225 votes
I disagreeToo much of the information on federal websites is poorly written and is too complex, especially for the web. Content managers need to pay more attention to the clarity of information. Most federal web content is covered by the Plain Writing Act of 2010, but transforming federal material into plain language will be a major challenge, especially since the underlying paper-based information is poorly written.
160 votes
I disagreeCustomers don't know - and don't care to know - how government is organized. So why make them go from agency (website) to agency (website) to get the full picture of what govt has to offer them on any subject? Why make them go through a long list of links on USA.gov? Why not get agencies together around content topics or customer groups(owning a home, sending kids to college, services for seniors, contractors) and ...more »
Customers don't know - and don't care to know - how government is organized. So why make them go from agency (website) to agency (website) to get the full picture of what govt has to offer them on any subject? Why make them go through a long list of links on USA.gov? Why not get agencies together around content topics or customer groups(owning a home, sending kids to college, services for seniors, contractors) and create a single well-written, consolidated, usability tested source of basic information? Boil it down. Make it easy. List/link to additional info or next steps (and explain why they may be important). Maybe it won't work for all content - but it will work for big ticket, most common topics. Post it on USA.gov (maybe it becomes USAservices.gov?). I know we can work together across agencies to improve the way we serve.
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139 votes
I disagreeLaunching sites without usability testing and 508 testing is a waste of time and money - it's always more expensive to fix these issues when left to the last minute. Rather, institutionalizing user testing (like GSA's First Fridays, for example) as well as 508 testing into the development cycle of government websites will result in better, more efficient and cheaper products .
121 votes
I disagreeEvery government webiste should be able to be accessed via a mobile devices whether by citizens or government employees.
114 votes
I disagreeWhen it comes to content, the easiest thing for us to do as Federal agencies is publish a PDF. Some of the most informative documents on agency web sites are things like their strategic plans, their reports to Congress, their budget justifications, etc. Too often, in the interest of speed of publication, the pages with this type of information become document farms for 100+ page PDFs. These are information-rich documents ...more »
When it comes to content, the easiest thing for us to do as Federal agencies is publish a PDF. Some of the most informative documents on agency web sites are things like their strategic plans, their reports to Congress, their budget justifications, etc. Too often, in the interest of speed of publication, the pages with this type of information become document farms for 100+ page PDFs. These are information-rich documents with high potential for interactivity, but for whatever reason we lock that content away in a static form.
This has to stop. If newspapers and magazines can make this type of content interactive on the fly, so can the Federal government. 44 USC 3506 makes it clear that access to underlying data in agency reports is required; this is reaffirmed in the President's Open Government Directive.
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92 votes
I disagreeThe main issue with government sites is that many of them are being run by people whose idea of the Web stopped growing around 2002. There are Web basics--testing with real users, formative user research, and advanced metrics and analytics programs--that everyone in the commercial sector is doing. The government needs to get with the program or risk total irrelevance. Another hint: ease off on Twitter and Facebook. You ...more »
The main issue with government sites is that many of them are being run by people whose idea of the Web stopped growing around 2002. There are Web basics--testing with real users, formative user research, and advanced metrics and analytics programs--that everyone in the commercial sector is doing. The government needs to get with the program or risk total irrelevance. Another hint: ease off on Twitter and Facebook. You have FAR too much basic work to do before you should even consider a social presence.
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84 votes
I disagreeHelp citizens quickly perform transactions & use online services via simple, secure web forms that walk citizens through each step of the process. Some considerations are: - Identify the steps involved for front end users in completing online transactions - Optimize each step of the workflow (user creates an account, validates account, fills out form, submits form). Where to put instructions? How many fields are optimal? ...more »
Help citizens quickly perform transactions & use online services via simple, secure web forms that walk citizens through each step of the process. Some considerations are:
- Identify the steps involved for front end users in completing online transactions
- Optimize each step of the workflow (user creates an account, validates account, fills out form, submits form). Where to put instructions? How many fields are optimal? Does it take too long? Is it easy to read?
