- Salford City, Surrey CC and West Lancashire DC miss excellent rating by just one failure out of nine criteria
- Transactional (‘T’) sites double from 60 in 2006 to 121 in 2007
- Usability a key problem despite overall improvement by many other measures
- London boroughs lead in England, sites in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland less well-developed
- online services (eg making library reservations, viewing planning applications,etc) reliant on third party software let down by poor usability
- requirement to register to access services is overused and security of personal data is at risk on many sites
- website accessibility is not improving: 2 sites reach level AA (3 in 2006) and 64 ( 62 in 2006) reach level A standard. Gap between accessibility claims and reality is exposed.
- 15.1m visitors (c. 25% of the population) came to local authority websites in December 2006 (up 27% on December 2005)
- user satisfaction with council websites remains high, but is declining – possibly due to usability problems highlighted in report
- analysis of in two-tier areas shows mixed success in joining up
- a review of websites in Northern Ireland anticipates their increased role following reorganization and reform of public services
- a review of 76 ‘other government sites’ identifies twelve ‘transactional’ sites from PTEs, police and fire services, RSLs, central government departments, NHS, and regional or other government organisations
The results of the latest edition of Better connected, the ninth annual survey of local authority websites published by the Society of IT Management (Socitm) on March 1, show that only one site - from the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham - has achieved the newly introduced ‘excellent’ rating.
However, the results also show that 121 councils have achieved ‘transactional’ status – double the number (60) that achieved this status in the 2006 survey. On many other measures used in the survey, council sites are also continuing to improve.
The Better connected survey is carried out each year by a team of reviewers who visit all 468 local authority websites, and using a structured questionnaire, this year containing 93 questions, assess how well each website performs on:
- website content and currency
- the quality and availability of interactive applications
- the usability of the website including the quality of search functions, navigation, A-Z lists, and maps and forms
- the accessibility of the website to users with physical and mental impairments
- ‘joining-up’ with other public service websites
This ‘mystery shopping’ exercise is supplemented by a number of separate surveys conducted by members of the Better connected review team and a series of partner organisations.
This year’s special surveys tested the A-Z and search functions, the news value of the home page, broken links, registration facilities, the resilience of the site, security of the site, accessibility, website readability, and so on (a full list appears below).
Twenty one sites were tested on the usability of third-party software used for three specific applications. The testers were seven differently disabled users with issues including sight impairment, dyslexia, deafness and dexterity problems. Library reservations using DS, GEAC and Tallis applications were tested, as were job applications using Abacus, e-Media, Jadu and JobsGoPublic applications, payments applications using Alliance & Leicester, Capita and RadiusICON applications, and planning applications registers using CAPS, IDOX and Plantech applications. The results indicate some significant flaws in the software supplied to councils and in the way in which that software has been integrated in the rest of the website.
The practice of getting people to register for online services was examined in 168 sites that were found to have a registration process, Only 19 sites of these site were found to have a registration form that is secure (‘url’ prefixed with ‘https’) and considered by reviewers to be well presented, with the registration process and reasons for registering being clearly described – something the report describes as a ‘major concern’.
Local authority websites are ranked by the Better connected team based on their performance in the main survey. This year, the old ranking system of (in descending order of merit) transactional, content plus, content plus and promotional has been superseded by a new system in which sites are classified as excellent, transactional or standard.
The definition and assessment of ‘transactional’ have not changed under the new system from the old system and sites that are achieving this status are doing well. Transactional sites are also considered for a new classification of ‘excellent’ that denotes sites that have achieved a defined standard across nine essential criteria for usefulness and usability in council websites, These standards were defined in the December 2005 publication Better connected: aiming high (see below for details).
With the exception of accessibility, at least one in five councils meets each of the standards set for these nine essential criteria and for most of the criteria, at least one in three councils meets the standard set. Based on performance in the main survey, the Better connected team has identified its ‘Top Twenty’ local authority sites in 2007. They are:
- Barking & Dagenham
- Barnet (New)*
- Brent
- Bromley (New)
- Bury MBC (New)*
- Camden
- Elmbridge BC (New)*
- Lambeth
- Merton (New)*
- Milton Keynes
- North Lincolnshire (New)
- Nuneaton & Bedworth BC (New)*
- Salford City
- Shropshire CC (New)
- South Norfolk DC (New)*
- Southwark (New)
- Surrey CC
- Warwick DC (New)
- West Lancashire DC (New)
- Wrexham CBC
(New) means new to the Top 20 list for 2007 and * means new transactional site in 2007.
Commenting on the findings of Better connected 2007, Martin Greenwood, programme manager for Socitm Insight and author of the report, said: This report is always subtitled a snapshot of the state of local authority websites. This year we have sharpened the focus of the lens by refining the assessment methodology. Local authorities will be able to see even more clearly than before just where we see their strengths and weaknesses. Overall the report shows that usability remains a key challenge - only one out of 121 transactional sites meets all five of our criteria for excellent usability, whereas 21 do so for excellent content.’
Writing in the report foreword, Sir David Varney author of the recent report for the Treasury on customer service and taxpayer value said that benchmarking was really helpful in lifting performance and that he found Better connected 2007 ‘thought provoking and encouraging’.
