Background
Aberdeenshire Council's corporate web site is an increasingly important communication channel for the organisation. The previous design was developed in-house and released in April 2002. Since that time use of the site has grown considerably, as has the breadth of content and, to a lesser extent, services available. A number of issues were identified with the previous design, both in visual and technical terms. The redesign project aimed to address these by creating a new structure, look-and-feel and technical infrastructure for the site.
Approach
The project used a documented methodology for web redesign (see Web Redesign: Workflow that Works) with five detailed phases:
- Defining the project
- Developing site structure
- Visual design and testing
- Production and Quality Assurance
- Launch and beyond
Detailed survey work commenced in August 2004 and the redesigned site went live on 1st July 2005.
Throughout the project we followed a user-centred design approach. This involved extensive use of expert analysis and actual user testing on key deliverables such as site maps, wireframes, visual designs and the prototype site.
Research
A wide cross-section of staff, from senior managers to website contributors, completed our internal survey. The results of this survey highlighted some obvious problems with the previous site and some useful ideas for the new site.
The web team completed a competitive analysis which analysed a number of peer group sites including Scottish and English local authorities, central government bodies and community portals. The results of this analysis gave us some useful background to common functions, design features and technical characteristics of similar sites.
To add to existing knowledge of our user base from Residents Surveys and logfile analysis we undertook a small user survey. All of this information was used to create a number of user personas which helped to guide much of the redesign process.
Goals and Objectives
Following the completion of the research a number of overall goals were formulated and agreed by all stakeholders. Full details of these goals are available and can be summarised as:
- Improve accessibility
- Improve usability
- Increase direct Service content creation
- Increase site use
- Reduce page download times
- Simplify Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) integration
- Widen device compatibility
To summarise the overall visual and conceptual goals a Creative Brief was produced. The full brief is available and the perception and tone required of the site are summarised as:
- Professional; informative; friendly; simple; attractive
- Clean and modern graphic design with better use of colour and pictures
- Sell Aberdeenshire as an area to live, work and holiday
- Change traditional negative perception of the Council
- Consistent site-wide corporate branding
- Task-oriented intuitive navigation
Results
Improve accessibility
Target: Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Level AA
During a recent accessibility audit it was noted that "there were many examples of good practice in accessible web design ..... However, there were a number of areas where accessibility issues were identified". To address these issues, a prioritised action plan has been agreed which will be implemented over the coming months. It must be recognised that full and continued compliance with accessibility standards is as dependent on the input of contributors as it is on the technical delivery of the site. A training plan has been put in place alongside extensive online and offline support for all Service staff.
Improve usability
Target: Above 80% overall task success rate and below 3.0 average task rating
The results of recent usability testing showed a 92% task success rate (76% for previous site) and 2.9 average task rating (3.5 for previous site). This demonstrates that significant improvements have been made. In particular the home page design was highly rated, the A to Z index was well-liked, the search was rated as very effective, 'Local Information' was well-liked and overall content was seen as easy to read. The study did suggest some room for improvement in areas such as cross-linking, section landing pages and the functionality of the mapping service. A prioritised action plan has been agreed and will be implemented, with the cooperation of content editors where appropriate, over the coming months.
Increase direct Service content creation
Target: 50% of updates completed by Service staff within 6 months
In the last month a pilot group of 5 users have been publishing content directly using Contribute. The results of the pilot will now be used to guide the rollout to other sections, prioritised on the basis of likely update frequency. Site contributors (Content Editors and Contribute users) will be be invited to take part in a three stage training programme. A seminar on "Accessibility and Writing for the Web" will be followed up by Contribute training for 6-8 users and then a remote session to handover editing to each individual section. As well as continued direct support from the web team site contributors will be supported by an online support site giving access to all relevant standards and guidance as well as hints and tips, related documentation and other website links.
Increase site use
Target: Increase site visits to 150,000 per month
Total monthly site visits had reached over 180,000 per month by August. It is difficult to judge how much of the current growth in site use can be attributed to the redesign compared to any other factors, including any general growth in the use of the internet as broadband penetration increases. Consideration is now being given to the development of more specific measurable targets in this area, for example uptake of a particular online service as a percentage of total transaction volume.
Reduce page download times
Target: Total page size not to exceed 80k for home page and 60k for standard content page
Through a combination of less graphic-intensive design and efficient use of web technologies the total size of the home page has been reduced from 181k to 72k. Assuming a standard navigation path the download size for a standard content page is now generally between 20k and 30k.
Simplify Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) integration
Target: eGIF compliant applications wherever desirable and practical
While the delivery of much of the new website is considered to be highly eGIF compliant there are still a number of elements, such as the library catalogue, which do do not achieve these same levels. There will be a continuing reliance on supplier commitment in this area however it is expected that many benefits of the work carried out as part of the redesign will be realised in streamlining the future integration of systems.
Widen client device compatibility
Target: XHTML 1.0 (Transitional) and CSS 2.0 compliant
The vast majority of pages are now fully compliant with these standards. The major exceptions are our existing Lotus Notes applications (Vacancy Manger and Committee Minutes) and supplier-delivered applications (library catalogue and planning applications). We intend to move our own applications onto the new server over the few months however we will only be able to achieve full compliance if and when suppliers attain the same standards that we ourselves are seeking to achieve.
Further Information
If you wish any further details on any aspect of the redesign of the Council's corporate website please contact Chris Clelland, eGovernment Team Leader.
