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Gov.uk and other websites have usability requirements beyond most people's worst nightmares because unlike the social media platform du jour, people do not have
by amptorn 10y ago
Gov.uk and other websites have usability requirements beyond most people's worst nightmares because unlike the social media platform du jour, people do not have the option of just not using the website. Even if you want to file your tax return using a paper form or over the form, you need to request the form or find out the phone number somehow, which means visiting the site. And for many, the web is the most accessible way to do what they need to do.
So this means not supporting IE8 flat-out isn't an option. Not supporting blind users is not an option. Not supporting 95-year-old users is not an option. Bells and whistles, distractingly flashy designs, any use of JavaScript without a fallback.
Weirdly, the result is a very clean, professional, usable website. It's amazing!
- lmm 10y agohttp://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ http://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ is exceedingly accessible and clean, and IMO a pretty professional design (if we disregard the content). All too often "design" ends up making things worse rather than better.
- Semiapies 10y agoEye-straining gray-on-gray text is not an option, either, etc. It's an excellent effort.
- ddorian43 10y agoYes and they don't use mobile apps (like some shitty govs do) but just plain websites.
- kristianc 10y agoThis - and also before GDS, each of the different government departments had their own stack, their own design standards, and their own verification systems. This would even apply to the hundreds of different local authorities. GDS has done an amazing job cleaning up the mess, and open sourcing a lot of it, within a government culture that is very resistant to change.