Web redesign

A website can start to feel tired. Sometimes the trouble sits in one form, one menu or one missing page.

Start with the people who use the site

The GOV.UK Service Manual is guidance for teams who design government services. The Service Manual tells teams to start by learning about the people who will use a service. It says a team that does not understand who they are, or what they need, cannot build the right thing.

It names three ways to learn. A team can review the evidence it already has, such as analytics, search logs and call centre data. It can interview and watch actual or likely users. It can also talk to the staff and others who work with those users.

The manual says opinions and suggestions that do not come from users should be treated as assumptions. Research then has to prove them.

It also tells teams to focus on users who have problems with the service, or who struggle to get the right outcome from it.

Watch people try a task

The Service Manual calls this moderated usability testing. A researcher watches people try to complete specific tasks on the service.

The researcher asks them to think aloud as they go. The manual says this helps the researcher understand what they are doing, thinking and feeling.

It says a team can use this method to learn about problems with an existing service. A team can see whether users understand what they need to do. The team can also find specific problems, such as with the wording or the layout.

The manual says a session usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

It says a good task sets a clear goal and feels believable to the person trying it. It also says a good task gives no hint at how to complete it.

During a session, the manual suggests the researcher stays quiet and mostly watches and listens. Before any tasks, the researcher tells the person that it is the service being tested.

Who to ask

The Service Manual says the people taking part must be actual or likely users of the service.

It says a round of interviews or usability tests typically has between 4 and 8 people.

It names several ways to find them. A team can invite existing users, work with a charity or community group, or use a research recruitment agency.

The manual advises teams to avoid using their own staff to test the public parts of a service. It says their knowledge and experience can lead them to use it in a very different way.

It also asks teams to include disabled people and people with limited digital skills.

Ask how it went

The Service Manual says tracking satisfaction lets a team find out what users think of a service. It also shows which parts of the service cause them problems.

The manual says users should be able to give feedback from any page, for example through a link in the footer of every page.

It says the feedback form should at least ask an open question about how to improve the service.

It also suggests trying to hear from people who leave part way through. The manual says they are likely to have important insights about what to improve.

The manual says tracking satisfaction in this way helps a team decide what to improve.

What Google Search shows

Google offers Search Console as a free service. Google says it helps people monitor, maintain and troubleshoot their site's presence in Google Search results.

Its reports show how often a site appears in Google Search and which searches show it. They also show how often people click through to the site.

Google says site owners can receive alerts when Google finds indexing, spam or other issues on their site.

Google says anyone using Search Console needs a Google account and a recent web browser.

A first look at accessibility

The W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative publishes a set of Easy Checks. The W3C says they help people start to assess the accessibility of a web page.

It says the checks are designed for anyone who can use the web, and need little knowledge or skill. It also says most of them can be done in any web browser.

The checks look at the page title, text alternatives for images, headings and colour contrast. They also cover text resizing, keyboard access, forms, and alternatives for video and audio.

The W3C says the checks cover just a few accessibility issues. It says a fuller assessment is needed to evaluate accessibility completely.

Useful links