This project started off with an analysis of the current website – or, in other words, where are we now?
Then came the objectives, the creativity and vision – the where do we want to be?
A detailed project plan followed with lengthy requirements specs and planning – the how are we going to get there?
Well, we’re getting there and launch date is fast approaching, so it is now vital to start thinking about evaluation – or in other terms - how will we know if we’ve got there?
There are two main strands to this. Firstly, the website needs to work. It needs to work across multiple browsers and operating systems, the search needs to talk to the content we put in, the navigation needs to expand and contract as we want it to, the twitter feed needs to stream onto the live site, the css and xhtml needs to be coded precisely so that it is validated and passes all accessibility tests.
All of that will be carried out by the development team – as part of the communications team, that is not my area. What I need to do is check that you, the users, are happy with the site. It may work fine technically, but if it doesn’t work in the way you want it to, that’s no good and we definitely haven’t got there yet.
We already know what you think about the design, the layout, the new functionality from all the comments and feedback you gave us in consultation phases 1 and 2. Next, we need to ask you about what we call the user journey. How you get from A to B, whether C is where you think it should be – whether the structure of information makes sense to you and enriches your experience.
We’re going to do this through a number of focus groups, public consultation and lab-based tests. I’m planning this in now and will post again soon. If you’re interested in taking part in one of the focus groups, sign up below or drop an email to rachel.curtis@medway.gov.uk
