize data in its native format. It will also contain security, tracking and reporting functions. FAQ Frequently asked questions. Listing of common GILS (Government Information Locator Service) questions and responses that relate to the topic of a A standard for metadata of the Government of Canada, Web site or provide a "help" file. with both mandatory and voluntary elements. Defined at: http://gils.gc.ca/ File Body of electronic information, may be textual, Gopher graphical or multimedia. Software that presents, in menu form, information found all over the Internet. Gopher programs also allow Finger searches on the Internet for hosts, directories or files, Internet application that allows the user to find out based on keywords supplied by the user. information about another user's Internet activity, especially to determine if the other user has accessed Graphic element e-mail. Forms of visual communication including symbols, logotypes, corporate signatures, typestyles, formats Firewall and colours. Software and/or hardware that acts as an intermediary between users on a Local Area Network (LAN) or Intranet and the Internet. A firewall is designed to protect the LAN or Intranet from outside hackers and viruses and to keep private or sensitive information away from unauthorized users.

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Graphic symbol HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) A visual communication device that relies, in whole or in The protocol for transferring hypermedia documents part, upon abstract or pictorial representations. It that is the foundation of the World Wide Web. consists of the following elements: (a) shape: The outer geometrical configuration of a Hyperlink symbol The image or text that provides a connection, or link, (b) border: The area at the perimeter of the symbol; between two Internet resources. (c) colour: The distinctive hues for each type of symbol; (d) image content: The abstract conceptual or object- Hypermedia related (i.e. pictorial) representation. A document format that allows users to move through documents by selecting highlighted words or graphics H . to get more information on a topic.

Hacker I . Common term for someone who breaks into computers, often with a malicious or mischievous Internet purpose. The term that describes the network created when computers around the world communicate with each Handshake other. Based on TCP/IP, and with universal availability, An exchange of protocol information between two the Internet is constantly growing and changing. modems or communications devices. Image map HEADER Graphic elements in HTML documents that have This attribute specifies the list of header cells that defined areas and act as links to other Internet provide header information for the current data cell. The resources. value of this attribute is a space-separated list of cell names; those cells must be named by setting their id Intranet attribute. Authors generally use the ‘headers’ attribute A TCP/IP network, generally with restricted access, to help non-visual user agents render header managed by an organization promoting shared information about data cells (e.g., header information is resources between employees or designated users. spoken prior to the cell data). The attribute may also be Intranet may have access to the Internet. used in conjunction with style sheets. Mandatory HTML 4.0 tag (where warranted). IAP/ISP Internet Access Provider/Internet Service Provider. An History list organization that provides access to the Internet, The document titles and URLs retained by a Web usually for a fee. browser, once the user has accessed these resources. IRC Hit Stands for "Internet Relay Chat," a feature that allows Refers to each file that a user accesses on a particular you to communicate, through your keyboard, in real site. Images and other multimedia files embedded in time, just as if it were a live conversation. To participate an HTML page will count as distinct hits. in a chat, users must have chat software and the address of an IRC server. Home page In common usage, refers to the first page that browsers IP (Internet protocol) display when a user enters the main URL for a site, i.e. A routing scheme used to identify the location of www.canada.gc.ca. However, with the bilingual nature servers and computers on the Internet. of the Government of Canada's Web sites, entering a URL will take the user to a "Welcome Page" where they ISDN (Integrated services digital network) are able to choose the official language of their choice. ISDN is a set of communications standards that enable The home page, the first in either language, typically a single phone line or optical cable to carry voice, contains a table of contents to more information that a digital network service, and video. visitor may wish to access.

Host A computer directly connected to the network.

HTML ( Hypertext Mark-up Language) The hypermedia document-encoding scheme used for resources published on World Wide Web servers.

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J . Mail server A computer on the Internet that provides electronic mail Java services. A mail server sends out messages for you A language that was developed by Sun and intended to using SMTP be platform-independent. It is often used for animation and action within Web sites. Java applets can be run on Metadata any graphical browser that is Java-capable. Summary information regarding other information being presented. Metadata can describe any type of JPEG (Joint photographic experts group) information resource and service, users can gain Format for images, optimized for compressing full-color access to information about resources that are not or grey-scale photographic-type, digital images. available on-line for full text searching including: electronic documents, databases, collections of printed books, microforms, government information services, K . etc. kbps (kilobits per second) Mirror site A speed rating for computer modems that measures (in An exact replica of a given site, hosted on another units of 1,024 bits) the maximum number of bits the server. Used especially for high-traffic sites and those device can transfer in one second under ideal that provide crucial information. conditions. Modem (Modulator-demodulator) L . Hardware that allows your computer to use telephone lines to send and receive information. Link Hypertext links are URLs incorporated within Web MPEG (Motion picture experts group) pages. They are shortcuts to other Web sites or to A digital movie format. another portion of the same Web page. They are usually underlined and coloured differently from the rest N . of the Web page's text. Navigation Listserv lists (or listservers) Refers to the way in which a user moves through a site. Programs that act as message switches for e-mail on specific subjects. When you subscribe to a listserver, Net you receive all messages sent to that list. You can reply See Internet. to those messages, and all other list subscribers will see your message. Netiquette A pun on the word "etiquette" that refers to proper and Load tasteful behaviour on a network communications Short for download and upload, referring to the time it system. takes a page to appear on your screen. Network LONGDESC Two or more computers linked together, whether HTML attribute specifies a link to a long description of through a simple cable or using more advanced the image. This description should supplement the technologies. short description provided using the alt attribute. When the image has an associated image map, this attribute Newsgroup should provide information about the image map's A topical discussion group within Usenet. Individuals contents. This is particularly important for server-side submit messages to a newsgroup and read posted image maps. Mandatory HTML 4.0 tag (where messages that interest them. warranted). NOSCRIPT M . HTML element that allows authors to provide alternate content when a script is not executed. The content of a Mailing list NOSCRIPT element should only rendered by a script- An e-mail based discussion group configured to aware user agent in the following cases: distribute information to the other members of the The user agent is configured not to evaluate scripts. group. Users wishing to participate subscribe and then The user agent doesn't support a scripting language must unsubscribe from a mailing list to stop receiving invoked by a SCRIPT element earlier in the document. messages forwarded from the group's members. User agents that do not support client-side scripts must render this element's contents. Mandatory HTML 4.0 tag (where warranted).

