Belgium.be - The new Belgian government portal, a catalyst for more user-centric eGovernment - Web Scene Expo 2008

Belgium.be The new Belgian government portal — A catalyst for more user centric eGovernment? Erik Verdeyen erik.verdeyen@internetarchitects.be +32 475 567890 Track 1 WebSceneExpo - 03 June 2008 Affligem, Belgium ©2008 Internet Architects

Erik Verdeyen co-founder, Internet Architects lead architect & program manager for Belgium.be

Who can help me finding a job? What will be my pension? What benefits are there to buying a “green” car? What are the inheritance tax tariffs? Am I entitled to heating fuel aid cheques? What are the dates for prepaying taxes? What is the regulation on student appartments? ©2008 Internet Architects

Core values for communication • Consistent communication online & offline • User centric communication • Accessible for all surfers (& search engines) • Quality information • Cooperation between government levels and bodies ©2008 Internet Architects

Strategy for the portal site • CENTRIC COMMUNICA USER TION Point of reference • CONTEXT Categorization by themes • SCOPE A portal team • A blanket on top of all info: broad CONTENT but not deep (Pareto is our friend) • Is no replacement for other channels, but complementary • Up to date info on decided policy • Quality > quantity ©2008 Internet Architects

Search all gov sites search.belgium.be Federal Government sites Search engines Campaigns External sites Ofﬂine comm. Bookmarks… Call centers… www.belgium.be Better positioning New portal: user SEO, SEM Reference point centric and Better integration Top of mind with interlinking with w/ other channels the user public service sites

Users want info and services High quality Ease of Use Fast download Frequent updates Incentives Favorite brands Games What users want! High-end Buying ability Discussion forums Customizable Others 20 40 60 80 100 % Source :29 Forrester ©2008 Internet Architects

There it is again: User Experience It’s not about the usability of one site, one application. It’s about the user experience when dealing with your government as a whole (and citizens & companies have to, no choice there) ©2008 Internet Architects

So first things first: walk before you run Focus on building and maintaining gov site that are: • helpful • High quality content Ease of Use Fast download Frequent updates Incentives usable • Favorite brands Games High-end technology Buying ability Discussion forums reliable • Customisable content Others 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% % findable • accessible ©2008 Internet Architects

Where could it go from here? • Integration of communication channels: phone, face, web • Integration of those channels cross government • Interaction: 2 ways • Guidelines for harmonizing the user experience (≠ same look & feel) • Doing the same for applications ©2008 Internet Architects

Where could it go from here? • Single sign-on • Data sharing • Standards for building user interfaces, harmonizing the UX • Integration of communication • … It’s happening, but it takes time ©2008 Internet Architects

Web 2.0 in government It’s a conversation alright - but not as you know it • Rating info • Online case management • Chatting (?) • Suggestions for policy improvements • Provide API’s & enable mashups ©2008 Internet Architects

On a final note: • Complicated rules and legislation is a pain for civil servants… • … and it’s hell for User Experience designers Law & policy makers should be made aware of the impact of “bad design” ©2008 Internet Architects

Conclusion • Launch last week: 1st step in new federal government approach • Other departments are following (guidelines, eClasses, coaching) •• Further steps: optimization & expansion of current information cloud • Adding interaction & transactions ©2008 Internet Architects

Thank you! More info: see us at our booth WebSceneExpo - 03 June 2008 Affligem, Belgium Erik Verdeyen, co-founder, Internet Architects erik.verdeyen@internetarchitects.be +32 475 567890 ©2008 Internet Architects

Belgium.be - The new Belgian government portal, a catalyst for more user-centric eGovernment - Web Scene Expo 2008

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