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Office of the Chief Information Officer Ministry of Management Services

User Experience and Internet Standards Standards for B.C. Government information pages and e-service applications on the Internet Office of the Chief Information Officer Ministry of Management Services Version 5.1 July 16, 2004

User Experience and Internet Standards Page i

User Experience and Internet Standards Page ii

Publication history Version Date Status

5.1 July 16, 2004 Minor changes

5 April 22, 2003 Final version submitted for sign-off. Incorporates comments received from Public Affairs Bureau.

4 March 7, 2003 Draft

3 July 12, 2002 Draft

2 June 7, 2002 Draft

1 May 6, 2002 Created; Draft

User Experience and Internet Standards Page iii

Table of Contents

About the User Experience and Internet Standards 1

Why are standards needed? 1 Definitions 1 Replaces “BC Government Internet Standards” 1 Who must follow the standards? 2 How will the standards be implemented? 2 When must the standards be implemented? 3 How the standards were developed 4

The Standards

1 Approval processes and governance 5 Standard 1.1 Governance Framework 5 Standard 1.2 Strategic communications planning for e-Government initiatives 5 Standard 1.3 Content approval process 5 Standard 1.4 Province of B.C. web site 6 Standard 1.5 A central registry of web sites and e-services 6 Standard 1.6 Security 6 Standard 1.7 Links to databases 6 Standard 1.8 Tools and templates for inormation pages and e-service pages 6 Standard 1.9 B.C. Government User IDs and passwords 7 Standard 1.10 Payments over the web 7 Standard 1.11 Fees 7

2 Technology standards 8

Standard 2.1 HTML 4.01 8 Standard 2.2 Browser compatibility 8 Standard 2.3 Securing development and test servers 8 Standard 2.4 Usage statistics 8 Standard 2.5 Colour palette 8 Standard 2.6 Optimization of graphics and photos 8 Standard 2.7 Use of ALT tags 9 Standard 2.8 Format of documents intended to be downloaded by the public 9 Standard 2.9 No frames or animation 9 Standard 2.10 Video and audio files 9

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3 Communications considerations 10

Standard 3.1 Logos 10 Standard 3.2 Naming of e-services 10 Standard 3.3 Use of photographs, icons and graphics 10 Standard 3.4 On-line surveys 11 Standard 3.5 Writing for the web and editorial guidelines 11 Standard 3.6 Non-English web pages 11 Standard 3.7 Accessibility 12

4 Legal clauses 13

Standard 4.1 Copyright and intellectual property clauses 13 Standard 4.2 Standard disclaimer, privacy and accessibility clauses 13

5 Links to outside the B.C. Government internet sites 14

Standard 5.1 No links to Intranet or Extranet 14 Standard 5.2 Links to sites outside the B.C. Government 14

6 General considerations regarding content 15

Standard 6.1 No advertising 15 Standard 6.2 No naming web authors or developers 15 Standard 6.3 No incomplete or “under construction” pages 15 Standard 6.4 No beta software 15 Standard 6.5 Testing is mandatory 16

7 Screen layout 17

Standard 7.1 Standard layouts 17 Standard 7.2 Frames 17 Standard 7.3 Look and feel, and navigation 17

8 Field types 18

Standard 8.1 Radio buttons 18 Standard 8.2 Check boxes 19 Standard 8.3 Placement of field labels 19 Standard 8.4 Mandatory fields 19 Standard 8.5 Error messages 19 Standard 8.6 Tab controls 20

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9 Standard formats for common data types 21 Standard 9.1 Show the format in the field label 21 Standard 9.2 Date 21 Standard 9.3 Time 22 Standard 9.4 Dollar amounts 23 Standard 9.5 Telephone and fax numbers 23 Standard 9.6 Addresses 24 Standard 9.7 Personal names 25 Standard 9.8 Declarative statements 25

User Experience and Internet Standards Page 1

About the User Experience and Internet Standards This document is a companion to the draft Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. The Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications contains sample screen designs that illustrate standard screen layouts, standard navigation features, and the B.C. Government’s standard “look and feel”. The document below describes the key features illustrated on the screens in the Guidelines, and includes additional standards for developing e-service applications. It also includes standards for information pages.

