UK government websites fail to meet user experience standards

VisibleThread, after analysing up to 300 pages on each GOV.UK website, found that 92% of Central Government and 66% of Local Governments sites do not meet the recommended readability standards, lowering their user experience.

Writing for GOV.UK guide

“Two years ago, UK government recognised the need to communicate clearly and took the significant step of publishing its comprehensive ‘Writing for GOV.UK guide’. Our analysis demonstrates that there has been no uniform adoption of these crucial guidelines,” said Fergal McGovern, CEO of Visible Thread. “With few exceptions, poor communications on Government websites continue to confuse readers and lead to increased customer support costs.”

The matter of not implementing their own guidelines and their websites lacking in clarity across the board not only reduces user experience, but increases costs. It’s cost beneficial to improve clarity and communication on websites, as clarity allows citizens to complete error-free operations online; cutting out costly alternatives such as telephone or face-to-face interactions in order to solve their problems.

‘Make The Web Accessible’

In similar news, People for Research has launched a new campaign called ‘Make The Web Accessible’ in order to promote digital accessibility.

And with an estimated 400 million disabled people accessing the internet worldwide, it is increasingly important to test all websites and apps for full accessibility.

The organisation is aiming to encourage all British firms to pay more attention to accessibility for people with disabilities when testing new digital products and services, and if they do so, it can only increase their consumer’s user experience.

Companies can get involved with the campaign by using the hashtag #MakeTheWebAccessible.

 

Written by Jordan Platt.

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