A very positive Telegraph piece about Alphagov includes what, for many people, will be the first sight of a ‘proper’ screenshot:
That screenshot shows several elements which, from what I’ve seen so far, define the Alphagov approach. You’ll note the lack of Home Office/IPS (who? exactly) branding, the absolute prominence of search, the no-nonsense language, and for me the best idea of all, the expectation-setting elements on the right. How often have you sat down to complete an online transaction, only to realise it’s going to take forever, or that you need some crucial document which you don’t have handy? There’s also a tantalising reference to ‘location not set’ – which hints at geo-targeted information?
I’ve seen various Alphagov delivery deadlines mentioned, but now the Telegraph has printed 9 May (straight after purdah), I guess that’s fairly set in stone now.
Response
Pretty exciting. Not sure what you have against branding an online service though? If there was a big piece of Home Office branding in the top right hand corner, you’d know who to call and interact with if you have a question about this screen which isn’t answered by the content; say, if the Home Office already sent your passport but it got ‘lost or stolen’ in the post. Cheers