Why are standards needed? The Province has initiated a major transformation towards a dynamic, user-centric, enterprise approach to creating and managing web content. As the Province integrates its many and diverse web sites into a single, seamless, cohesive web presence, the User Experience Project will provide Standards that will ensure a common user interface and common end-user experience for all web pages that are part of the Province of B.C. web presence. The User Experience and Internet Standards will address the user experience for (1) e-service pages and (2) information pages, thereby ensuring that the user has a consistent experience of the Province's web site, regardless of whether the audience is viewing content or interacting with it.

Definitions • In this document, “Ministries” means all organizations that are required to follow the

Standards, including central organizations and all organizations that have a Deputy Minister. • “E-service” means a transactional web application which delivers a business function for a

government program. One program may have many e-services. One web application may deliver one or many e-services.

• “CCSDD” is the Corporate Channels Service Delivery Division of the Ministry of Management Services. CCSDD is responsible for the operation of the B.C. Government’s enterprise portal. The former B.C. Internet Services program is now part of this division

Replaces “BC Government Internet Standards” The User Experience and Internet Standards supersede the document entitled BC Government Internet Standards, last revised in January 2001. The standards in that document have been incorporated into this User Experience and Internet Standards.


Who must follow the standards? The User Experience and Internet Standards applies to all government web sites that are accessible by the public over the Internet. The standards must be followed by all Ministries, and central organizations and other organizations that have a Deputy Minister. Exemptions to the Internet Standards may be considered if there is a valid business reason to do so. The process for applying for exemptions will be defined in a governance model which will be publisned as a separate document.

How will the new standards be implemented? Information pages The standards in this document, and the B.C. Government’s new “look and feel” standard, will be applied to information pages within the enterprise portal. When Ministries’ information pages are migrated to the public portal, they will be created and maintained using the content management tools of the portal software (i.e. not HTML). These tools will enable Ministries to enter web content, but the standard graphical elements and layout will be inserted by the portal software and cannot be altered by Ministry content maintainers. Information pages that have not yet been migrated to the portal will continue to be maintained by the Ministries in HTML. These HTML pages will reflect the 1998 “look and feel”, and not the new standard. The new “look and feel” is not authorized for information pages that are outside the portal. Any new informational Web sites being developed outside the portal must conform to the 1998 look and feel. E-service pages E-service applications will not be developed within the portal product using portal tools. They will reside outside the portal. There will be a URL link from the portal pages to each e-service application. The pages of the e-service application that are visible to the public will adopt the new “look and feel” standard described in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications, using HTML templates. These HTML templates will be provided by CCSDD. Common Services will also follow the standards where their screens are visible to the public. Common Services are applications that are common to the enterprise and built to support the Electronic Service Delivery Initiative (ESDI). They are “built once” centrally and used by all Ministries and organizations who are part of the enterprise. An example is the credit card payment service.

mailto:[email protected]


Summary: Web pages that will reflect the new standards

PortalBC Government Home Page

Information PagesEnterprise applications

e.g. BC Governmenttelephone directory

Portletsindexes of information

E-Service

Common Servicese.g. Internet credit card

payment application

E-Service E-Service

Fully integratedinto the portal.

“Look and feel” standards areimplemented using theportal’s content managementtools (not HTML)

Standards areimplemented in HTML

Applications thatare not integratedinto the portal.

When must the standards be implemented? Information pages CCSDD will migrate the top tier of Ministries’ web pages to the portal during the Enterprise Portal Implementation Project. These are the web pages that were previously maintained by B.C. Internet Services (BCIS). In consultation with CCSDD and the Public Affairs Bureau (PAB), each Ministry will be required to prepare a plan for (a) creation of any new information sites inside the portal using the portal’s content management tools, and (b) migration of existing information pages to the portal. In the meantime, Ministries’ information pages that have not yet been migrated to the portal will continue to be maintained in HTML using the current “look and feel”. E-service pages Compliance with the User Experience and Internet Standards is mandatory for development of new web sites where the design of these sites begins after the User Experience and Internet Standards are approved. Conversion of existing e-service applications to the new standards should be planned as part of future system releases.


