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3*HPW Creative Services | Workbook 1 RI.gov Creative Services / Web Design We would be delighted to work with your agency on your Web site. Whether we are re-designing your agency’s current site or creating one from scratch, we will work with you to develop a site that is pleasing to the eye, easy to use, meets the needs of your users and your agency, and complies with state and industry standards for accessibility for the disabled. The RI.gov team brings eGovernment experience and expertise to every project, including graphic design, information architecture, usability, accessibility for the disabled, and multimedia. RI.gov’s web design process is designed to meet the following goals: • • • • • Evaluate Agency needs Emphasize usability, with a focus on the citizen and business audience Design high-quality graphics and layouts Ensure compatibility with multiple browsers and platforms Meet accessibility standards established by W3C and the State of Rhode Island policy Design Experience RI.gov has extensive experience with Web site design for state and local government. RI.gov has designed, developed and currently maintains the RI.gov portal and has designed dozens of Rhode Island agency Web sites and interactive applications for state and local government. RI.gov is run by New England Interactive (NEI). Past site designs by RI.gov include: Governor Carcieri http://www.governor.ri.gov/ Lt. Governor Fogarty http://www.ltgov.ri.gov/ Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles http://www.dmv.ri.gov/ Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs http://www.dea.ri.gov/ Rhode Island State Council on the Arts http://www.arts.ri.gov/ Rhode Island Department of Emergency Management http://www.riema.ri.gov/ Rhode Island State Police http://www.risp.ri.gov/ 2 Services Available through RI.gov • Logo design • Web design • Site architecture/navigation • Accessibility • Usability • Custom illustrations/graphics • Web audio and video presentations/conversions • Email Distribution Lists • RI.gov FAQs Tool • RI.gov Press Release Tool • Web Services assistance • Internet Consultation • Dreamweaver training to get you started • Online services design and development • Interactive voice response (IVR) applications • eCommerce through credit cards and/or e-checks • Note: Web site maintenance is the responsibility of the agency. Accessibility and Usability RI.gov’s staff members are experts on usability and accessibility for Web sites. Our services help ensure that a site is accessible to as wide an audience as possible, compliant with federal, state, and industry standards, and easy to use. All Rhode Island state government Web sites are required to comply with the state’s web accessibility policy and are subject to federal Section 508 standards -- we can help you understand what that means. 3 RI.gov Web Design Process There are five stages in developing a Creative Services Project with RI.gov. They are as follows: 1. Planning Stage Initial Meeting: RI.gov meets with representatives from your agency to gather general information about your project, complete a project workbook and prioritization one-sheet. Internal Review: RI.gov staff meets to determine in broad strokes the size and scope of your project and attach a resource estimate. 2. Prototype Stage Design Submission: RI.gov will draft a design prototype for review. Once your agency has reviewed and approved the design prototype, you will be asked to sign off on the specifications and the prototyping stage will be closed. If additional changes are needed, they will be developed in a subsequent phase, or the project will return to the planning stage. 3. Development Stage Project Development: During this stage, all aspects of design and programming are completed according to the FRS. The hours spent in development are recorded and reported back to the PRC. Agency Sign Off: Once development is complete, the project is submitted to your agency for review and testing. If there are outstanding issues from the FRS, or issues discovered during testing, the project is revised as needed. Once all changes have been made, your agency will sign off on the project and it will be prepared for launch. 4. Launch Submission to hosting entity: The Web site or logo materials are transferred to a hosting entity contact person, or agency representative who is responsible for ensuring that the project is implemented. 5. Training Agency training is available for both Macromedia Contribute and Macromedia Dreamweaver. This is designed to help all involved in Web site maintenance get up to speed quickly and easily on the process of updating your new Web site. 4 Getting Started Before we can do our work, we need you to do yours. We have expertise in designing Web sites, but YOU are the experts about your agency and your constituents or customers. To design an effective site, we need to know more about what your agency does, who your Web site will serve, and what your goals are for the site. The following project questionnaire can help you organize your thoughts and begin brainstorming ideas for your new Web site. Before you begin, be sure to identify your project team, especially the project leader who will organize and drive the project and communicate decisions. It is also important to identify the individual(s) who will ultimately be responsible for the site’s maintenance upon its completion. With your project team, please complete the following questionnaire. It may be helpful to attach marketing materials, brochures, a current logo, or sample content along with the completed workbook. There are many other information-gathering tasks that your project team can be working on during this planning phase that will be very helpful and are best completed before RI.gov begins work on the project. If you do complete any of these tasks, please provide a copy of the notes, data, or information to your RI.gov team. Some suggestions for information gathering