user experience in government: tales from oz

User experience in Government:

Tales from OzRuth Ellison

Yahoo!3 November 2008

Who’s Ruth?Love food & photography

(check out my flickr stream....)

Where do I live?

Work in Federal Government in Canberra

Embedded UX person Consultant at Stamford

Interactive

3 key UX presentation topics

Australian Government culture & trends

Challenges in Australian Government

Accessibility

Australian Government is very diverse

Websites based on Government silos and

structures

Let’s look at an example...Having a baby

May involve... Centrelink – Baby Bonus payment Family Assistance Office – child care

benefit, Maternity Immunisation Allowance Medicare – immunisation, Medicare card

Child Support Agency State’s birth, death and marriages More???

Information discovery is a challenge

People aren’t going to Government websites to be entertained

Citizen interaction with Government is changing

People become part of the political process

User experience isn’t just for clients & customers...it’s just as critical for staff

There is no perfect world

Funding and timing often constrains what UX activities that can be undertaken

Love it or hate it – politics is every where

Government is very artefact

heavy

Legislation can be a challenge

Risk adverse

4 year cycle

Amount of money

Time

ABS survey in 2003….

20% of Australians have a disability 15% accident or injury 14% disease, illness or heredity 11% working conditions, work or over-

work

Slowly but surely...increasing

awareness of accessibility

Websites need to be accessible under the Disability

Discrimination Act 1992

No centralised accessibility fund in many

cases

Purchasing decisions Customised versus off-the-shelf Accessibility requirements in tender

processes

Integrated approach to usability and accessibility needed from the start

Be pragmatic

Be politically savvy

Be passionate

Questions or need more info?

Ruth EllisonEmail: ruthe@stamfordinteractive.com.auPhone: +612 6280 7834Mobile: +61423 763 314

@ruthellison

@ruthellison

Find Stamford at www.stamfordinteractive.com.auFind me at www.ruthellison.comSee this presentation at www.slideshare.net/RuthEllison

Credits:Most photos from istockphoto.com

Thanks to Caronne Carruthers-Taylor, and Stamford workmates for brain power!