citizensinformation.ie:Case Study
Background
OASIS, the Irish Government's public service information portal, was set up in 2001 and was an immense success. In 2006, there were over 2.5 million unique visitors. The decision to rename the site was designed to make a clearer connection between the physical Citizens Information Centres (there are over 200) and the Citizens Information Phone Service (CIPS). The new site, renamed www.citizensinformation.ie, takes the place of the existing site as well as Comhairle’s online Citizens Information Database (CIDB). Open Interface were engaged by Comhairle (now the Citizens Information Board) to ensure that the new site was as accessible and as easy to use as possible.
Services Rendered
- Accessibility Audit
- Visual Design
- HTML and CSS Template Development
- Information Architecture
- User Testing
- Wireframe Prototyping
- Accessibility Consulting
Goals
The new site was developed by Propylon using Plone CMS (Content Management System). One of the challenges with the new site was integrating the complex information from the Citizens Information Database (CIDB) with the simple structures used on OASIS. The new portal had a broader audience than OASIS and had to provide a rich resource for both the general public, for people working in the Citizens Information Centres and for information providers in the voluntary sector.
Our Solution
We worked with Comhairle to develop an Information Architecture for the new site that built upon the previous sucesses of the OASIS site, yet provided routes to new functionality and richer information resources from the CIDB. We developed wire-frame prototypes and designed the look and feel of the new site to provide an engaging and inclusive website for all visitors. Finally, we built highly accessible templates that were integrated into the Plone CMS.
Once built, we put the site through its paces - multiple accessibility audits, evaluations and user testing with a panel of users aged from 16 to 60, from all walks of life, private citizens and public servants. The new site was launched, with a co-ordinated media campaign, in late October 2006.
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