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what makes a good government website

A great resource to connect with peers, share best practices, and find career-building opportunities. Does that make it credible? The Onion wants readers to laugh, not to learn. Many government agencies are getting their Web design right. Now even though the website of Gov. Nominations for the 2021 Fed 100 are now being accepted, How the Army’s DORA bot cuts manual work for contracting professionals, How natural language processing can support public health, How digital transformation supports the VA during the pandemic, Threats to election likely to extend for weeks. Let’s start by taking a look at one that has done this well. While more information and evidence may appear later, the article represents what is currently known and verified. Many state and local governments do not have the technology, staffing and other resources required to establish an effective and reliable website. Despite what many people assume, these awards are not just reserved for commercial sites. These are government sites. So in closing, the importance of a government website design is the reason why it is number three on the priority list. Is it related directly to the topic it discusses? 21 of the Best State Government Website Designs Let's be honest, government websites can be dull and not very user-centric. It’s important to follow a user-centered design process and make it easy for citizens to find the information they’re looking for. When schools throughout the country transitioned to online learning in March 2020, they had to quickly address two challenges. You can always find information on any source. Author: It's authored anonymously by anyone. Some topics (such as medical research and new technical information) must be up-to-date to be valuable to readers. Likewise, some organizations, particularly companies who want sales or politicians who want votes, want readers to agree with their views. As a critical reader, you deserve the best, the most current, and the most reliable. Any encyclopedia article must meet editorial reviews and will usually provide a list of sources. Having a format that is readily accessible for mobile browsers is key as more people than ever are using mobile devices. Looking for the latest gov tech news as it happens? An interactive map promotes South Carolina businesses and aids the discovery of services and attractions. When you scroll down, you see that this essay was written by Claybourne Carson and published in a book: For example, consider material posted on the Web (with a .com suffix) to describe the latest model of a new automobile. American National Biography. Thanks to robotic process automation, the time it takes Army contracting professionals to determine whether prospective vendors should receive a contract has been cut from an hour to just five minutes. Even if they list what resources they used, it'd be better to find those resources ourselves than take their word for it. All the other domains can be bought by anyone. This biography of MLK Jr. is on a university's website (Louisiana State Univ.). It’s also important to provide an easily accessible and user-friendly search. Let's take a look at one of the .edu sites that came up on our search. Important information is extremely hard to find and may require hours of research to get a clear understanding o… Both sites provide their audiences with rich web experiences. By employing a cloud-based content delivery network, agencies do not have to invest in or maintain the infrastructure, hardware and bandwidth required to deliver website services. On the other hand, the Santa Monica City Council does a decent job of providing transparency. Author of the website It’s a very good example of what you should do when creating a government website. The Weather Channel is not the best choice because it's a commercial site and often they don't have historical data going back 100 years. Let's be honest, government websites can be dull and not very user-centric. GET EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO FREEBIES AND NEWS, Best Practices for Creating Government Websites, Branding 101: Choosing the Right Business Name, Popular Design News of the Week: October 5, 2020 – October 11, 2020, You Won’t Win SEO With Hacks, Here Are 3 Winning SEO Strategies, Web Design & SEO: Everything Designers Should Know, Email Personalization: Your Secret To Better Engagement. Since the essay was posted there, there's probably a connection. But don't despair, you can still use pieces of Wikipedia to get started. However, if you can nail down these three core features that I have outlined for you; transparency, issues and mainstream design, you’ll be well on your way to a career in creating awesome government websites. When considering the issue of transparency, which is priority #1 for most citizens when looking at a government website, the White House fails miserably. It's likely that at least one of your textbooks is published by them. Sites that integrate these elements and features serve their public well. An article about dinosaurs in an encyclopedia published both in print and online. Try it here. The site’s design highlights NASA’s historical expanse into the unknown and gives the world a glimpse into their accomplishments. These are for government institutions only. In a 2015 survey by Pew Research Center, 40 percent of respondents reported using a smartphone to look up government services or information (a number that likely is increasing). Who wrote this essay? In what ways do language and graphics bias readers about the new car? You can earn a doctorate degree