Government agencies provide vital information and services that affect people’s daily lives. They have the responsibilities of responding to the needs of its citizens, running as effectively and efficiently as possible, and being timely and accurate with its information. By putting people first and embracing a user-centric approach, agencies improve the quality of their information and services by making them more useful and usable and by saving money long-term through making iterative improvements.
Users of government systems include both citizens seeking information and services as well as employees trying to conduct their jobs. Creating a user-centered culture means that government agencies hold themselves to a higher standard by making sure that users can access, understand, and use the information provided. It also means that users can accomplish their tasks, give input, and know that their feedback is taken into consideration and acted upon.
By embracing the user experience (UX) best practices and the user-centered design process, agencies save money long-term and increase their credibility by being more transparent. Through a user-centric approach, agencies among other things can:
In 2010, PEW’s Government Online report found that 61% of adults looked for information or made transactions on a government website in the last year. PEW also found that 31% employed social media, including social networking sites, blogs, text messaging, e-mail and video to find government information. They noted that this was particularly important because it meant that “people are not only getting involved with government in new and interesting ways, they are also using these tools to share their views with others and contribute to the broader debate around government policies.”
Creating a user-centered environment is important in creating transparency, improving delivery of content, and saving money. In order to change culture, it’s important to acknowledge and work with some unique challenges that agencies must take into consideration, including:
It’s also important to understand the scope of government websites. The impact on people’s daily lives makes providing information and services that are usable and useful highly important.
Despite the benefits noted above, PEW’s 2010 report on The Impact of the Internet on Institutions in the Future found that many technology experts are concerned about whether government agencies will resist change. Some policies that help agencies embrace UX principles and best practices to improve site performance include but are not limited to the:
There are also a number of government-specific resources and guidance to implement best practices.