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• Home Office site hailed as 'clear winner' in survey of Government websites

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The Annual Report into Key Government Websites, now in its fourth year, has been following over 30 sites and their drive towards full electronic service.

Experts on behalf of Porter Research and digital design agency, Precedent, thoroughly examined 32 sites, including DVLA, Ofsted, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Health. Using the Guidelines for UK Government Websites the experts looked at the quality of design, navigation, interaction, and technical performance of the sites. The Home Office site was judged the clear winner in design and navigation and, in scoring 80.5 points out of 100, rated some 10% higher than the average site effectiveness score.

Cognitive Applications and the Web Usability Partnership were commissioned by the Home Office to develop a user-driven information architecture that met user goals and satisfied the business needs of the department as part of their web re-development programme.

The project involved six main phases of work:
- contextual research
- usability testing and analyses of the existing site
- user research
- determining scope and goals
- developing the information architecture
- developing and iterating prototypes

These deliverables were provided to agency TMG whom provided graphic design for the new site, which launched in October 2005.