Archive for 'coi'
New data reveals gov web spend, usage & satisfaction
There's a huge amount of information to digest in COI's 'Reporting on progress: government websites 2009-10', published this morning. It lists, for virtually every government department, an assessment of staff numbers, staff and non-staff spending, page views and unique users, and where available, outcomes of user surveys, and assessments of accessibility and standards compliance. Inevitably, [...] read on »
Commentable Coalition plan
Out of the blue last week, I got a call from COI: was I available for an immediate, rapid turnaround WordPress job? I was a bit startled, and detail was lacking; but since this was precisely the kind of rapid-response thinking I've been trying to foster around WordPress for a couple of years, I couldn't [...] read on »
Our emergency theme helps Defra relaunch
The biggest surprise about the transition to the new coalition administration is how few surprises there actually were. A quick tour of the departmental websites reveals, for the most part, the exact same websites that were there before - albeit a little lighter on content, and with new faces in the About Us section. It's [...] read on »
Will COI publish its raw! data! now!?
I've seen a few ripples of excitement at the news that ABCe is to act 'as a sole third party to independently validate the figures generated by an audit of government websites, in the largest project of its kind to date', with 'COI [to] publish comprehensive figures on the cost quality and use of government [...] read on »
The open source answer to website auditing
I wrote the other week about 'the implications of free': how the widespread availability of high-quality technology changed the rules when it comes to project management. Another example struck me today, around COI's ongoing consultation on improving government websites. There's a lengthy section on measuring website usage, with detailed proposals around the new requirement for [...] read on »
The implications of free
I'm in the early stages of spec'ing up a new site build. The client helpfully provided a wireframe sketch of the homepage, which included - deep breath - a news ticker. And for the first time in living memory, I haven't recoiled in horror. In fact, I'm quite happy to give it to them. Previously, [...] read on »
COI browser guidelines: consultation works!
The final version of COI's browser testing guidelines have emerged, and it's simply wonderful to see a shorter, tighter, more standards-centric document than the draft I reviewed back in September. In fact, looking down my bullet-list of specific recommended changes, all of them seem to have gone into the final document. Cool. The revised document [...] read on »
COI's contradictory rules on browsers
Timely, given the release of Google Chrome, and the reopening of the Browser Wars: COI has just issued a consultation document, five months in gestation, on browser standards for public sector websites. Its 15 pages can essentially be boiled down to the following, based on an intriguing 2% rule of thumb: 17. Browsers used by [...] read on »
COI's instant response to RSS request – blimey!
I'm pinching myself. Wednesday, 08:30am: Justin Kerr-Stevens makes a request via OPSI's Public Sector Information Unlocking Service. A couple of dozen people sign up to say 'good idea'. A few people (me included) add some more substantial comments. Fast forward two days to Friday, 12:32pm: COI publishes details of RSS feeds for (virtually) every Cabinet-level [...] read on »