E-service applications are expected to be 100% compliant with the HTML templates provided by CCSDD. Any exceptions to the standard will need to be approved through an exception process to be published by the Chief Information Office. E-services that do not comply with the standards, and where an exception has not been approved through a formal exception process, may be required to comply. Ministries will be expected to bear the cost of retrofitting e-service applications to comply with the standards.

How the standards were developed The Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications and the User Experience and Internet Standards were delivered by the User Experience Project in February 2002 as a replacement for the 1999 Internet Standards. They were revised in July 2002 to comply with the government’s enterprise portal solution, and again in March 2003 to reflect minor revisions to the “look and feel” requested by ministries. The User Experience Project was initiated by the Chief Information Office. The Executive Sponsor was the Director, Government Enterprise Architecture, Chief Information Office. The User Experience Project included interviews with representatives of the Public Affairs Bureau, B.C. Internet Services, and ministries that had completed or started development of e-service applications.


1 Approval processes and governance Standard 1.1 Governance Framework The roles and responsibilities of central agencies and ministries regarding the management of web sites is documented in “An Internet Management Framework for the Government of British Columbia”, last updated in June 2000. That document focuses on the management of static information sites. It will be replaced by a new governance model which will include the management of transactional dialog web sites (“e-services”). This document will be developed and approved during the Enterprise Portal Implementation Project. Standard 1.2 Strategic communications planning for e-Government initiatives All e-Government initiatives, including services delivered via the Internet, must include a Strategic Communications Plan. The strategic plan must be developed by the ministry in consultation with the Public Affairs Bureau. The plan must include a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, and must indicate what is being proposed in terms of collateral material and marketing (brochures, posters, advertising), promotional activities (news release, launch event, etc.) and cross-web promotional strategies (i.e. will a link to the new service be featured on the B.C. Home page, the ministry view, any of the theme views, "communities of interest" (i.e. business, tourist, citizen) views, etc., as well as on stakeholder or partner's web sites). For e-services in particular, the Chief Information Office will issue directives and CCSDD will provide guidelines and advice regarding the design, development and deployment processes. Through the separate planning process, ministries will be required to indicate how they plan to ensure security and privacy provisions, how authentication and authorization will be supported and how audience services such as a help desk or contact list will be addressed. All of these have an impact on the user experience and must be addressed in the Communications Plan.

Standard 1.3 Content approval process The enterprise portal comprises an enterprise Content Management System(CMS) that will significantly change and streamline the content creation and approval process in each ministry. The communications director of each ministry is responsible for the ministry's content approval process and ensuring it serves e-government objectives. The approval process will be defined in relation to the function and capacity of the enterprise enterprise portal and will include a parallel process for approving content that does not reside in the portal (e.g. content on web pages within an e-service application). Guidelines for this content approval process – which will incorporate current "best practices" – will be developed by the Public Affairs Bureau and CCSDD for use across government. The guidelines will be developed in consultation with ministries.


Standard 1.4 Province of B.C. web site The B.C. Government corporate web site will be maintained through the enterprise portal, and includes the B.C. Government Home Page, the Premier’s Office Web site, the corporate Web site, search features, indexes and directories. These pages will be maintained and operated by CCSDD, with policies and content approved by the Public Affairs Bureau. Standard 1.5 A central registry of web pages and e-services The Ministry of Management Services is responsible for maintaining a central registry of information about each government web site and e-service. The registry will be used: • to support government-wide planning for future web services and policies in new areas such

as electronic commerce. The information collected from each web site will include technical information about the use of database software, forms, applications, commercial transactions, and security restrictions.

• to provide descriptive information needed to index the web sites and e-services for use by corporate search features, indexes and directories within the portal.