in music, library science, math, etc. The website is more centered around mainstream news rather than focusing on information that’s important to citizens, such as the issues. It could be anything from The American Cancer Society to Wikipedia to Bob’s Backyard Barbeque Club. Does it provide sources for supporting ideas? Today’s citizens expect access to government services 24/7 and from any device. Select this link if you are using screen reading or another assistive technology before continuing to enable accessible content on this page. In 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management was hacked, and cybersecurity struggles were still apparent one year later. This is a good example of where the notion “content is king” holds true as the websites bounce rate hovers around 58% in the past month, which isn’t terrible. What other practices do you think are important when creating government websites? Californians Want Improved Government Websites Above All Else. What do people complain about on the forums or do they have one. ... and make good use of dialogue and questioning in order to do so. Uh-no! site), but not all commercial sites are bad. It's not very pretty, but that doesn't mean the information isn't good. Sponsor: It's published by the Wikimedia Foundation....whoever that is? Performance optimization tools can help agencies deliver content in a format that is easily readable by a user’s device. Check your understanding: Which URL domains CANNOT be purchased by just anyone and are therefore more reliable (usually)? It’s a brilliant way for funders and the general public to explore NASA’s missions. Government Web managers are getting the message: Great agency websites must be blazing fast and easy to navigate and offer access to information — including financial data, meeting transcripts and contracting records — not traditionally provided to the public. Spartanburg's local meteorologist is not the best choice since he or she will only be concerned with local and current weather. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory website won a Webby Award, while South Carolina’s government site won Digital Government Achievement (DGA), W3, and Davey Awards. Here are the five attributes these websites likely have in common: Agencies must deliver a positive user experience, despite having little control over users’ device types, browsers or cellular connections. Effective government websites offer improved service, greater transparency and lower costs to better support individuals, communities and businesses. Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). In last year's CDG survey, nearly 60 percent of respondents said that in 2016, they expected to increase their use of cloud-delivered Web applications. These federal, state and local sites walk the walk of transparency. This is a dramatically important piece of any government website. 21 of the Best State Government Website Designs. Use the URL to pick a site that looks good, and then take a closer look at the author and sponsor before you make a decision! Looks like Mitchell Brown compiled this information from "selected resources" and it was later updated by two people. Tags: award winning, communication, design, Engagement, government, government 2.0, government websites, Web design, Webby Awards, website design, Have a Story to Tell? It’s no secret that in-person processes are increasingly moving to online environments, from financial transactions to planning and booking travel. Looking at a featured story you’ll notice that they are short and sweet, with images at the forefront. There are many sources of inspiration for successful government websites. Reliable. A brochure describing the latest models produced by an automobile manufacturer. This is a great way to consume and share content, and social sharing widgets make this even easier to do. These are education sites, usually sponsored by a school. Their objective for the site is to: “be at the forefront of eGovernment and provide citizens and agencies with state-of-the-art web services and Internet tools to facilitate doing business with government in a secure, convenient and cost-effective way. The website of Sen. Rand Paul lays out the issues in a very cohesive manner. OmniStudio be featuring more award-winning government websites in future posts, so follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and sign up for studio updates to stay tuned. Commercial sites may be motivated by money, but organizations are also trying to sell you something … whether it be an ideal they believe in or some other support for their cause. Let's see if we can find information about the author on Stanford's site. When we search on Stanford's website, we find that Clayborne Carson is a professor of history at Standford and the director of the MLK Jr. Research and Education Institute. That a source is in print or posted on the Web does not automatically make it trustworthy. Any confusion in the way the site is setup, its search functions or even the appearance can create large amounts of controversy between citizens and governments; as history has shown. Looking at the URL of the website is a good place to start, but don’t stop there! Results are difficult to sort through and the information isn’t always relevant to your search. Not Reliable! When it comes to websites, a consistent look and feel comprised of visual design, functionality, overall tone of voice and interactions is imperative to meeting user needs. Sign up to get a daily dose of awesome gov-focused resources, trainings, blogs and articles to help you do you job better.

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