Tech support
Labour MP Tom Watson’s been promoted to the Cabinet Office in the recent reshuffle. He has some responsibility for government technology projects and is canvassing for ideas on his blog. Who knows if he’ll listen but the forum’s there, on the record.
If it were down to me I’d pretty much scrap nearly all government websites and start again. The Hansard site, for instance, is a disgrace, considering it’s the central repository for the record of our democracy. Have you tried using its advance search feature? It’s unbelievably awful and next to useless. TheyWorkForYou shows how it should be done.
In the meantime, there are plenty of tweaks that the existing sites could be given to at least give the visitor a little more confidence. At the minute, as I said in a piece for Liberal Conspiracy a little while back, the casual browser is very likely being put off at the outset and the serious information seeker needs tenacity bordering on monomania.
Not good for a government paying lip service to greater public engagement in the political process.
Posted on February 1st, 2008 at 12:57am under Eye Catching Initiatives, New Labour, Science and progress
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• 1 Comment |
Not good for a government paying lip service to greater public engagement in the political process.
You couldn’t be more wrong Justin. It’s perfect for a government paying lip service to greater public engagement, but who actually don’t want it in practice.
I was a subcontractor on several government websites. I could tell you stories of bureaucratic incompetence that would turn your hair white. And perhaps worse, the systems set up by private firms and contractors to exploit that incompetence and drain huge sums from the public purse.
That these sites work at all is damn near miraculous.