Government Web Sites

I read with interest the article "Government Web Sites Too Complex", which was published on the BBC News web site yesterday and covers the publication of a National Audit Office (NAO) report that states that some government web sites are too complex.

Sir John Bourn, Head of the NAO, apparently said: "Departments need to focus on understanding the cost effectiveness of their websites and who uses them and why, so that they can better meet the needs of citizens."

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Edward Leigh MP, is reported to have commented that "Departments have poor information on costs, websites are still hard to navigate and citizens have to wade through masses of irrelevant information to find what they need."

I don't think that it is a problem that is totally restricted to the government. Many commercial web sites are also difficult to navigate, although I suspect that most businesses have a much better handle on how much their sites are costing them. However, what they probably do not know either is who exactly is visiting their sites. Few businesses seem to analyse their web logs in order to get a better understanding of who is visiting what.

Although most businesses have far less documentation to publish than the various national and local government bodies, some make what information they do publish very difficult to find, which undermines the effectiveness of their web sites as a communications and marketing medium.

I strongly believe that site navigation is one of the most important aspects of good web site design, but one which is often ignored.