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O . S .

On line SCOPE The state of using a computer that is connected to the This attribute specifies the set of data cells for which Internet. the current header cell provides header information. This attribute may be used in place of the headers P . attribute, particularly for simple tables. When specified, this attribute must have one of the following values: Page row: The current cell provides header information A document or other piece of information in HTML for the rest of the row that contains it (see also the available from the WWW. section on table directionality). col: The current cell provides header information POP (Post office protocol) for the rest of the column that contains it. An Internet protocol that enables a single user to read rowgroup: The header cell provides header e-mail from a mail server. information for the rest of the row group that contains it. colgroup: The header cell provides header Post information for the rest of the column group that To make information available on the Internet. contains it.

PPP (Point-to-point protocol) Scroll A scheme for connecting two computers over a phone To look at the parts of the page that fall below (or line. above) what initially appears on your screen.

Prompt Server Mechanism by which a computer asks (and waits) for A computer that provides a service to other computers information from a user. on a network.

Protocols SGML(Standard generalized mark-up language) A set of formats and procedures governing the The foundation of HTML, provides guidelines for the exchange of information between systems. development of formatting display languages.

Proxy Signature file The technique firewalls use to pass information back An ASCII text file, maintained within e-mail programs, and forth between an Intranet user and Internet rather that contains a few lines of text for your signature. The than allowing users to connect directly to the Internet. programs automatically attach the file to your messages so you don't have to repeatedly type a Q . closing. Site Quick Time A collection of related documents on the Internet. A method of storing video and audio information in digital format. Developed by Apple Computer Corp. SLIP (Serial line Internet protocol) A communications protocol that enables a computer to R . communicate with other computers using a TCP/IP with high-speed modems over standard telephone lines. Router Connects two or more networks, including networks SMTP (Simple mail transfer protocol) that use different types of cables and different types of The method by which Internet mail is passed from speeds, using IP. server to server, this method supports text but not video or sound. Remote access The ability to access a computer from outside the Spam building in which it is housed. It requires The Internet version of junk mail; unsolicited messages communications hardware, software and physical links, sent to a large number of people. such as telephone lines. Surfing Remote host The activity of browsing the World Wide Web. A host computer that is not your local host. Sysadmin The system administrator.

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Sysop V . The system operator. Virus T . A program that replicates itself through its incorporation into other programs. T1 An Internet backbone line that carries up to 1.544 W . million bits per second (1.536 Mbps). Web browser T3 A utility used to peruse documents on the World Wide An Internet backbone line that carries up to 45 million Web of the Internet. bits per second (45 Mbps). Web page TA (Terminal adapter) Any single page of information (document) that is An electronic device that interfaces a PC with an accessible through the World Wide Web. Internet host computer via an ISDN phone line. Web site TABINDEX A collection of Web pages. This attribute specifies the position of the current element in the tabbing order for the current document. Welcome Page This value must be a number between 0 and 32767. Refers to the first page that browsers will display when User agents should ignore leading zeros. Mandatory a user enters the main URL for a site, i.e. HTML 4.0 tag (where warranted). www.canada.gc.ca . With the bilingual nature of the Government of Canada's Web sites, entering a URL will TCP/IP take the user to a page where they are able to choose Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP the official language of their choice. is a set of computer commands that dictates how the computers on the Internet communicate with each World Wide Web (WWW) other. A hypermedia information retrieval system linking a wide range of Internet-accessible documents and data Telnet files. The collection of images, documents and other A standard Internet service that allows users to log on information that is stored on computers around the to remote host computers. globe. Highly graphical in nature, the Web has revolutionized the way people access the Internet. Thread An article posted to a Usenet newsgroup, along with follow-up messages. X Y .

X.400 U . An international e-mail messaging standard. GTIS uses this standard in its Government Message Handling UNIX Service (GMHS) to route e-mail between departments The operating system used to write most of the and to provide a gateway for Internet mail routing to programs and protocols that built the Internet. departmental LAN's.

Upload X.500 The process of sending information from your An international standard for electronic directories. GTIS computer to another Internet computer. uses this standard in its Government Electronic Directory Services (GEDS), a searchable, bilingual, URL (Universal Resource Locator) electronic directory with information on over 160,000 A method for specifying the exact location of an Internet federal employees. resource (typically a file) and the network protocol necessary to retrieve and interpret the resource. Z . Usenet A set of newsgroups of global interest that is governed ZIP by a set of rules. Open standard for PC file compression.

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