Standard 1.6 Security Ministry information systems directors are responsible for security of e-services. The Ministry of Management Services is responsible for the portal security gateway, and the security of content that it hosts. Standard 1.7 Links to databases A publicly accessible web site or e-service may interface with a database. However, the ministry’s information systems director must ensure the security of the ministry’s internal data and applications. Standard 1.8 Tools and templates for information pages and e-service pages Tools for web pages that are inside the portal CCSDD will provide a set of content management tools for creating and updating web content that are integrated with the portal. The tools will embody graphic and layout (“look and feel”) standards, navigation standards, and interfaces with standard utilities. Content for the pages that are inside the portal must be entered through these content management tools. If, during the time of transition (summer/fall 2003), you are required to create new informational web content outside the portal, you must do so as per the current (1998) web design standards and NOT the new design standards.


HTML templates for e-service pages E-service pages reside outside the portal. CCSDD will provide and maintain a set of HTML templates (based on the new design specifications) for e-service pages. Standard 1.9 B.C. Government User IDs and passwords It is the objective of the B.C. Government that a member of the public (whether a business or a person) will be able to obtain a single B.C. Government User ID and password for use in all ministries’ password-protected web sites and e-services. The Chief Information Office will be responsible for government-wide policies regarding the use of B.C. Government User IDs, passwords, and other access features for the public. The Ministry of Management Services will be responsible for developing and maintaining a registry of B.C. Government User IDs, passwords, and related information. Standard 1.10 Payments over the web No ministry may accept payments over the web, e.g. credit card payments or electronic funds transfers, without first obtaining the approval of the Banking and Cash Management Branch, Provincial Treasury. All payments received over the web must employ the application program interfaces provided by the Provincial Treasury, and must comply with all policy directives and standards issued by the Provincial Treasury regarding web payments. Any requests for exceptions to this rule must be directed to the Banking and Cash Management Branch, Provincial Treasury. Standard 1.11 Fees The web is recognized as a potential tool for collecting revenue. New fees and licences are proposed by ministries pursuant to statutes, and they are reviewed by the Ministry of Competition, Science and Enterprise. Fees includes charges for using e-services, and providing information over the web. Existing government policies and/or approval process for collection of revenue apply to internet sites and e-services.


2 Technology standards Standard 2.1 HTML 4.01 Government e-service pages will be developed using the HTML 4.01 standard which is described on the web site of the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/ Browser-specific enhancements to the HTML standard will not be used in government web pages. Standard 2.2 Browser compatibility Government e-service pages must be compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.x and above, and Netscape version 4 and above. Standard 2.3 Securing development and test servers Development and test servers must be secured so that the government search engine will not “spider” (retrieve) information from these sites for inclusion in search results. Standard 2.4 Usage statistics Usage statistics for pages inside the portal will be provided by the tools that are included in the portal software. Usage statistics for e-service applications should be included in the system design, and should monitor system usage, performance statistics, and transaction volumes by transaction type. Standard 2.5 Colour palette To ensure consistent appearance on all browser platforms, graphic elements will use the 216-colour browser safe palette. Colour schemes will follow the standards documented in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. Standard 2.6 Optimization of graphics and photos Graphics and photos must be optimized for speed of loading, using optimization routines available with web authoring tools. GIFs should be in “89A” format with transparent backgrounds. JPEGs should be used for near-photo quality and to support graphics with gradients. (See also section 3.3.)

http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/


Standard 2.7 Use of ALT tags All government web pages must be navigable with text-only browsers, or using browsers with graphics turned off. Use of the ALT tag is mandatory. Standard 2.8 Format of documents intended to be downloaded by the public PDF (Portable Document Format) will be used for downloadable documents that are not intended to be altered by the public. This includes official government documents such as annual reports. If downloadable documents are expected to be modified by the public, they may be provided in other formats such as Microsoft Excel. Files greater than 1 megabyte in size should be split into several documents. The size of all downloadable files should be displayed in the links to these files.

Standard 2.9 No frames or animation Government Web pages must be designed for quick loading given the browsers that are currently in wide use by the public. At present, this means that government Web pages designed to be accessed by the general public must not include frames or animation. Frames that are an existing element of an e-service application are allowed, however, please note 'Standard 3.7 - Accessibility' must still be met. Also refer to ‘Standard 7.2 – Frames’ Standard 2.10 Video and audio files If appropriate to the audience or the program being offered, and with approval by the Public Affairs Branch, video and audio files may be posted on the Web site.