- Optimize each online transaction for mobile completion as well
- Standardize this transaction workflow agency-wide
What other considerations can you think of?
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79 votes
I disagreeThe problem of not knowing who is in charge of a website should not exist. Every site should have a web manager who has ultimate control over the content of that site, and who people should contact in terms of needing posts, edits, etc. It shouldn't be a mystery. While we're at it, it might not hurt to have content leads listed at the bottom of each page as well, as well as the date last updated.
77 votes
I disagreeBefore re-designing an existing site or beginning the design or development of a new site, determine who is going to be using the site and what they will be trying to do there. Optimize the site organization and user flows for easy and frustration-free accomplishment of their primary tasks/goals in using the site.
69 votes
I disagreeIE6 is extremely buggy and outdated. It is increasingly more and more difficult to design websites with IE6 in mind. There is no good reason why one should be using IE6 15 years after it was created.
65 votes
I disagreeCreate a central resource for all agency web teams to communicate, share code, establish conventions, and learn from one another. Then put a premium on making agency systems interoperable (probably through APIs because unification on a single platform is a pipe-dream). With agencies working together to establish conventions, the building and maintenance of federal websites would be far more efficient, enabling a reduction ...more »
Create a central resource for all agency web teams to communicate, share code, establish conventions, and learn from one another. Then put a premium on making agency systems interoperable (probably through APIs because unification on a single platform is a pipe-dream).
With agencies working together to establish conventions, the building and maintenance of federal websites would be far more efficient, enabling a reduction in cost and/or allowing for more time to be spent on important stuff like making sure citizens can quickly and easily access the information they need.
Bonus Points: Make the resource public so the folks who pay the bills (i.e. “we the people”) can benefit (as can state agencies, which are often in worse shape than federal ones).
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65 votes
I disagreeI'm reading a lot of terrific ideas here, but they are all proposed TACTICS. Without a unifying content strategy, these tactics will inevitably be taken on as one-off efforts, which result in the same inconsistencies and redundancies that exist today. Over the years, we have all attempted to “fix” our content with visual rebrands, website redesigns, new CMS technology, rewrites, and other tactical approaches. None of ...more »
I'm reading a lot of terrific ideas here, but they are all proposed TACTICS.
Without a unifying content strategy, these tactics will inevitably be taken on as one-off efforts, which result in the same inconsistencies and redundancies that exist today.
Over the years, we have all attempted to “fix” our content with visual rebrands, website redesigns, new CMS technology, rewrites, and other tactical approaches. None of these things actually serve the CONTENT, itself. You can’t cram content into technology; technology must serve the content. You can’t build a better user experience for bad content; it’s inherently impossible to do so. You can’t redesign the home page and hope that it will make the terrible IA and content behind it more palatable. You can’t keep waiting to deal with content in the eleventh hour, only to launch with what you had and hope to fix it later. It never happens.
A holistic content strategy will provide an articulate, shared vision across all agencies about how content will help them fulfill their core missions as well as serve their audience needs.
That core strategy must exist in order to inform the following:
- Guidelines that help project owners and stakeholders to ask **the right questions** about content (what you have, what you need and WHY, who is responsible, what the impacts are on how content is currently created and consumed). These questions must always be asked as early in any project process as possible, rather than being dealt with in the eleventh hour.
- Consistent, effective processes for identifying, creating and approving content SUBSTANCER: what content should be about (topics, tasks), who it is for, and how it should sound (voice, tone, readability)
- A solid, **content-focused** approach to creating STRUCTURE: how content is organized, structured, and accessed. This is critically important now as we face complex, ever-changing multi-platform and multi-channel requirements. Without the appropriate metadata schema and tagging processes, our content will continue to be trapped in PDFs and separate HTML pages. This isn’t sustainable, as we can’t be constantly recreating that content for mobile, tablet, and other future platforms.
