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Content Definition - Research Findings and Recommendations - Victoria Online Project (RS-17)

Version 1.0 - 10 January 2002

1. Executive Summary

1.1 Purpose

This project was commissioned to define the State, Local and Federal Government, Business and Community content, links and associated owners and business rules for the development of the Victorian Online Gateway (VOG) Project. The project provides final recommendations on content needed to support the requirements identified in the Service Pack, Consumer and Best Practice research; identify content gaps, means of filling them and content issues, and assist in aligning the content needs of the related inter-dependent Victorian Online Gateway research.

The primary objectives of the Content Definition product are to:

• Provide a citizen-centric focus - through the delivery of greatly enhanced and extended content, based upon customer needs and interests.
• Inform the portal Tender Specification - Identifying the scope of the content and links on the portal, as well as assisting in the definition of technical and business capabilities required in the tools that manage the content/links.
• Inform business processes and maintenance requirements - For ongoing content identification, maintenance and management.
• Inform the Design - Defining the features and functionality that will be required in the interface and how they will operate.

1.2 Research dates

Research was undertaken from November to December 2001.

1.3 Assumptions

There are a number of assumptions that can be made with respect to the Gateway portal that will be delivered at launch, based on other Victorian Online Gateway research findings. It is assumed that the Gateway portal will:

• Make extensive use of metadata to best describe online resources and links and aid discovery.
• Adopt a hybrid model of metadata control where departments create and submit metadata, and Gateway can accept and approve.
• Be primarily an aggregator of content / links that resides elsewhere.
• Provide relevant content from all three tiers of government.
• Import the metadata repositories of other entities and also provide a degree of non-government content. (content = Government Plus)
• Have a central Site Administration team
• Offer a G2C directory of departments and agencies
• Incorporate or integrate Multi-service Express
• Have a system to control approvals, archiving, expiry and remote authoring.
• Not have the ability to directly manage online transactions.
• Likely offer personalisation and customisation
• Need a system or process to ensure it stays customer focussed
• Be a Key Service Point (KSP) within the Commonwealth GOVERNET framework

1.4 Key recommendations

A summary of the recommendations and actions for content and links needed to support the requirements of a Gateway portal are provided below. For a detailed discussion of content definition recommendations see Section 4: Recommendations and action items.

1.4.1 Content management & maintenance

• Establish Content Reference Group immediately to oversee in an ongoing role the content acquisition, content management and delivery.
• Nominate a metadata manager from key departments/agencies.
• Assign Victorian Government or Victorian Online Gateway content owners to ensure minimum features for launch of the Gateway portal.
• Enter negotiations early for third party features.
• Develop metadata authoring guidelines, quality control and training requirements for content owners.
• Develop or adopt functionality for government and non-government users in remote areas to register links and changes to metadata via an online process.
• Develop or adopt a subject/keyword list (thesaurus) for use in the AGLS "subject" field.
• Continue discussions with MAV and local councils to more fully integrate local government content.
• Establish the information architect/ manager role.
• Implement the system for content link maintenance.
• Evaluate a sophisticated web analysis tool & investigate eCRM data collection.

1.4.2 Content architecture

1.4.2.1 Government links

• Build on the Online Requirements Review content audit with an audit of all Victorian Government website metadata.
• Create a metadata database of AGLS metadata and metadata extensions currently being used.
• Conduct focus group testing on Level 1 categories and Level 2 topics.
• Map the content and links in the metadata database to the navigational structure of the Gateway portal.
• Identify minimum set of links for launch of the Gateway.

1.4.2.2 Non-Government links

• Conduct user focus group research of the community's acceptance of the provision of a mix of government and non-government links.
• Include functionality for remote registration of links/metadata in the system.
• Provide both self-registered business links and third party business links under the Business category.
• Ensure community content is highly accessible via a top-level "Community" category.
• Conduct a feasibility study to determine the requirement for a Victorian Community Channel.
• Map VICNET community content against the second level community topics in the Victorian Online Gateway Site Structure and liaise with VICNET for further integration and/or cross-referencing.
• Include community links as part of Service Packs trials.

1.4.3 Content Access

• Adopt presentation layer based on a maximum of 3 levels of links.
• Conduct user testing of all content and link text.
• Adopt W3C AA level of content accessibility requirements.
• Support links with 'mouseover' information explaining the information behind the link.
• Conduct user testing and define best practice search functionality and search results presentation.
• Adopt the facility to manipulate search results according to site usage and search patterns.
• Adopt presentation of links as icons identifying federal, state, local, community or business links.
• Comply with governance policy, privacy, disclaimer, copyright and last updated information.
• Document the presentation layer templates.

1.4.4 Features

For a detailed discussion of features recommended for the Gateway see Section 3.1.2 - Homepage elements.

• Adopt best practice Benchmarking Study site features.
• Adopt 'My Gateway' minimum personalisation for launch.
• Identify a number of community Service Packs.
• Evaluate customer group features for user acceptance.
• Link to a live news feed available from the homepage.
• Link to a live weather feed available from the homepage.
• Include the Top 10 most popular links accessible from the homepage.
• Include a GIS/postcode view from the homepage.
• Link to LOTE resources from the homepage.
• Link to Multi-service Express transactions from the homepage and 2nd level pages.
• Link to Victorian major and minor events calendar from the homepage.
• Link to What's New information in government from the homepage.
• Link to Feedback form from the homepage.
• Link to Have Your Say form from the homepage.
• Include a link to a contact phone number.
• Build an internal G2C directory to aggregate all government contact information.
• Develop an email subscription facility and policy and procedures for managing the service.
• Investigate requirements for a Call Centre to support the Gateway.

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Reports

It is the intention of the Victorian Online Gateway project team to make available individual report findings and recommendations for appropriate use by other government organisations. Materials may be downloaded and printed with applicable copyright and other notices included. Any other use including copying, modifying, displaying or transmitting of the content of these reports requires the prior written permission of the Executive Director of Multimedia Victoria.

The Content Definition Report is available word97 format (7mb)

The Content Definition – Site Content Analysis presentation dated 14 January 2002 is available in pdf format (2.78mb) (This document requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Last updated: 28 February 2006

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