Video Files

Video files must be offered in more than one format, i.e. a low resolution format for users with a modem, or a high resolution format for users with high speed or cable hook up. All of the files should appear with a link to the common media viewers download page located at http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/down/

Video files must be posted in two of the following formats: Real Player, Windows Media, or Quick Time.

For an example, please visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/for/popt/march_26_webcast.htm

Audio Files

The standard file format for audio files is MP3. Go to the Premier's page and click on radio messages as an example. http://www.gov.bc.ca/prem/popt/radio_messages/ . For more information or advice on posting multi-media formats, please contact CCSDD or the Public Affairs Bureau.

http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/down/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/prem/popt/radio_messages/


3 Communications considerations Standard 3.1 Logos B.C. Signature

The B.C. signature is the official, legally-protected mark of the Province of British Columbia. It must appear in the top left-hand corner of the header on all web pages. The B.C. Signature in this location on the web page is also a live link to the B.C. Home page. For pages that are part of an application that are sensitive to the user prematurely leaving the page before they have completed their transaction, it is the responsibility of the specific application to warn the user that they are leaving the directed path and will loose their data. Program Logos Ministries may publish program logos with Web content as part of the body of the page, provided that the logo has been vetted by the Public Affairs Bureau. Ministries should not create other logos or logo graphics for 'distinct' Web sites or e-services. If a ministry or program area wishes to develop a new logo or mark, they must get pre-approval from the Public Affairs Bureau before beginning the development process. An application form is available from the Public Affairs Bureau.

Standard 3.2 Naming of e-services Like the process of determining the appropriate use of logos, the naming of e-services is a communications function. The communications objective is to ensure that the name aptly describes the service and makes the source of the service provider (i.e., the Province of B.C.) clear. Ministries should avoid the use of acronyms and trendy names. The name should be in short, plain language and reflect the e-service's basic function, e.g. "Driver's Licence Renewal Service", "Pension Calculator" or "Land Title Search Service". If it is determined that the e-service requires promotional support, such as a 'branding' exercise, a plan must be developed by the Public Affairs Bureau.

Standard 3.3 Use of photographs, icons and graphics If appropriate to the audience or the program being described, photographs and graphics may be posted on the B.C. government Web site.


Photographs When posting photographs on Web pages please keep in mind your end user. Photographs in general should be in a JPEG or GIF format and optimized to a resolution of 150 pixels so they do not slow down the loading time for your users. (See also section 2.7.) There may be exceptions to the rule where for example, media stakeholders may prefer large high resolution photos (High resolution photos should be between 300-500 pixels and 500 dpi). In such a case, users should be informed of the file size. (Example statement: Photos are in JPEG format and are large high quality files. Photos are intended for print reproduction and may not fit your video display. Download times will depend on the speed of your connection to the Internet.) Graphics All graphics on government Web pages must be approved but the ministry's communications branch. Icons All icons on government Web pages must be approved by the ministry's communications branch.

Standard 3.4 On-line surveys As per the government's operating policy (GMOP 6.2.4.6), the Public Affairs Bureau must be aware of all public opinion surveys being done, including on-line surveys. The bureau can provide advice and assistance in how your on-line survey is designed and presented.

Standard 3.5 Writing for the web and editorial guidelines Every Web page must have correct spelling and grammar. Web content must conform to Canadian Press (CP) Style as the default, or to the ministry's style guide if one is available. Web content, if for the general public, should be in 'plain language' or in the case of content targeted at specialists (lawyers, scientists, social workers) it should be written to be audience appropriate.

Standard 3.6 Non-English web pages Ministries may choose to create non-English content based on the ministry’s business requirements and communication objectives. The Portal database and the enterprise Content Management System can support content not written in English. For content not contained within the Portal database (the web interface for e-service transaction pages), the ministry application development team is responsible for creating and maintaining this content. In either instance, the ministry is responsible for translation services required in this process and must gain prior approval through the Public Affairs Bureau.


