GOV.UK operational briefing for front line staffOctober 2012

GOV.UK Communications Team Government Digital Service

GDS

GDS

1. What GOV.UK is

2. What GOV.UK looks like

3. User Needs 4. Things you don’t need to worry about

5. Things to remember

6. Improving GOV.UK all the time

GDS

1. What GOV.UK is

GDS

GDS

From 17 October GOV.UK replaces Directgov and Business Link

GDS

www.gov.uk

GDS

GOV.UK is the best place to find government services and information online. It is a new website that will bring most of the information published by the government online to one place and will be the starting point for all government digital services.

GDS

Information on GOV.UK replaces that on Directgov and Businesslink. It is for citizens and businesses.

GDS

GOV.UK is simpler, clearer and faster.

It is based on user needs.

GOV.UK will make interacting with government online easier and quicker for users, while saving time and money for government organisations.

GDS

2. What GOV.UK looks like

The look and feel of GOV.UK will be different to Directgov and Businesslink.

GDS

GDS

GDS

We’ve done a lot of work and testing to make sure that the design, tone and format of the content on GOV.UK works better for users.

Simple navigation and space to breathe We keep the options simple and clear, and always show you where you are on the site. The clean design simplifies rather than confuses, making the site fast and easy to navigate

GDS

Clearly organised information If you don’t find what you need straight away a ‘more like this’ menu shows you other things we think might be useful.

GDS

Guides are groups of information that are more lengthy or complex. Guides have "parts" on the left-hand side, allowing you to quickly access the right information.

Information guides

GDS

Quick answers provide concise answers to popular user questions. Less text, more specific answers.

Quick Answers

ServicesServices are tools and transactional pages that enable you to complete tasks online and interact with government. For local services just enter your postcode and find places and services which are close to you, such as your nearest recycling point or driving test centre.

SearchPeople begin most internet journeys with search, so we’ve designed the site with that in mind. Searches take you straight to the information you need.

GDS

3. User Needs

GDS

GOV.UK is focused on the needs of users.

GDS

It has been planned, written, organised and designed around what users need to get done, not around the ways government want them to do it - providing only the content they need and nothing superfluous.

GDS

Some of the top user needs we have identified are;

Find a jobApply for student financeRenew a passportBank holidaysNational minimum wageCar taxWorking Tax CreditRegistering as a sole traderJobseeker's Allowance

Commodity codes and trade tariffPassport feesDriving theory testCouncil tax bandsChild maintenanceHousing BenefitDisability Living AllowanceProvisional driving licenseIncome SupportCarer's allowanceContracts finder

GDS

4. Things you don’t need to worry about

GDS

We have mapped pages from Directgov and Businesslink onto GOV.UK so if users are looking for particularly content they will be directed to relevant pages on GOV.UK

GDS

An example mapping - you can see the difference between the page in Directgov and the page in GOV.UK.

GDS

GDS

If users have saved or “Bookmarked” pages in the past then these links will still work - they will be directed to GOV.UK instead of Directgov and Businesslink.

GDS

If a user has followed a link to a page on Directgov or Businesslink that is not being reproduced on GOV.UK they will see a message that

- Explains the changeover- Introduces them to GOV.UK, and- Offers them a link to the National Archives to see the information that used to be on the page

GDS

Most people use search engines like Google to find online information from the government. We have spent a lot of time making sure that people will be able to find GOV.UK pages via Google. They will be sent directly to the relevant page.

Transactions and some other online services will retain Directgov branding for some time after the release of GOV.UK. Over time more transactions will be redesigned to match the GOV.UK style. In testing transactions users were not affected when pages were branded differently.

GDS

We have tested GOV.UK with many types of user. We have found that people like the site, they can find all the information they need and they trust the information on GOV.UK to be from the government.

GDS

GDS

5. Some things to remember

GDS

From 17 October try to send all customers to GOV.UK and not Directgov or Businesslink, but don’t worry if you can’t as the mapping will redirect them automatically.

GDS

GOV.UK welcomes user feedback. There will be a form for requests or questions available on the site, through a link on the homepage, plus each page has a link incase anything is wrong with a specific page.

GDS

GOV.UK is agile and iterative

Improvements will continue to be made very regularly after GOV.UK is released so we want your feedback in order to do this.

Please speak with your Line Manager if you have feedback.

GDS

6. Improving GOV.UK

GDS

Soon after the site goes fully live, every tool and page will have a dashboard behind it to measure how well the page is performing in meeting user needs. This will look at the data on the page, user journeys, bounce rates, visits, etc. There will be a constant feedback loop of recommendations and data which will enable continuous improvement of information and services.

GOV.UK operational briefing for front line staffOctober 2012

GOV.UK Communications Team Government Digital Service

GDS