What do you think of when you think of a city’s website? If the website was designed with user research insights in mind, then you might not think about it at all. That’s because a user-centered approach to website design means people find the information they are looking for and move on with their day.
It can be easier said than done. In the case of city websites, it’s a unique challenge because it brings together information from a variety of sources and departments, as well as a range of priorities and perspectives.
At SiteCrafting, we’ve worked with many cities to help redesign their websites. Here are the top common usability issues and how to solve them based on our findings across stakeholder workshops, surveys, on-site feedback collector, and usability studies & interviews with community members.
Issue #1: Website Search
A common theme we have seen is that a city’s site search does not function as intended. This could be due to specific filters not being set up properly, which leads to search results varying in quality. Stakeholders typically call out this problem early in the phase of the project, and we also see this mentioned frequently as the project progresses from community surveys and usability studies.
From the users’ perspective, poor website search is incredibly frustrating as they have difficulty finding the information they need. One survey respondent said, ““It’s very difficult to find things. I ended up calling. The search on the web site needs to be more helpful and the results clearer.”
To solve this, we recommend upgrading to a modern algorithmic search engine like Sitka Insights. Sitka Insights, a SiteCrafting product, is powered by Elastic’s algorithm and allows search administrators to set recommended results, customize weighting, and curate results.
Issue #2: Website content is cluttered and hard to understand.
From their experience, many community members have said that finding information on a city website is difficult. Some of these factors include:
- Information is out-of-date: In one of our surveys, community members stated contact information on the website directory was outdated and they were unable to contact someone for help. In this instance, having timely information is vital for website users to stay informed.
- Too much text: Some pages on the website had too much text according to residents. From a glance, these pages lacked pictures and visuals to help break up the text. This resulted in community members glancing over important information and having trouble finding what they needed.
- Heavy government jargon: Both stakeholders and community members stated that website content was hard to comprehend. They recognized that many departments used internal language and naming conventions that the public did not understand. This would make it hard for residents to find information using their own words and terms.
Here are some solutions to fix these issues:
- Create a solid content governance plan: Having a content plan will help audit current content and also help continuously maintain and improve content for the rest of its life-cycle. If content is not regularly maintained, outdated information can begin to build up, it erodes the community’s trust & becomes time consuming for them, and can potentially cause frustration with the city. The first step is to conduct a content audit of your site. Here is a beginner’s guide to content audits.
- Use plain language: Recently, Governor Inslee of Washington issued an executive order that requires state agencies to create and adopt a plain language policy. To be accessible for all, rewrite all the content on your site in plain language where necessary. This will ensure the content is clear & concise. In addition, community members will be able to find content quickly and will be less frustrated using the website.
Issue #3: Website navigation is frustrating.
One of the biggest pieces of feedback we hear from community members is how difficult it is to navigate the city’s website to find relevant information. This is typically due to the earlier mentioned issues such as insufficient search results and confusing content. The top navigation and menu items play a factor as well. From what we’ve seen in past projects, the organization & general naming conventions of the website’s navigation may make sense internally to city employees. However, it does not reflect how residents find information and make sense of it.
To improve your website navigation, conduct a card sort or tree testing of your existing information architecture. Gaining initial insights (from actual users of your site) about how your website’s navigation is performing can help you reiterate and create a newer and improved information architecture. This will lead to a better user experience for citizens to find the information they are seeking.
Issue #4: It is difficult to make updates on the website due to templates and permissions.
One of the biggest frustrations for website editors and stewards was their current content management system. In the initial workshops, many website editors said making updates and changes to the site were challenging due to page templates and content editor permissions. Some page templates did not allow for much flexibility to add content that leads to formatting issues. Meanwhile, editors are unable to make changes or publish content due to their editing permissions.
To solve this, move your website to a new content management system that meets the needs of your city’s website. WordPress or Drupal is the standard these days. You can create page templates for specific areas of your site, along with designating specific editors and contributors for managing content.
Conclusion
City websites serve a unique purpose: they provide critical information on services, laws, project updates, and events that affect the local community. Having a user-friendly website is one of the most crucial tools you can have for meeting the needs of your citizens and connecting with them. By resolving key issues, this creates a seamless experience for users to find what they need quickly and effortlessly.
Are you ready to improve your municipal website? Let’s chat and learn more about your community.