Standard 3.7 Accessibility The Province of B.C. supports the guidelines published by the Web Access Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/wai-pageauth.html The Portal is designed to ensure that all content created within the CMS (content management system) is compliant with Priorities 1 and 2 of the WAI. For content not created in the CMS, such as PDFs or content on web pages within an e-service application, ministries are responsible for ensuring compliance or providing a meaningful alternative means of access, such as a telephone number or e-mail contact.


4 Legal clauses Standard 4.1 Copyright and intellectual property clauses The copyright notice on all material appearing on government web sites must state that the copyright belongs to the Government of British Columbia. This requirement will be met where the standard web page footer is used, which links to a standard Copyright page maintained by the Ministry of Management Services. The standard footer is shown in the sample screens in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. If a web site presents material or computer applications where the copyright or intellectual property is not owned by the B.C. Government, the owner and appropriate copyright notice must be identified on the web site. This requirement would be met where the standard web page footer is used, and the Copyright link is associated with a site-specific Copyright or Intellectual Property page (i.e. not the standard B.C. Government Copyright page). For e-service applications, an intellectual property clause would normally be found in the contract between the ministry and the developer. Standard 4.2 Standard disclaimer, privacy and accessibility clauses Web content, including e-service pages, must link to the B.C. Government standard disclaimer, privacy and accessibility clauses maintained by the Ministry of Management Services. This requirement will be met where the standard web page footer is used, which links to standard pages maintained by the Ministry of Management Services. The standard footer is shown in the sample screens in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. Any exceptions to this rule, and any variations in the wording of these clauses, must be approved by the Intellectual Property Program.


5 Links to outside the B.C. Government internet sites Standard 5.1 No links to Intranet or Extranet Links from Internet sites to Intranet or Extranet sites must not be available to the public, unless authorized by the ministry’s information systems director or ministry Chief Information Officer. Standard 5.2 Links to sites outside the B.C. Government A B.C. Government web site or e-service may contain links to the web sites of: • a semi-autonomous agency of the B.C. government (eg. Crown Corporations) • other Canadian provincial governments including Crown Corporations • the Canadian federal government including federal Crown Corporations • key business stakeholders - in which case the approval of the ministry’s Communications

Director is required. Ministries using such links must test them regularly to ensure that the links are not broken and that the linked site continues to be valid.


6 General considerations regarding content Standard 6.1 No advertising No government web site may contain an advertisement for an organization outside the B.C. Government. In particular, web design companies and system developers must not advertise on a government web page. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Public Affairs Bureau. Standard 6.2 No naming web authors or developers No government web site may display a reference, link, credit or other information related to the individuals or companies who have authored or developed a web page or e-service. For example, a web page may not contain a link to a resume, photograph, brochure or similar information about a named government employee or contractor who developed a web page or e-service application. Individuals and companies may be mentioned in intellectual property clauses. See the standards in the “Legal clauses” chapter above. References to individual authors or developers who create and maintain e-service source code may be included in the source code for documentation purposes. Contacts for the public to gain further information or communications, to obtain help in using e-services, or to provide feedback to the ministry regarding specific issues, must be addressed to a job title or a generic e-mail address, e.g. Webmaster@xxxxx or Communications@xxxxxx Standard 6.3 No incomplete or “under construction” pages Web sites must not contain pages that are incomplete, e.g. a header and nothing else, or a link to a page that contains no information. Web pages shall not contain phrases such as “under construction” or “in progress”. Material that is under construction is only permitted on the ministry’s internal development and test sites. “Coming soon” announcements will be permitted if the new item is planned for implementation within one week. In these cases, the date on which the new material will be available must be clearly displayed. If the release date has passed, the page must be removed: ministries may not keep extending the release date. Standard 6.4 No beta software The government’s web sites and e-service applications must be “production sites”. Testing of web-based applications and features must occur on separate controlled-access test sites. Ministries may not present beta applications or pages to the general public.


