6.2: Website Usability
Government websites should meet basic usability criteria. Other Information:
It is easier to extract benefit from information that is presented on the web in a usable way. The Taskforce commissioned
work on usability from the agency Bunnyfoot to identify good and bad aspects of government websites. The review found that
some government websites are failing to get the basics right, for example: Not helping people to navigate the site easily
Not helping search engines like Google to find the site Not speaking the language of the user In response, the Cabinet Office
is working with departments to resolve the specific issues identified in the review. Of the 150 separate issues identified,
departments have firm plans in place to resolve 116 of them. The Cabinet Office has also asked COI to build a ‘usability toolkit’
for web developers and web content editors across government covering the basics of usability in a way that is engaging and
interactive. The aim is to raise awareness of usability issues across government and to improve the quality of government
websites. The toolkit will be delivered by March. Recommendation The Taskforce worked with the COI to produce ‘usability’
critieria and guidance for central government websites. These criteria should be published with an implementation plan to
central government websites. The criteria and guidance should be published as soon as possible with an implementation plan
by June 2009. The approach should be extended to the websites of the wider public sector including local government, health
and police.
Indicator(s):
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