Brown University’s annual review of more than 1,500 state and federal Web sites says Delaware is No. 1 when it comes to making information and services easily accessible online.
Delaware, which rated 15th in the nation last year, rocketed to first place in the survey conducted by the Brown University researchers in June and July.
It isn’t just the state’s portal -- www.delaware.gov, which was redesigned in May -- that earned high marks. The researchers went well beneath the surface, following links to state agency sites and links within those sites.
When they were done, they gave Delaware a rating of 65.6 out of a possible 100, ahead of second-place Michigan, which ranked fourth last year. Wyoming came in last, with a rating of 28.6.
The Brown study gave Delaware high marks for the consistency of design from one page to another.
“Navigating through the various Delaware pages is easy because most of the sites followed the same layout, with translation tools, online services, privacy statements, contact information and search bars all located in the same place,” the researchers wrote. “Delaware’s efficient design, variety of services and consistency sets it apart from the other forty-nine states.”
Delaware scored high for making data available online -- .89 out of a possible 1 point -- and an almost perfect .96 for the number of services available. The study also praised the state’s prominent posting of privacy policies.
Find complete coverage Wednesday in The News Journal and at www.delawareonline.com.
Autor(en)/Author(s): J.L. Miller
Quelle/Source: The Daily Times, 24.07.2007