Features must not be included on internet web sites which require the use of beta level software from a vendor or manufacturer, e.g. plug-ins, applications, browsers, etc. Standard 6.5 Testing is mandatory Every e-service, every web page, every modification, and every link must be tested before being installed on a production web site. Testing must be completed in a separate environment, mirroring the production environment (i.e. the same operating system, server software, database management system, and coded pages). In situations where e-service applications will be tested by stakeholders outside government, the selected and named beta testers must have controlled access to the test application through individual passwords and possibly other methods of control. Testing should ensure: • compliance with the standards described in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for

e-service applications • no broken links • compliance with the HTML 4.01 standard by validating the HTML code through the World

Wide Web Consortium’s HTML 4.01 validator at http://validator.w3.org/ • compliance with standards for accessibility as identified in Standard 3.7 - Accessibility • readability when using the standard-level browsers (Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, and

Netscape 4.0 and above) • completion of the formal testing and validation process for internet payment interfaces, as

required by the Provincial Treasury.


7 Screen layout Standard 7.1 Standard layouts E-service applications must use the layouts shown on the sample screens in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. This rule refers to the following features of the sample screens: • Number of columns • Banners and headers • Page titles • Use of graphics and logos • Navigation features • Buttons • Mandatory fields • Fonts • Colour schemes • Display of error messages. The body content of these sample screens is intended to illustrate fonts, placement of content elements such as data entry fields, and use of different types of data entry fields such as drop-down lists and radio buttons. The body content is not intended to be copied literally into e-service applications. Standard 7.2 Frames It is recognized that some web applications require frames to control layout and loading of different screen elements. An example would be the ArcIMS applications that include frames for map navigation. Web pages which use frames must comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines. An alternative method of accessing the information (e.g. by phoning a Help line) must be provided to accommodate users for whom frames are inaccessible. Standard 7.3 Look and feel, and navigation The design and navigation of e-services developed outside the portal must be in accordance with the standards described in Guidelines for designing screens and dialogs for e-service applications. The design and navigation of pages in the portal must be in accordance with the portal’s content management tools provided by CCSDD. Web pages, other than e-service pages, which are outside the portal will comply with the B.C. Government’s standard look and feel that was in effect before the portal software was implemented. Ministries shall not convert their HTML information pages to the new portal look and feel. Information pages may only be converted to the portal look and feel by fully integrating them into the portal.


8 Field types Standard 8.1 Radio buttons Radio buttons are used where the given choices are mutually exclusive, i.e. the user may only select one choice. If the choice is significant, such as a choice that determines legal liability, none of the radio buttons should be selected by default, i.e. the user should be required to make a conscious choice. Here is an example:

Simple choices such as “yes/no” can be presented as a row or column of radio buttons. However, if the choices contain more explanatory text within each choice, as shown in the “Future Effective Date” choices below, the choices should be clearly indicated with an [a], [b] style of numbering and the word OR placed prominently between the choices:

Standard 8.2 Check boxes Check boxes are used when the user is allowed to select more than one of the given choices. For example:


Standard 8.3 Placement of field labels As shown in the examples below, field labels may be placed • above the data entry field, OR • left-aligned, at the left of the data entry field, OR • right-aligned, at the left of the data entry field. The field labels must be followed by a colon. The placement of field labels must be consistent on all the screens within an e-service. Field labels above the data entry field:

Field labels left-aligned, at the left of the data entry field:

Field labels right-aligned, at the left of the data entry field:

Standard 8.4 Mandatory fields Mandatory fields will be indicated with a red asterisk preceding the field label, as illustrated in the two examples below:

Standard 8.5 Error messages A page that contains error messages will display the words “See Errors Below” in the page heading area. Error messages will appear in red below the fields in error. The error message will be preceded by a standard error icon (a circle containing an “X”). An error message may include a link to “More” which would invoke the context-sensitive Help pop-up window.


An error message should not simply tell the user that the data is in error. It should tell the user what he must do to correct the error, e.g. “The Effective Date must be a future date”.

Standard 8.6 Tab controls Tab controls may be used on e-service screens as illustrated below. The tab name will be displayed in blue for the selected (active) section, and gray for the non-active sections.


