The problem, it seems, is that many scatter their business information across different areas of the site or, in some cases across different sites, making it difficult to track down.
The Government has attempted to deal with the issue (the survey mentioned above was carried out on behalf of the Working With Business Project (www.workingwithbusiness.org.uk), but it has clearly not enjoyed as much success as it hoped.
In order to be objective I'll illustrate the subject by looking in the direction of the USA.
The state government of Oregon (www.oregon.gov) has recently redesigned its portal allowing users to reach more than 100 state agencies. The local reaction, according to the Statesman Journal newspaper, has been mixed to say the least.
Although the site looks nice, I challenge you to visit it as a potential business partner and find what you're looking for within a minute. Actually, you might as well take five minutes. You still won't find it.
The state's defence, of course, is that there is such a huge amount of information to be included that it is extremely difficult to make all of it accessible instantly.
Now take a look at the site operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (www.mass.gov). There, you will have absolutely no difficulty in finding exactly what you want. At the top of the page are four headings: 'Resident', 'Business', 'Visitor' and 'Public Employee'. At the centre of the page is the main transaction area of the site where you can do everything from registering a birth to applying for a restaurant licence.
Not surprisingly, Massachusetts is ranked by analysts at Brown University in Rhode Island as the best local government site in the country for online services. Oregon came in at 38th.
Perhaps the mistake being made by some local authority websites is to assume that businesses have more time to search for what they're looking for, or that business content doesn't have to be as simple as that provided for private citizens. They're wrong on both counts. Keeping things clear and simple doesn't mean 'dumbing down'.
Nor does providing for citizens and businesses have to be complicated or mutually exclusive. Have a look at the US Postal Service website (www.usps.com) if you need proof. Or try www.govspot.com for an illustration of how you can pack any amount of information on to a single page without giving visitors palpitations. This site also lightens the heavier content with links to things you didn't know, to such an extent that it is as much an entertainment portal as a government information resource.
In defence of UK local authorities, their progress in meeting the e-Government target of December next year has been accelerating of late. In 2002, according to Computer Weekly (www.computerweekly.com), only 6% offered online transactions. By 2003 that figure had risen to 28%. And by the end of this year it is expected to be as high as 71%.
According to usability experts Sitemorse (www.business2www.com) local authorities also have better provision for people with disabilities than any other kind of site, including central government.
To have your say on how your local council deals with business customers or ratepayers, go to www.ukauthority.com/html/survey.asp where you can take part in a national questionnaire.
Autor: Geoff Neville
Quelle: The Belfast Telegraph, 21.06.2004
