It’s a common knowledge that government websites are difficult to create and often does not meet the standards set by the modern businesses and companies that build magnificent websites for their users. However, some government websites are created beautifully as well and they are proof that the above statement is not always true.
The best government websites in the world focus on being practical, simple, fast and adaptable. And these top 10 government websites have done just that.
List of Top 10 Government Websites
As mentioned, some government websites have broken the myth that government sites do not meet user standards, and these are the sites that can claim to be the perfect examples of how a government website should be designed.
- UK at the United Kingdom is widely praised for its simple design, clear content, search engine optimization strategy, the agility of the corporate team, and the merger of hundreds of government websites.
- Research and user testing have vastly improved the portal, gov.au of Australia, which assisted the e-Government program ranked second in the UN e-government rankings in 2014.
- The Government website of Hong Kong, HK is known as vibrant, exciting and not at all a website of a strong government. It is known for its accessibility; There are 10 languages in total: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Indonesian, Nepalese, Tagalog, Pakistani, Thai and Vietnamese.
- The recently redesigned nz is very easy to use with large fonts and no official badges. A lot of user testing and feedback guided the decision of the designer.
- Singapore’s gov.sg is similar to a simple search engine, but when tests show that many users prefer to use simple tags to help them find information, they added Category tag. Its excellent comment options also encourage citizen participation.
- no is an elegant and simple online service portal with basic themes listed on the left, inviting users to sign up for SMS and an eye-catching search box.
- South Korea’s long-term leader provides go.kr, which stands out with icons and cartoons that reflect the national culture in its visual and design language.
- While meeting the highest usability standards, gov provides a quality service for citizens, syncing with social media, providing email alerts, YouTube videos, and a full agent catalog, while constantly adjusting its simplified presentation and responsive design according to users.
- gov, the official website for the Internal revenue services of the United States has a very high page visit and user retention rate. This is primarily due to the easy and effective way information is categorized over there. It’s really easy to find information over there.
- The official website of California, gov is another great example of a successful government website. It’s quite well-designed, colorful, and users can find relevant information easily.
Design Features of Successful Government Websites
The winning design features of these sites led us to suggest these cornerstones of successful government websites. They are:
- A large, eye-catching search bar is a key part of any user interaction. A well-defined search bar not only helps in navigation but also helps users to search for information they are looking for easily.
- A significant trend shows that successful government websites limit the number of links on the home page to the most popular topics. This is to ensure that the visitors do not get overly confused and be able to get to the most important pages easily. This also makes sure that the search engines understand which of the pages contain the most valuable information.
- Group topics by user interest, not just by organizational structure. This is again keeping in mind the user experience of the website. When the users get to view the content according to their interests and requirements, the user experience and retention automatically increases.
- Use icons instead of images so users can find information. Images often can be confusing. So, using appropriate icons can make things much simpler for users which lead them to stay on the website much longer than they intend to.
- Responsive design makes the site accessible on mobile devices. As more and more people tend to access the internet from handheld mobile devices, responsible design is a must.
- The best government websites provide content in multiple languages, so that users do not face any difficulty or barrier in accessing the content.
These are the top 10 government websites in the world and the features that make them special. In general, a good design and the ease of access decides how successful a government website will be. If you are looking to build high-quality government websites, you can always turn to us for the best designs and great usability.
