12 May 2006

Federal Computer Week - Cities and counties typically design Web sites the same way they structure their governments: by department. Visitors to government Web sites must know which department handles the services they need before they can find the information they’re looking for.

But Las Vegas has organized its Web site around functions and services. Rather than providing links to departments or categories that would identify a user as a businessperson, resident or visitor, the city’s home page lists commonly used terms or verbs.

For example, if a user wants to pay property taxes, a sewer bill, or a ticket or citation, he or she would click the link that says “pay” then check the menu. Additionally, users can:

• Apply for boards and commissions, grants, jobs or licenses.
• Check the status of permits, licenses and service requests.
• Find emergency information, maps, meetings, agendas and other items.
• Register or enroll in activities and classes.

Greg Duncan, the city’s e-government manager, said agencies collaborated, consulted usability experts and went through extensive testing with a group of residents navigating a prototype Web site. That input was valuable, he said, because it helped officials understand how users view and navigate the site.

For example, when city officials asked the testers to register for a swimming class, none found the link under the term “leisure services,” which Duncan said was associated with senior citizens. But when officials changed “leisure services” to “activities and classes,” testers were better able to find the link they needed.

“It was a light-bulb moment,” he said.

To read the whole article, please click here »