Better connected 2007 will be available as a ‘pdf’ to Socitm Insight subscribers from 1 March 2007. The printed version, available from mid-March will run to 200 pages (with another 48 pages of technical appendices available electronically) . The report costs £395 to non-subscribers from www.socitm.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
Further information about Better connected 2007 and press copies of the electronic version of the report (pdf format) are available on request.
Vicky Sargent or Peter Coates, Socitm Press Office
Tel: 0845 094 5641 email: vicky.sargent@socitm.gov.uk or peter.coates@socitm.gov.uk
Martin Greenwood, Programme Manager, Socitm Insight
Tel: 01926 498703 or 07967 383755 e-mail: martin.greenwood@socitm.gov.uk
Additional information
1 How the research was done
This year’s Better Connected survey was carried out between 8 November and 15 December 2007 and involved a team of reviewers visiting all websites managed by 468 councils throughout the UK. Using a structured questionnaire the team explored the ability of websites to respond to the needs of a range of typical local authority customers, and to test performance in the areas of joined-up government; interactive applications; currency of information; usability; and responsiveness to e-mail.
2 Process for identifying transactional and excellent websites
The process has two stages:
- Stage 1 Assessment of transactional sites
- Stage 2 Assessment of excellent sites
The process of assessing transactional sites is a mixture of quantitative evidence, using as in previous years thresholds of questions answered in our survey and ratings of scenarios and themes assessed in the survey, and qualitative evidence, using the judgement of the Better connected team of twelve reviewers. The main survey carried out by reviewers is the only source of evidence.
The process of assessing excellent sites is based entirely on objective evidence applied on transactional sites that achieve defined standards on nine criteria considered essential. The main survey is supplemented by the results of the accessibility assessments by the RNIB.
3 Essential criteria that must be met to achieve an excellent rating
Usefulness of content
Information - Do people find answers to their questions
Currency - Can people rely on the site being up to date
Links - Are people referred to another organisation if the council does not have the information?
Transactions - Can people transact business with the council?
Usability
Use of A to Z - Can people find their way easily to a ist specific topic?
Use of search engine - Does a specific word or phrase generally point people to the information they want?
Use of location - Can people find information easily by using a map or postcode (or other similar)?
Navigation - Can people rely on a clear and consistent style in finding their way around?
Accessibility Can people use the site if they have a disability?
4 Additional testing and surveys in 2007
- Detailed analysis of results from A to Z list of services
- Extended analysis of results from search engines
- Special survey into handling of broken links
- Detailed analysis of registration facilities for online services
- Special feature on government websites in Northern Ireland
- Benchmarking of various technical measures (by SiteMorse)
- Usability and accessibility testing 41 sites and 12 suppliers (by Usability Exchange)
- Website accessibility testing (by RNIB)
- Website readability (by The Writer)
- Website security (by Hytec)
- Usage of websites (by Hitwise)
- Visitor feedback (from Socitm Insight Website
- Takeup Service in association with Nielsen/Net ratings)
5 Percentage of transactional sites within each type of council:
London boroughs 64%
Shire counties 53%
Metropolitan districts 42%
English unitaries 32%
Scottish unitaries 22%
Shire districts 18%
Welsh unitaries 14%
6 Report contents summary
Part A Today’s context
We introduce the key features about the survey, including its purpose, the process we follow, the ‘useful, usable and used’ framework that we use for assessment and, this year, the updating of a new ranking system. We then give an overview of national policies and initiatives that will have a strategic impact on the development of websites in the next two to three years.
Part B Overview of this year’s results
The first part of the results looks at the national picture in terms of overall rankings, using, for the first time, our updated ranking system and introducing the ranking of excellent sites. This is followed by our usual lists of transactional sites, our Top 20 and other groupings of top local authorities.
Part C This year’s results — useful content
We describe the detailed analysis of the results, focusing firstly on content. We report here on four scenarios of typical visitors for information content, and then examine other aspects of content such as currency of information, use of links, provision of services, response to e-mail and the practice of participation.
Part D This year’s results — usability
The second stage of the results focuses on ease of use. This covers ease of finding, use of navigational aids such as A to Z lists, search engines and locational data, general navigation, accessibility, readability and, finally, technical resilience. All these points contribute to the usability of the local authority website.
Part E This year's results — usage
Our third perspective is focused on usage. Switching from the product to the customer, we examine different aspects of the demand side, highlighting trends about usage. We provide the latest information about internet access, visitor usage, satisfaction and behaviour, culminating with advice about better promotion.
Part F This year’s results — Supporting analyses
We also analyse the results from two additional perspectives. Firstly, we focus on the state of government websites in Northern Ireland at the start of a process of public service reform. Secondly, we examine the evidence of joined-up working in two-tier area of England.
Part G The future
Finally, we consider two key challenges for everyone in the coming year. One concerns usability, and the need to ensure a smooth customer journey from start to finish. The other concerns usage, and the need to build a robust performance profile and to engage with service managers.
7 A note on collaborators in Better connected 2007
Socitm would like to thank the following organisations for their help in contributing to this report. Their advice has helped to add balance with a number of different perspectives: