Australia, Victoria, eGovernment resource
Centre, Information
Architecture Strategy Project, December 2008, Source: http://www.egov.vic.gov.au/index.php?env=-innews/detail:m2877-1-1-8-s-0:n-1679-1-0--
An interesting view see
This
document records findings from the internet best practice analysis activity
conducted by the Information Architecture (IA) Strategy project team within the
Web Domain Group, Department of Human Services (DHS). The best practices
outlined in this document will be used as a reference point for the project
team to help ensure the work produced by the IA Strategy project meets
recognised best practices in the internet sector.
While this
document was produced with the DHS internet presence in mind, it could serve as
a useful reference for other government departments and associated bodies. A
summary of the best practices identified in this document is below, follow by
details of online trends identified in the human services sector. It should be
noted that in order to be effective, best practice principles should be
reviewed regularly.
1.1 Best practice
Methodology and approach best practices
Summary Section:
- A user-centred approach
should be adopted to ensure the websites are easy and efficient to use for
all users.
- An iterative design
process should be adopted so that problems are identified early on and
user feedback can be incorporated throughout the process.
- An appropriate project
management methodology should be adopted to ensure that the delivered
product is of the correct quality and within budgetary and time
constraints.
Site structure best practices
Summary
Section:
- The structure of a
website should be based on tasks or topics, not by organisational
structure.
- Websites should
incorporate cross-linking between different areas of the site. This will
ensure users won’t have to move up and down the site structure to get to
related information and promotes discoverability. It also facilitates
indexing of content by search engines and improves usability.
- Users should be able to
arrive at the same content through a number of different paths. This helps
to accommodate the different mental models of different users.
- Category labels should be
clear and avoid "conceptual overlap".
- Navigation should be easy
to find, should appear in a consistent position and should appear visually
different to other links and buttons.
Interaction design best practices
Summary
Section:
- Interactive elements
should have a consistent look and behaviour and use consistent terminology
throughout the site.
- There are a number of
best practice guidelines for online forms, including: indicating which
fields are required; grouping related fields; providing tab support and
providing informative error messages.
- User errors should be
anticipated where possible. When a user makes an error, this should be
handled proactively.
- Pop-up windows should only
be used when appropriate, such as when the user needs to look at content
in the original and new windows at the same time.
- A warning should be
provided when links open in a new window, and the number of open windows
should be kept to a minimum
- The interface should be
user-friendly: easy to learn, efficient to use, easy to remember, pleasant
to use and should be designed to minimise user errors
Website content best practices (IA related)
Summary Section:
- A homepage should
incorporate the two most important functions of a homepage: to deliver the
content that users are seeking and to provide the user with a strong scent
to the pages with the information they are seeking.
- Page titles should be
short, precise and self-contained using keywords critical to the content
on the page. Homepage titles should include critical keywords for the
site, content page titles should use the page’s main heading.
- The text, colour and
style for links should be carefully chosen to minimise confusion and to
increase usability and accessibility (Blue underline for links and purple
underline for visited links).
- At a minimum, navigation
and key content should be provided in other languages. Links and contact
information for translated resources and translating services should be
provided.
Branding and identity best practices
Summary
Section:
- Branding, including the
logo, tagline, colours fonts and key graphics, should be consistent across
the website. Logos in particular should be designed to be recognisable at
low resolutions.
- The visual design and
content should encourage users to trust the website. Trust and
transparency are critical for the success of citizen-centric eGovernment.
- The chosen font should be
readable on computer screens, resizable and have good contrast.
Search facility best practices
Summary
Section:
- The search facility
should have a clear and simple interface and be available throughout the
site. The search input box should be a minimum of 30 characters wide.
- The search facility
should behave like Google.
- Search results should be
clear and easily scannable. The amount of detail should be kept to a
minimum and the descriptions should be meaningful.
- Allowing users to search
by different "facets" of information should be considered. For
example, users may search for a service by location, service type or name.
- Server-side manipulation
of search results, such as handling typographical errors or suggesting
"best bet" search results, can be used to improve a search
facility.
- Most relevant search
results should be shown first. The search results should be high
precision, low recall.
1.2 Online trends in the human services sector
A desktop
review of human services sector websites around the world resulted in the
following observations of trends in the content, features and structure of
these sites.
A number of
sites visited were found to provide the following content:
- An extensive resource on
health conditions and treatments.
- An index of all services
delivered by or funded by the organisation, including eligibility
descriptions and details on how to access the service.
- A fully searchable
database of public, community sector and private services.
A number of
sites visited were found to provide the following interactive features:
- Notifications of updates
to content sent via email and RSS.
- Health self-assessment
tools, allowing individuals to gauge possible health problems.
- Social interaction, such
as online social support for health conditions.
- Electronic funds
transfer, particularly for partner organisations.
- Personalisation of websites,
permitting a more user-centred experience.
In terms of
website structure, a number of government bodies within and outside of the
human services sector were found to separate customer-targeted content and
organisational content. This often involves providing a customer-targeted
"portal" site which does not include official documentation like
policy, legislation and strategies. An example of such a site is www.direct.gov.uk.
The complete
Internet Information Architecture
Best Practice Analysis report is available in pdf format (1397kb). (This document requires the
use of Adobe Acrobat Reader). You can also convert PDF
documents into alternative formats.
The report
is also available in Word Format (2534kb). (This document requires the
use of Microsoft Word
Reader).
Enquiries should be addressed to:
Web Domain Group,
Department of Human Services, State Government of Victoria
Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Email: [email protected]
Copyright in materials present on the
eGovernment Resource Centre are owned by the State of Victoria (unless
otherwise indicated).
Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of
private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under copyright
legislation, no part may be reproduced or reused for any commercial purposes
whatsoever.
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