What do you really need from a government's website? And how do you navigate the politics and red tape to make a truly user-focused solution? To find out, we'll be using the newly launched Business Victoria website as a case study of how to do things right. We'll also take a look at a few other websites from governments around the world to see what's working... and what's not. Originally presented for the Melbourne Be Responsive meetup 8 April 2014. Audio (and video) here: http://vimeo.com/91573472 More tech-related info about the build available here: https://gist.github.com/sawks/10087371

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Building a responsive
government (website)
Be Responsive
8 April 2014

2. 450%

3. Customer quotes, verbatim (2012)
Overwhelming.
The website is jumbled -
there’s too much
information.
Went straight to helpline,
wasn’t sure where to look
Too much information,
wasn't sure where to look
and what to look for.
Too much info - was
easier to call.
Too much information,
couldn’t see obvious link to
public holidays.
Too much info - a bit
complex.
Very busy, too cluttered
and the links send you
around in circles.
Confusing.

9. ✓ Increase access, usage and
accessibility
✓ Simplification of information
✓ Streamlining business process

10. What are other notable
governments doing
around the world?
None of them are perfect, but there’s things we can learn from them

16. Acknowledges this may not be
exactly the right place,
considering people can land from
lots of different places (not just
following a taxonomy)
Modality
Let me navigate the page on my
own if I want to...
...but take me through what I
need to know, from the start

17. Steps things out in a clear language,
with meaningful links, supporting
explanations and ‘discs’ that break
the flow of scanning
Subtle, suggestive
design cues

18. Guide me onwards
Indicate recency
Useful things in the same category
Behave like a
helpful person
Suggest an helpful alternative
Tie off with a tip
Ask for feedback

19. Hit me with the
highlights
Design to the demand
(design with data)

21. Nice visual design (clear
language, good typographic
hierarchy etc), but less helpful
than it should be.
An example of getting the visual
design right, and missing the
mark on the UX design.
nyc.gov

22. Behave like a
helpful person
Get to the popular stuff quickly

23. Doing too much
They’re not here to hang out

24. Not so great
Disconnection

25. Not so great
Broken flow

26. Not so great
Buried search

27. Not so great
Bad affordance

28. Good design
is as little
design as
possible
Less, but better – because it
concentrates on the essential
aspects, and the products are not
burdened with non-essentials.
Back to purity, back to simplicity.

30. What we design shouldn’t draw attention to
itself, it should allow people to accomplish
their tasks with a minimum of fuss and in
the most efficient manner possible.
At its best, it will be invisible.

31. Ok, so what did we do?

32. We talked to real
business people.

34. We listened to the data.

35. 450%
increase in
mobile traffic
!
Google Analytics
04:26
min time on
site
!
Google Analytics
61%
of traffic
from search
!
Google Analytics

36. We made it easy.

37. ✓ Simple
✓ Relevant
✓ Clear
✓ Human
✓ Efficient
✓ Inevitable
✓ Fast
✓ Easy

38. Far fewer decisions to make

39. We co-designed with
the government.

41. Choosing a business name
Starting a business infographic
Protecting your name
Search
Registering a business name
BusinessVictoria
Research and apply for a new
business name in Australia.
Australian businesses are required to register their business name.
is available
isn’t already registered as a company
isn’t already a registered trade mark
Make sure your business name... Not what you’re looking for?

42. No more confusion.

43. Choosing a business name
Starting a business infographic
Protecting your name
Cancelling a business name
How I began my business –
Gardenworld Nursery
What I wish I knew: Three
entrepeneurs tell all
Taking time to be an overnight
success
Search
Registering a business name
BusinessVictoria
Research and apply for a new
business name in Australia.
Australian businesses are required to register their business name.
Before you start
an individual and the business name is your name (first
name and surname)
a registered company and the business name is the
company’s name
a partnership and the business name consists of all of
the partners’ names.
You do not need to register your business name if you are:
Related Case StudiesTip
When using your personal name for your business, you must
use your exact name .
For example, if your name is Jane Smith and you want to call
your business 'Jane Smith & Co', this would need to be
registered.
Read some helpful tips on choosing a business name.
!
is available
isn’t already registered as a company
isn’t already a registered trade mark
is available as a website
Make sure your business name... Not what you’re looking for?
Err, I think I’m in the
wrong spot...
Whatever, government
Internet machine. What
about real people?
What can I do on this page?
Why is it important?
Page title
What do I need to do
A tip
Before you start

44. We made it actionable.

45. All content is actionable

46. We talk your language.

47. Content principles
All content must be:
a) simple
b) clear
c) relevant
!
We want users to understand what to do and why, quickly.

50. We made it
accessible for all.

51. We made it fast.
We’re now 72% faster

52. We made it work,
everywhere.

53. Anywhere, anytime, any device