in preparation for your Web site design: Examine your current site’s traffic statistics. Which pages and directories get the most visits? Which get the least? Post an online survey on your current site and start collecting user feedback and suggestions. If you have ready access to one of your key audience groups, consider surveying them or conducting a focus group to determine how a Web site could best meet their needs. Survey (formally or informally) your “front-line” staff. The folks who answer the phones and deal with general email can be a treasure-trove of information about what kinds of frequent questions and requests your agency is receiving. Gather your project team and (1) explore your current Web site and try to think from your typical user’s perspective, (2) visit the Web sites of similar agencies in other states and note what you like and don’t like. It’s okay to borrow ideas! We hope that you enjoy the process of designing your new Web site! 5 RI.gov Web Design Questionnaire Contact Information Your Agency (bureau, division, group, etc.): _________________________________________ Department: _____________________________________ Billing Address: _____________________________ City: _________________ Zip: _________ Fax: _________________________ Project Team Primary Contact: _________________________________________ Title/Role: _________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Second Team Member: _________________________________________ Title/Role: _________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Third Team Member: _________________________________________ Title/Role: _________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Additional Team Members: Who listed above will be responsible for site maintenance? _______________________________ 6 Overview How did you hear about RI.gov?______________________________________________ Where will your site be hosted?: ____________________________________ What software will you use to maintain/update the site? ☐ Dreamweaver (recommended) ☐ GoLive ☐ FrontPage Will you need/want training in Dreamweaver? ☐ Yes ☐ Other: ☐ No Desired site launch date: ________________________ If there is a specific deadline, please explain what is driving it: How do you plan to promote your site? Please list keywords and phrases that you think your potential visitors will enter into a search engine when searching for a site like yours. 7 For Web site Re-designs Current Web site address (URL): _________________________________________ Current domain name (if applicable): www. ________________________________ What software was used to create your site? ☐ Dreamweaver ☐ GoLive ☐ FrontPage ☐ Other: _____________________ Was your current site developed by an outside vendor? ☐ Yes ☐ No Where is your site currently hosted? ____________________________________________ Does your site contain any special programming or technical features? ☐ Yes ☐ No If Yes, please describe. Include code type, platform, and function: Does your site require database storage? ☐ Yes ☐ No If yes, where is the data currently being stored and in what type of database? What do you like the most about your site? What do you like the least? 8 Determining Audience & Goals What is the purpose of this site? (check all that apply) ☐ Provide a community service ☐ Establish or improve web presence/agency image ☐ Customer service ☐ Promote services or products ☐ Provide information ☐ Entertainment ☐ Educate visitors Other Goals for the site: Characterize your Web site’s audience. What specific groups do you expect to visit your site and what are they looking for? (for example, state employees, bankers, fishermen, parents...) User Group: User Group: User Group: Goals/Needs: Goals/Needs: Goals/Needs: • What are the most frequent questions and requests received by your entity? • What is the overall message you would like the site to convey to its visitors? • Please list the adjectives that best characterize the perception you would like users to have when visiting • the site (e.g. conservative, friendly, fun, formal, casual, professional, entertaining, etc.) • How is your entity currently perceived? Do you want to carry that perception through your Web site? 9 Web site Content Will the Web site be using existing content or will new content be generated? What are some of the major categories and topics you would like to include on your site? What content items/links would you like to have included on the site’s front page? Below are some content types you may want to consider as you plan your new site. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • history contact information/list items for sale visitor feedback form FAQ downloadable forms HTML forms sent to email or text file links to other Web sites survey reports or manuals laws or rules calendar of events/deadlines consumer information/tips map or directions mission statement what’s new press releases publications job opportunities Will RI.gov be placing the content for you in the initial design? ☐ Yes ☐ No Note: RI.gov will only input content for initial home page content - agency is responsible for inserting remaining content into the template provided. 10 Look and Feel Do you have a logo that you would like used? ☐ Yes ☐ No Is there any imagery, theme, or subject that should be conveyed through the site design? Do you have any specific photos or images you would like used? ☐ Yes ☐ No If yes, please describe/list: Describe any visual elements or styles that can or must be utilized on your Web site from existing brochures, publications or marketing materials: Other Information Please ask us if you are interested in additional information about: E-commerce application development Custom web programming Press Release / News Tool Accessibility Please contact RI.gov so we can get started on your new Web site. Daniel Chapman Director of Creative Services (401) 831-8099 x24 dchapman@neinetwork.com RI.gov 10 Dorrance Street, Suite 630 Providence, RI 02903 11