Usability in Government Systems

User Experience Design for Citizens and Public Servants

Edited by

Elizabeth Buie, Principal Consultant, Luminanze Consulting, LLC, Silver Spring MD, USA
Dianne Murray, HCI / Usability Consultant and General Editor, Interacting with Computers, Elsevier , Teddington, UK

As a usability specialist or interaction designer working with the government, or as a government or contractor professional involved in specifying, procuring, or managing system development, you need this book. Editors Elizabeth Buie and Dianne Murray have brought together over 30 experts to outline practical advice to both usability specialists and government technology professionals and managers.

Working with internal and external government systems is a unique and difficult task because of of the sheer magnitude of the audience for external systems (the entire population of a country, and sometimes more), and because of the need to achieve government transparency while protecting citizens privacy.. Open government, plain language, accessibility, biometrics, service design, internal vs. external systems, and cross-cultural issues, as well as working with the government, are all covered in this book.

Audience
Usability/UX specialists and interaction designers working with the government; government and contractor professionals involved in specifying, procuring, or managing system developments.

Buy this

Paperback, 440 Pages

Published: May 2012

Imprint: Morgan Kaufmann

ISBN: 978-0-12-391063-9

Reviews

"These engaging stories from UX pros in governments worldwide will inform and inspire anyone who's switched on by improving the customer experience of digital government. Heres the history and a candid look at what we face in making online government services useful, usable, and accessible."
-Nicole Burton, User Experience Evangelist, U.S. General Services Administration, Manager, First Fridays Product Testing Program
"Those of us who work on the design, development, or management of government websites or systems have had a gap on our bookshelves that has needed filling for government focused UX. This book fills that gap with global expertise with breadth and depth from proven experts from a good mix of academic and practitioner insights. This book, once read, will be kept with easy reach for reference sharing the richness of knowledge with others to improve the systems and services government provides for use."
-Thomas Vander Wal, InfoCloud Solutions
"Written and edited by respected names in usability from industry and academia around the world, this comprehensive and focused book belongs on the shelf of everyone involved in the development of government software systems of any kind from public facing web sites to military and emergency response systems."
-Deborah J. Mayhew, Deborah J. Mayhew & Associates
"This is a very well researched and documented work that is imbued with wonderful storytelling. It goes to the heart of the changes and demands affecting governments across the globe due to implementing e-government and Gov 2.0. Elizabeth and Dianne did a wonderful job in chronicling this modern day revolution."
-Alan W. Silberberg, founding CEO of Silberberg Innovations, and Gov20LA
"Usability in Government Systems makes an important contribution to a field that deserves more attention. We must ensure that government is easily accessible and understandable for all Americans."
- Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-08)

Introduction
Chapter 1: A Brief History of User Experience in Government Systems
PART I: Public-facing Systems
Introduction
Chapter 2: Usability of Public Web Sites
Chapter 3: Usability and Government 2.0
Chapter 4: UX of Transactions
Chapter 5: Privacy and the Citizen
PART II: Internal Systems
Introduction
Chapter 6: Usability in Defense Systems
Chapter 7: Emergency Response in Simulated Terrorist Attacks
Chapter 8: National Critical Infrastructures
Chapter 9: Legislative Drafting Systems
PART III: UX Issues Common to Both Public and Internal Systems
Introduction
Chapter 10: Content Strategy
Chapter 11: Plain Language in Government
Chapter 12: Ensuring Accessibility for People with Disabilities
Chapter 13: Mobile Access
Chapter 14: User Issues in Security
Chapter 15: Usability of Biometric Systems
PART IV: Procurement and Development
Introduction
Chapter 16: Getting UX into the Contract
Chapter 17: ISO Standards for User-Centered Design and the Specification of Usability
Chapter 18: User-centered Requirements Definition
Chapter 19: Models as Representations for Supporting the
Development of e-Procedures
Chapter 20: Evaluation in Government Environments
Chapter 21: Adapting e-Gov Usability Evaluation to Cultural Contexts
PART V: Wider Considerations
Introduction
Chapter 22: Design for Policymaking
Chapter 23: Service Design and Channel Shifting
Chapter 24: UX and e-Democracy in Asia
Closing Thoughts
Resources, Glossary & Acronyms

Usability in Government Systems

Reviews

Contents