- A process for designing and managing WORKFLOW. Current content is distributed across multiple siloes within each agency and department. Who is responsible for wrangling it all? What are the appropriate roles, responsibilities and skillsets for creating and managing content over time? How does content flow through the workplace? What happens to content once it has been published or delivered?
- Shared policies, standards, and guidelines for content GOVERNANCE. This is the most often overlooked component when it comes to content, and it should be planned for up front. Not only must there be well-documented and well-communicated policies and guidelines for content, but there must also be an internal infrastructure that supports the ongoing oversight of content. How often do we audit and update content? Who are the people that have a say in decisions about content and content strategy? Who is empowered to say “no”?
Content strategy isn’t a new practice, but it has been receiving an enormous amount of attention over the past two years. Why? Because it is the only way we will ever be able to deliver the content our audiences deserve: usable, relevant, timely, engaging, easy-to-understand content that they can actually use. Our government MUST invest in this process in order to ensure ongoing improvement of their interactive content in the years to come.
More resources:
http:// knol.google.com/k/content-strategy
http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/complete-beginners-guide-to-content-strategy/
- Kristina Halvorson
CEO, Brain Traffic
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
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64 votes
I disagreeSome content remains valid for a long time, and serves as an ongoing resource. Other content primarily serves the purpose of providing an update, but becomes dated and inaccurate quickly. Consciously consider the differences and act accordingly. I've seen it happen time and again where really solid content that has been carefully crafted for a long life gets drowned out by press-releasy stuff because they are in the ...more »
Some content remains valid for a long time, and serves as an ongoing resource. Other content primarily serves the purpose of providing an update, but becomes dated and inaccurate quickly.
Consciously consider the differences and act accordingly. I've seen it happen time and again where really solid content that has been carefully crafted for a long life gets drowned out by press-releasy stuff because they are in the same channels, treated the same way or quantitatively over-powered.
Does anyone else find this to be an issue in your experience? How have you dealt with it?
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63 votes
I disagreeDo not waste money trying to cfreate immitations of social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, or others. Instead, use closed groups using existing social networks. Government should focus on developing government-specific systems.
60 votes
I disagreeSome of the most important accessibility best practices are not required by Section 508. Logically ordered heading tags for example, or links with clear purpose (instead of "click here", "Read our August 2011 Newsletter"). It seems everyone simply adds ALT attributes to images and calls it a day. We need to train web developers and designers in more than basic Section 508 and ensure they understand accessibility beyond ...more »
Some of the most important accessibility best practices are not required by Section 508. Logically ordered heading tags for example, or links with clear purpose (instead of "click here", "Read our August 2011 Newsletter"). It seems everyone simply adds ALT attributes to images and calls it a day. We need to train web developers and designers in more than basic Section 508 and ensure they understand accessibility beyond simply getting a green checkmark on an automated test.
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60 votes
I disagreeGive the users the ability to flag a page for a broken link, missing content, outdated or incorrect content. This would actually help government keep their web pages updated instead of relying on link-checkers. These flags for outdated or incorrect content could be a metric that agencies use to measure quality. Additionally it could help agencies implement this Executive Order--Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving ...more »
Give the users the ability to flag a page for a broken link, missing content, outdated or incorrect content. This would actually help government keep their web pages updated instead of relying on link-checkers.
These flags for outdated or incorrect content could be a metric that agencies use to measure quality. Additionally it could help agencies implement this Executive Order--Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service
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58 votes
I disagreeIt's very, very difficult for programs to use Social Media to communicate with or even learn about the communities they serve when the sites themselves are very often blocked.
Sorry to bring this up, but I think it's an elephant in the room when you talk about social media.
57 votes
I disagreeUse semantic content and markup so that relevant content is easily found through search engines. Allow content managers to easily tag content for SEO, so that people can find the relevant information that are looking for.
Harness HTML5 in forms and use micro-formats when applicable. This would greatly improve the the experience for the growing amount of users on mobile devices.
