ARCHIVED - Performance Measurement for the Government On-Line Initiative

Convenience

Indicator(s)

A "no wrong door" approach

Federal Web sites are easily identifiable and easy to navigate

Relevant on-line information and services are put together in ways that make sense from a citizen/client perspective

Measurement Level and Technique

Measurement primarily at the "whole of government" level using citizen/client feedback

Primary tool(s)/data source(s)

1)     Omnibus surveys – includes, e.g., EKOS' Information Highway studies, Ipsos-Reid research, NFO Interactive surveys, TBS GOL Internet Research Panel

2)     Departmental reporting on implementation of the Common Look and Feel Standards for the Internet (CLF) – federal institutions self-assessed their compliance with the seven CLF components (33 standards in total) using either all or a representative sample of their Web sites; the score for each component is an average of what all departments and agencies subject to CLF have reported; the focus, here, is on navigation and format (CLF component descriptions, related standards, and a self-assessment guide are available at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/index-eng.asp )

3)     Meta-analysis of the citizen-/client-based research done by gateways and portals

Summary of results achieved in 2003

Mostly positive – A high percentage of Canadians think that on-line federal information and services are easy to access. In addition, most report being able to find the information they are seeking. However, there continue to be challenges in effectively organising content in multiple ways so that Internet users can intuitively use federal Web sites regardless of the path they choose. As well, Internet users have mixed feedback about the performance of search engines on federal sites. Work is ongoing in each of these areas. There is also a lack of good comparable data on the progress that gateways and portals are making, e.g., the functionality they offer to clients, client take-up, and satisfaction scores.

Raw data

Federal Web sites – access/"no wrong door"

• 82% of Internet users who recently visited a federal Web site think that the site was easy (27%) or very easy (55%) to access (GOL Internet Research Panel, 2004)

• Canadians are more likely to think that it is easy to access federal services through the Internet than through any other delivery channel (EKOS, 2003)

•  76% of Internet users think that they should be able to obtain federal services from different departments and agencies through a single federal Web site, about the same as in 2001 (75%) (EKOS, 2003)

• Canadians also express strong support for designing federal Web sites according to the "no wrong door" principle – for providing multiple ways to find content so that access is "intuitive" (TBS meta-analysis, 2003)
• However, only 47% of Internet users are somewhat (41%) to very (six percent) satisfied with the way that topics and subjects are currently organised on federal Web sites (NFO Interactive, 2003)

• Canadians have also reported certain organisational problems with gateways and portals; e.g., different routes taken on a Web site do not lead to the same content, information is not organised logically, and duplication of links on the same Web page can be confusing (TBS meta-analysis, 2003)
• In response, in 2003 the Canada Site refined its structure; e.g., based on empirical research, it added additional links and cross-references as appropriate, and streamlined navigation paths through consistent linking strategies

Federal Web sites – use/navigation

• 86% of Internet users who visited a federal Web site in the past year found the information they were looking for, compared with 88% in 2001 (EKOS, 2003)

• 94% of Internet users say they have noticed the top menu bar on federal Web sites, and 79% say they have used it (GOL Internet Research Panel, 2004)

• 78% of Internet users think that federal Web pages load quickly, 78% that it was easy to print forms or documents, 63% that search engines work well, and 63% that the sites are visually appealing (GOL Internet Research Panel, 2004)
• According to another survey, however, only 41% of Internet users are somewhat (34%) to very (seven percent) satisfied with federal search engines (NFO Interactive, 2003)

Common Look and Feel Standards for the Internet (CLF) – navigation and format

• In 1998, Treasury Board Ministers established additional Federal Identity Program (FIP) requirements aimed at strengthening the presence and visibility of the federal government in all of its activities. One of the requirements is the consistent application of FIP to electronic services, including all federal Internet/Intranet sites, products, and deliverables; this resulted in the development of eight CLF navigation and format standards, such as the application of common and institutional menus with standard navigation elements, the use of standard metadata elements to aid resource discovery, date indicators, and others
• The average level of implementation of the navigation and format component across departments and agencies subject to CLF is 84%, where each standard accounts for one-eighth of the total implementation level

Plans for improvement

•  Development and implementation of a common accountability framework and related performance measures for gateways and portals to better assess progress, both strengths and areas requiring improvement, as well as roles relative to department and agency Web sites

• Work to improve search engine results, as well as to refine the scope of portals, develop a usability testing lab, and enhance resource discovery through the use of XML and metadata
• Continued testing of Web sites to ensure that potential problems relating to ease of access and ease of use are identified and addressed