E-government
Mark Hoffman
Information Technology Workshop
12 February 2005
School of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Grand Valley State University
Home Page
first visual impression
quickly communicate purpose and features of
site
complimentary graphics
animation?
splash page?
Navigation
clear indications
–where you want to go
–where you have already been
information chunked into good taxonomy
–user vs. organization perspective
identification of links
–color / underline
–"visited" link color
–e-mail link vs. web page link
1
Functionality
orphaned pages
broken links
site map and / or search function
required Java, javascript or plug-ins
pop-up windows, new windows
code supported by all browsers
valid HTML code
download speed ("eight-second rule")
Text
free of mistakes
adequate white space (margins)
readable
–large font size
–appropriate font style
–clean, contrasting background
–broken into short paragraphs and bulleted
points (not "shovel ware")
Page layout
Design for certain screen size (resolution)
–640 x 480 (older monitors)
–800 x 600 (common standard)
–1024 x 768 (newer monitors)
Important content at top left
avoid horizontal scrolling
minimize vertical scrolling
2
Sophistication
Stage1:
Information Dissemination
Stage 2: One-way Interaction
User can fill out form
User can send e-mail
Stage
Stage
3: Two-way Interaction
Query database
4: Complete Transaction
Monitor request
Audience
G2P
(government to people)
customers
citizens
visitors
G2B
(government to businesses)
G2G (government to government)
G2E (government to employees)
Missions
Service
Digital
provision
public access to services and information,
as appropriate or legally allowable, 24/7.
democracy
increasing participation and the level of
knowledge about government
Economic
development
promote business and tourism activity
3
Service provision
Stage 1: User oriented
list of services /
contacts for:
Paying taxes
Paying fines & tickets
Permits & licenses
Getting birth & death
Certificates
Reserve classes &
facilities
Complaints
Bicycle registration
Pot hole & street light
repair requests
Sale of unwanted or
seized items
Link or reference to other
government / nonprofit
community services
(County, First Call for
Help, etc.)
Service provision
Stage 2:
Stage 3:
Pay taxes, fines and tickets
Apply for jobs
Reserve classes and facilities
Report problems
Query account
Map neighborhoods
Stage 4:
Track service requests
Digital democracy
Stage 1:
Mission
Organizational chart
About the
community
City charter
City ordinances
Greeting
Ward or precinct
map
News
Schedule and
agendas for future
meetings
Minutes of past
meetings
Volunteer
opportunities
Voter registration
information
4
Digital democracy
Stage
2:
Form for general comments and questions
Form for comments on specific proposals
Applications for volunteering
Stage
3:
Address match to public jurisdictions and
representatives (councilmember, state
representative, state senator, library
district, school district, water district, etc.)
Digital democracy
Stage
4:
Interactive participation in planning or
budget process
Identifying community assets
Neighborhood discussion boards
Economic Development
Stage1:
Tourism information
Recreational information
Visitors information on public transit, airports,
taxis and hotels
Zoning codes and maps
Opportunities for relocation and retention
assistance
Stage 2:
Apply for permits
Request information or appointments
5
Economic Development
Stage 3:
Query available land / buildings
Local business contacts / search
Stage 4:
Application tracking information
Information on development zones, financing,
relocation and retention incentives, and
entrepreneurial assistance
Tax information
Available commercial property and vacant land
Issues
Section
508 (accessibility)
Privacy Policy
Security Policy
Evaluation of Features
Section 508
Under
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act (29 U.S.C. ‘ 794d)
federal agencies must give disabled
“comparable” access to information
Implementation by the Center for
Information Technology
Accommodation (CITA), in the U.S.
General Services Administration
6
Section 508
A text equivalent for every non-text element
(e.g., “alt” tag for graphics, text menus with
image maps)
Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia
presentation
All information conveyed with color also
available without color
Page design and plug-ins compatible with
assistive technologies (e.g. Acrobat 5)
A text-only page, with equivalent information
and functionality, if main page is not compliant
Section 508
Tools:
Step 501 software (CITA)
Bobby http://bobby.watchfire.com
Other:
W3C WCAG - World Wide Web
Consortium Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines
Privacy and Security Policy
Information
collected
Volunteered vs. Automatic
Session only or permanent
Connected to personal info vs. anonymous
Information
sharing
Cookies
Right
to see / edit personal information
Safeguards
7
Website Attribute Evaluation
System (WAES)
Developed by The Cyberspace Policy
Research Group (CyPRG), Univ. of Arizona,
Tucson and George Mason Univ.
www.cyprg.arizona.edu
1997-2001
2001-present, used by www.cyber-state.org
for Michigan
45 point scale based on “transparency” and
“Interactivity”
Website Attribute Evaluation
System (WAES)
Transparency
1.
Ownership: a visitor would want evidence that
the organization cares about the site.
Contacts / Reachability: a visitor would want to
know how and whom to contact with regard to the
organization's operations.
Organizational Information: a visitor would
want to know about the organization, its structure
and operation.
Issue Information: a visitor would want to know
about the policy niche of the organization.
Citizen Consequences/Responses: what
responses a visitor can or may have to make.
Website Attribute Evaluation
System (WAES)
2.
Interactivity
Security and Privacy: the more the site is
accessible, the less citizens or visitors are obliged to
provide personal information in order to easily
download or upload material and responses.
Contacts/Reachability: a visitor would want
evidence that the organization is willing to receive
input at the gateway (the webmaster within the
agency) and the senior level.
Organizational Information: a visitor would want
to be able to contact members inside the
organization easily with a click.
8
Website Attribute Evaluation
System (WAES)
Interactivity (cont)
2.
Issue Information: a visitor would want to know
how the organization deals with issues in its policy
environment.
Citizen Consequences/Responses: a visitor
would want to be able to easily follow the issue /
organizational operations links with a click into these
related sites. Here we place the organizational
structure due to its representation of the structure of
discretion within an organization.
Brown University Urban EGovernment Index
Developed at Taubman Center for Public
Policy at Brown University
www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/
Used in 70-city reports (2001-present)
100 point index
20 points for each executable online services
4 points for each of the following 20 features:
Brown University Urban EGovernment Index
Publications
Databases
audio clips
video clips
foreign language access
not having ads
not having user fees
not having premium fees
not having restricted
areas
W3C disability access
having privacy policies
Having security policies
allowing digital signatures
on transactions
an option to pay via
credit cards
email contact information
areas to post comments
option for email updates
allowing for
personalization of the
website
PDA or handheld device
accessibility
readability levels below
grade 10.
9
Darrell West checklist
Brown
University
and the transformation
of service delivery and citizen attitudes”
Public Administration Review, January
2004
“E-Government
Darrel West checklist
Office phone
Office address
Online publications
Online database
External links
Audio clips
Video clips
Language translations
Privacy policy
Advertisements
Broadcast of events
E-mail updates
Push technology
Security features
Toll-free phone number
Technical assistance
Subject index
FAQs
Disability access
Services
Digital signatures
Credit card payments
E-mail address
Search capability
Comment form
Chatroom
Personalization
10