The document discusses the evolution of government websites from a collection of sites to the streamlined gov.uk platform, emphasizing efficiency and user experience. It highlights significant cost savings, improved service accessibility, and a user-focused design approach that prioritizes user needs. Additionally, it outlines the continuous testing and development process aimed at optimizing content delivery for diverse audiences.

2. How did we get here?

3. In 2004 the
government
web went from
a loosely
coordinated
collection of
websites...

4. to something
a bit
simpler...
Directgov Business
Link

5. A tremendous
achievement,
which brought
enormous
benefits,
but it’s time to
move on again
Directgov Business
Link

6. The web is now mainstream
Users expect high quality
service experiences
And businesses know how to
deliver them

8. Revolution
not
evolution

9. They went
from this...
directgov businesslink
Directgov Business
Link

10. ...to a single
domain
Mainstream
Users &
Needs
Specialist
Users &
Needs
GOV.UK

11. Focused on user needs,
not government needs

12. Simpler

15. Clearer

18. Faster

21. Simpler
Clearer
Faster…….

22. Simpler
Clearer
Faster…….
…..and loads cheaper

23. It’s saved money..
£42 million
(2012/2013)
by replacing Directgov, BusinessLink,
departmental sites and related
organisation sites with GOV.UK

24. E.g.
Online: 22p
Phone: £4.11
Post: £6.62
Digital by default
20 x cheaper than phone, 30 x cheaper than post
50 x cheaper than face-to-face

25. It does less

26. It does less

27. It’s focussed on tasks - getting to the
“quick do”

28. It optimises for the common case but
doesn’t ignore the edge case

29. GOV.UK is big…

30. It’s won awards
Design of the Year
2013
D&Ad Awards
2013

31. What does this mean
for local government?

32. There are 134
journeys from GOV.UK
to local government

36. Let’s talk technical
But not for long!

37. Small teams of world-class
developers, designers and
managers
Tight control of experience
design
Iterative, agile, user-focused
product development

38. They’re building GOV.UK
the way Google build
Google and Amazon build
Amazon

39. They’re using open source
and making that source freely
available

40. GOV.UK is being extensively
and continuously tested and
improved so it works better for
users

41. GOV.UK –
putting user needs
at the heart of
content design

42. What is a
user need?

43. Who’s the audience?
What’s the action?
Why do they want
to do it?

44. Defining the user need
“As a _______
I want to ________
so that I can ________”

45. Defining the user need
“As a self-employed person
I want to file my tax return
so that I can avoid nasty
fines.”

46. “As a self-employed person
I want to file my tax return
so that I can avoid nasty fines.”

47. Designing Content

48. Content should be as short,
simple and specific as
possible
Users won’t read your content -
so don’t make them!

50. Front-load sentences with the important
stuff
If it’s not essential, leave it out
Break it up. Use
- short sentences and paragraphs
- subheads
- lists
- active voice