9 Standard formats for common data types Standard 9.1 Show the format in the field label For common data types, show the required format in the field label if space permits. Use “eg.” or “e.g.” followed by an example: Date of birth (eg. Jan 5 1957):

Time (eg. 6:16 p.m.):

Amount (eg. $35000.00):

Postal Code (eg. V6A 3V6):

Phone (eg. 604-555-6666):

Fax (eg. 604-555-8888):

E-mail address (eg. [email protected])

Standard 9.2 Date Standard format for data entry The standard format for date fields is shown below. Drop-down lists are used because they reduce data entry errors. • The month drop-down list will have 3-character months without punctuation. • The day drop-down list will have the number of days in the given month (30 or 31) and 29

for February. • The year drop-down list should have 10 years, or a number of years that makes sense in the

context of the e-service.

Variation Drop-down lists for years may not be appropriate where there is a wide range of years (e.g. birth dates). Therefore a text field may be used for the year, as shown below:


Calendar icon The user will also be able to enter dates by clicking on a calendar. CCSDD will provide a standard calendar icon and application. Standard formats for display Dates may be displayed in the following formats on public web pages: Date Type Format Example Usage Long alphanumeric month d, yyyy February 7, 2003 Preferred. Short alphanumeric mmm d, yyyy Feb 7, 2003 Acceptable where space is limited. Numeric ccyy mm dd 2002 07 23 For display of numeric lists.

Standard 9.3 Time Preferred format The preferred format for time fields is shown below. A drop-down list and radio buttons are used because they reduce data entry errors. The time drop-down list will have hours 1:00 through 12:00, all with minutes “00”. The a.m. and p.m. indicators are required for the 12-hour clock. If the web application decides the time zone, it should be displayed as “Pacific Time” or “PT”. If the user is allowed to decide the time zone, it should be a drop-down box that defaults to “Pacific Time” or “PT”.

Variations The Ministry may choose to use a 24-hour clock without the a.m. and p.m. indicators.


If the user is allowed to enter minutes other than “00”, the following format may be used:

Standard 9.4 Dollar amounts Standard format The standard format for dollar amount fields is shown below. The field should allow the user to enter the amount with or without commas. Amounts must be displayed with commas. If the user enters an amount without decimal fields, the cents should be assumed to be “.00”.

Variation If the user is allowed to enter different currencies, the dollar sign may be omitted and a “Currency” drop-down box may follow the amount field.

Standard 9.5 Telephone and fax numbers Standard format The standard formats for telephone and fax numbers are shown below. Minor variations of these layouts are permitted to fit within the space on the screen, e.g. the word “Extension” may be abbreviated as “Ext.”. The user should be allowed to enter the 7-digit phone number with or without the dash.


Variation If only British Columbia area codes are allowed, the area code field may be a drop-down box containing “250” and “604”. Standard 9.6 Addresses Addressing standard The B.C. Government’s standard for entry and display of addresses will be the Mailing and Delivery Address Data Standards written by the Data Administration Forum (DAF) which is a sub-committee of the Advisory Council on Information Management (AC/IM). The Standards document is available on the CIO’s web site at http://www.cio.gov.bc.ca/prgs/IM.htm Standard format for simple addresses The standard address format will consist of: • 4 address lines first address line is mandatory • city mandatory • province or state drop-down list; default to BC • postal or zip code mandatory if restricted to Canada and U.S.; optional otherwise • country mandatory. The fields may be arranged vertically with one field per line, or with more than one field per line as shown in the example below.


Variations More complex address formats may be used if required by the e-service. Address formats should comply with the DAF standard referenced above. Standard 9.7 Personal names Standard fields The standard name will consist of the fields: • Surname • First name • Middle name. Ministries may choose to implement the standard field lengths used by the Ministry of Health to register new-born infants: Surname has a maximum length of 35 characters. The First Name, Second Name and Third Name each have a maximum length of 15 characters. Variations If required by the e-service, the name may have the following fields: • Surname • First name • Second name • Third name OR • Surname • First name • Second name or initial. Other variations many also be used if required by the e-service. Standard 9.8 Declarative statements Where the user is required to confirm or declare something, use a checkbox with a declarative statement that refers to the person’s identification information entered elsewhere on the form. For example:

The box must not be checked by default.

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