People come to your website to accomplish tasks. They want or need to do something. This means interacting with your digital government services. Some of your services are digital government services. Some are in-person and many are somewhere in between. Regardless, people should be able to find out about all of your services on your … Continued
If your government website is like most, it has a lot of PDF documents. They outline steps to a process, answer frequently asked questions, provide checklists, list requirements. They are very common and they are a problem. Most PDFs are not accessible The best way to make a PDF accessible is to do so from … Continued
Plain language helps you convey complex information. Your readers understand and get what they need quickly, with fewer questions and less confusion. As a government, using plain language will help you improve your services, forms, and public information. Benefits of plain language: Helps people know what information means the first time they read it. Makes … Continued
Why digital accessibility matters 1 in 4 Americans are living with some type of disability. 4.6% are blind or have serious difficulty seeing. 5.9% are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing. 12.8% are living with a cognitive disability like dyslexia, attention deficit, or autism. About 1 in 12 men are colorblind. It’s the law. Section … Continued
When you make a new website, it’s important to get feedback on it to make sure it works for people. Getting feedback on your website should be part of your government customer service strategy. If you don’t have the time or budget to do extensive user research, here are 3 easy ways to get feedback … Continued
When you work with departments on a new website, it’s helpful to begin by learning about their priorities. Once you understand them, you can work on ways to make their key services easy to find. This will help you develop a government content strategy. Each department has its own mission and operational goals. Depending on … Continued
A team agreement is a shared set of norms and expectations that define how team members will interact. Sometimes they are referred to as working agreements. They create a foundation for: Trust Accountability Collaboration Why team agreements matter Team agreements pave the way for a productive and effective work environment. They provide a framework for … Continued
This is a chapter from Proudly Serving, contributed by Laine Hendricks and Rebecca Woodbury Overview Guiding principles help organizations align their values to their digital goals. They serve as an aspirational North Star to help teams make design and content decisions. Guiding principles enable collaboration and consistency so digital products achieve better outcomes and build … Continued
A new website project ends with a launch, but your website is never done. When you get feedback, you should report out about what you did. An easy way to do this is a regular update with a list of things you’ve done and things you are doing to improve the site. Sharing updates increases public … Continued
How to create sustainable and effective community engagement for your government agency Written in collaboration with Go Vocal (formerly CitizenLab), this guide walks you through the basics of digital community engagement and is meant to serve as a resource for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. After all, setting a solid foundation for your community engagement … Continued
