Building Perfect Council W ebsites 2014 Perfect for your users
10 July 2014
Martin Greenwood Insight Programme Manager Socitm
Caleb Tang UX and Accessibility Consultant UXPA UK | Treasurer
2 @ ca l e b t a n g
Pe r fe c t!
• How to be Perfect?
• Test with users
• Questions
3 @calebtang
Perfect is Challenging
Diversity of audience
Legacy inheritance of infrastructure
Bureaucracy can be barrier to change
4 @calebtang
Where do we
Start
5 @calebtang
Why users? Users, users, users
6 @calebtang
One of the 7 Digital Principles was Putting Users First
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benterrett/7041509709/
7 @calebtang
Perfect is Possible
Users How can they help?
Focus on user needs
Context awareness
Evidence through data
8 @calebtang
Focus on user needs
Learn from GDS Design Principles 1. Start with needs* 2. Do less3. Design with data4. Do the hard work to make it simple 5. Iterate. Then iterate again6. Build for inclusion7. Understanding context8. Building digital services, not websites9. Be consistent, not uniform10. Make things open: it makes things better
9 @calebtang
City of Westminster
10 @calebtang
Context awareness
1. Start with needs*2. Do less3. Design with data4. Do the hard work to make it simple5. Iterate. Then iterate again
Learn from GDS Design Principles
6. Build for inclusion 7. Understanding context 8. Building digital services, not websites 9. Be consistent, not uniform10. Make things open: it makes things better
11 @calebtang
Salford City Council Birmingham City Council
12 @calebtang
Evidence through data
1. Start with needs*2. Do less3. Design with data 4. Do the hard work to make it simple5. Iterate. Then iterate again 6. Build for inclusion7. Understanding context8. Building digital services, not websites9. Be consistent, not uniform10. Make things open: it makes things better
Learn from Government Digital Service Principles
13 @calebtang
Kent County Council
Get closer to your Users
Access to users
Easy
Home visit
1:1 interviews Street interview
User panel
Focus group
Observation
Remote user testing
Personas
Diary study
Limited
Surveys Social media interactions
Web analytics
Front-line staf f interviews
Customer feedback log
@calebtang 14
Perfect is Challenging but Possible
Diversity of audience
Focus on user needs
Legacy inheritance of infrastructure
Context awareness
Bureaucracy can be barrier to change
Evidence through data
• How to be Perfect?
• • Questions
Perfect!
16 @ ca l e b t a n g
Test with users
Test with users
Three customer tasks
• Find information about equipment for the elderly • Find out about respite care • Apply for blue badge
Testers invited to comment and rate the experience: 1 = poor 2 = satisfactory 3 = very good
Test with users
And now three video clips….
The first one starts after user has already spent 8 minutes searching for information about equipment for the elderly to arrive at ‘My Care, My Choice’ on www.stockport.gov.uk
Stockport – Find out about equipment for the elderly
19 @calebtang
Test with users
Test with users
The second clip….
This user spent 20 minutes searching for information for carers about respite care, and is then asked to give a score on www.haringey.gov.uk
@calebtang
Haringey - Find out about respite care
21
Test with users
Test with users
The third clip ….
It’s not all bad news. This is how another user responds to applying for a blue badge on www.newham.gov.uk
Newham - Apply for blue badge
23 @calebtang
Test with users
Test with users
More information about the tests
• Two sets of 18 councils • Each set tested for two tasks • 5 testers in each ‘test’ (council/task)• 360 people testing in all
• Councils selected have good websites (3 or 4 star)
• Tasks taken from councils supplying visit data
Test with users
Why this research?
• ‘Social care probably the poorest part of most councils’ websites’ (Better connected ).
• New legislation on social care will require surge in online information and services.
• Many councils spending lots on online social care, arguably too much, too early .
How users rated each task Test with users
How users rated each task per council Test with users
Users rating tasks as ‘very good’ Test with users
Test with users
Why so dif ferent?
Blue badge • National requirement • Recent new national facility • Specific requirement • Clear navigation • Not part of social care mainstream • Not impacted by Social Care Act
Equipment / respite care • Local requirements • Lots of options • General requirement • ‘Messy’ navigation • Part of social care mainstream • Impacted by Social Care Act
Test with users
Conclusion
“ Digital services so good that all who can use them prefer to use them ” - GDS
A long, long way to go for online social care!
• How to be Perfect?
• Test with users
•
Perfect!
31 @ ca l e b t a n g
Questions
Thank you.
32 @calebtang
Public Announcement
UXPA 2014 Conference - London
uxpa2014.org
20% discount code
UXPAUK