56 votes
I disagreeEnsure that every new site follows the basic principals of optimizing its content for search engine ranking. Too many sites don't even contain the keywords commonly used by most people to describe the primary subject area of the site.
54 votes
I disagreeMaybe not an official ban, but there really needs to be an effort to avoid at all costs (or at least first mention) the use of acronyms. If you'd have to explain the acronym to your dad, then you shouldn't use it. We should think of them as swear words. If everyone had to pay a quarter each time they dropped an acronym, we could fill the deficit. :)
(I was tempted to categorize this as "Content in other languages.)
54 votes
I disagreeIn the spirit of a common experience, create and implement a standard error page for every federal .gov website that is decommissioned, archived, or otherwise removed from public access. Offer a friendly, plain-language explanation, the ability to search all .gov websites, and perhaps a link to USA.gov and / or a centralized .gov archive. This will prevent ISPs from serving ads when a user goes to a .gov website that ...more »
In the spirit of a common experience, create and implement a standard error page for every federal .gov website that is decommissioned, archived, or otherwise removed from public access.
Offer a friendly, plain-language explanation, the ability to search all .gov websites, and perhaps a link to USA.gov and / or a centralized .gov archive.
This will prevent ISPs from serving ads when a user goes to a .gov website that is no longer there.
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53 votes
I disagreeMake data about web stats for all .gov public. Figure out single data format and setup continuos release of this data to public with uniform UI (e.g. something like Google Analytics will be perfect)
52 votes
I disagreeMany websites do not contain an easily seen contact person. All websites should have a contact person (phone number/email address) for each substantive page.
If websites have organizational charts, name and phone
number and email address for each position should be part of the website
48 votes
I disagreeFederal communications to the citizen should not be biased with political motives or agendas. While this is a near impossible endeavor, it is probably the single most valuable one to take on. (IMHO) Citizens should be able to TRUST the government agencies and what they have to say. Right now, the political appointees govern too much of what IS actually said, for political gain. We have all seen it (if you have worked ...more »
Federal communications to the citizen should not be biased with political motives or agendas.
While this is a near impossible endeavor, it is probably the single most valuable one to take on. (IMHO) Citizens should be able to TRUST the government agencies and what they have to say. Right now, the political appointees govern too much of what IS actually said, for political gain. We have all seen it (if you have worked in FedWeb), we all recognize it as one of the true weaknesses of FedWeb. Now, the question should be: how to fix it?
#1: If you as a web manager are more concerned about your appointee's opinion than your audience's... you are doing it wrong.
#2: If you think that anyone other than the taxpaying citizen of the United States is your "customer".... you are doing it wrong. (with very few exceptions)
ROI and Performance of websites should be based on audience satisfaction and popularity of content.
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46 votes
I disagreeOne thing I hate to see is agencies where the people managing the web don't have adequate teams and support, and may need training themselves but are spread so thin that they are forced to be generalists instead of specialists. The web should be staffed adequately, and employ modern technology (content management systems, anyone?), not be an afterthought in communication, PR and/or IT staffing needs. Sure, we need ...more »
One thing I hate to see is agencies where the people managing the web don't have adequate teams and support, and may need training themselves but are spread so thin that they are forced to be generalists instead of specialists. The web should be staffed adequately, and employ modern technology (content management systems, anyone?), not be an afterthought in communication, PR and/or IT staffing needs.
Sure, we need Public Affairs people to help with web standards, content and gatekeeping. And we need IT people with knowledge of servers and related infrastructure.
What we are often lacking are in-house advanced, specialized skils, experience and understanding in the following areas:
- CSS AND graphic design for web
- Front and back-end of Content Management Systems
- Web programming and database management
- Project management
- Usability, accessibility and governance
- Information architecture/design
- SEO optimization
- Web contracting/procurement
And one person can't know it all or do it all! These team resources could easily be shared by smaller agencies or units within larger departments.
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