SOCITM Better Connected 2009 survey reviewers
comments
SOCITM (Society of Information Technology Management)
Better Connected is an annual survey of all local
authority websites.
The
Better Connected 2009 survey awarded the Allerdale Borough
Council website 'Excellent' status, making it one of only
eight websites in the country which were rated as
excellent. It was also rated the best district council site in
the UK.
Better Connected 2009 review comments about the website
“Best website for council I have seen for ages
— certainly during this review.”
“I loved this site and still do having gone
back for a second look. It was by far the best site I reviewed this
year. The site design is easy on the eye and feels modern,
functional and up to date. It gives you confidence and trust in the
organisation you are dealing with. The online branding is discreet
and relevant — not over the top and brash. The site is also keeping
up with trends such as providing bookmarking links to Digg,
StumbleUpon etc.
The site is engaging, too, with a video on the
home page encouraging residents to keep up New Year resolutions on
recycling. News stories on the home page are geared to things that
people need to know — for example, Allerdale has asked residents to
put out their bins even though weather is bad — rather than
promotional stories about the council. You can also get news feeds
for News and Events.
Task that you might want to carry out are well
signposted in the most prominent spot on the home page — ranging
from making an appointment with planning to applying for a bulky
waste collection. I found the navigation really easy to use. There
are calls to action everywhere — right in context on the page where
you need it. Content is concise and to the point, pages are
formatted so that it is easy to identify related electronic forms,
downloadable documents and related links.
You can find out plenty of information about
your property just by entering your postcode — for example, you can
search for planning applications near your property, find your
nearest local facilities such as libraries and report a problem. I
thought that the online forms were very easy to use and attractive.
I tested reporting fly-tipping and it was so quick to click on a
simple map to identify the location and you could also report it
anonymously which must be friendlier for those who are unhappy to
send their personal details. The site is modern and professional,
easy to use, integrated across content and services and best of all
designed for the people who need to use it. Allerdale is a small
district council and can’t have a huge budget and yet it is able to
produce a ‘Wow’ site.”
“Real example — visual clarity: Allerdale BC and South Tyneside
are both good examples of visually clear home pages. There is
plenty of white space on both. It’s easy to see different kinds and
levels of information at a glance. Graphics are used sparingly, but
to great effect. Each photo or video has a few carefully chosen
words or ‘teasers’ that give just enough information to draw the
reader in. And you don’t have to scroll down to see anything
vital.”
"The site navigation is a joy to use."