What Story Does Your Government Website Tell? – Pt. 1

April 20, 2017

Speaker – Michael Ashford

• Vice President of Product Marketing at Granicus

• Been in GovTech space for a decade. Joined Granicus in

October 2014

• Led Marketing teams at CivicPlus and MindMixer

• Kansas State University alum – B.S. in Mass Communications

and Journalism

• Began career as a sports writer, but grew up in local

government

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GRANICUS OVERVIEW

WEBSITES IN 2008

INTUITIVE

FUNCTIONALITY

MOBILITY

QUESTIONS

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Agenda

Technology for the people who are changing our world.

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TRUSTED BY 3,000+ GOVERNMENT

ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

GOVDELIVERYCOMMUNICATIONS CLOUD

• GovDelivery Network• Core Comms Cloud• Advanced Package• Connect• Targeted Messaging• Interactive Text• Enhanced Security• Digital Engagement &

Learning Services

DIGITAL

SERVICES SUITE

• Legistar

• iLegislate

• PEAK

• Votecast

• eComment

• Minutes

• Granicus Video

MEETING AND

AGENDA SUITE

• Civica Website CMS

• Boards & Commissions

• SpeakUp

• Open Data (DKAN)

• Learning Platform

• Records Management

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Foundational Solutions

Thought to get started

“Whatever the department, the aim of government is serving its

citizens. Where this year’s winning websites succeed is largely a

function of their ability to get out of the way when they’re not

needed and appear when they are, like an affable shop clerk”

- Government Technology / Center for Digital Government

What Do the Best Government Websites of 2015 Have in Common?

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Websites in 2008

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History

Values

Bios

We asked government officials…

In your opinion, what is the No. 1 role of a government website?

o To share information with the public

o To allow citizens to conduct business with their government

o To provide an outlet for the public to connect with officials

o To promote the organization’s interests (i.e. tourism, business

recruitment, etc.)

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*GovTech.com

We asked government officials…

In your opinion, what is the No. 1 role of a government website?

To share information with the public

To allow citizens to conduct business with their government

To provide an outlet for the public to connect with officials

To promote the organization’s interests (i.e. tourism, business

recruitment, etc.)

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*GovTech.com

72%

22%

4%

2%

looked for information about a public policy or issue

searched for services a government agency provides

downloaded government forms

researched official government documents or statistics

have gotten information about a government job

paid a fine, such as a parking ticket

applied for a recreational license

How citizens use government websites

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Pew Research Center

The changing role of gov’t websites

For the most part, governments all provide the same services

• Citizen interactions with those services are increasingly digital

• Today’s brand for online government is about self-service rather than community story-telling through:

o Intuitive Functionality

o Mobility

o Searchability

o Social Media

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Intuitive Functionality

Interactions with government are mostly transactional

• Government websites tell a dated story when they

o Lack online transactions

oDon’t make these transactions the focal point of their design

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Engagement Continuum

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Transactional Relational

Transparency – Asheville, NC

http://www.ashevillenc.gov/

default.htm

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Parking App – Santa Barbara, CA

http://civicaweb.santabarb

araca.gov/gov/depts/pw/dt

p/pmap.asp

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Hazardous Waste Pickup – Folsom, CA

https://www.folsom.ca.us/cit

y_hall/depts/admin/solid_wa

ste/hazmat/pickup_n_drop/s

chedule.asp

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Parking Omit – West Hartford, CT

https://omits.westhartfordct.gov/

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Center for Digital Government

Mobility

Homespages designed to be “above the fold” are dated

• Unlike in 2008, our natural inclination is to scroll

oMobile device behavior

o Social media behavior

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Mobility

If you are not creating content specifically for and delivering

services first through this device, you are irrelevant to most of the

citizens you serve.

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The First Thing People Do Every Day…

Source: Deloitte, “2016 Global mobile consumer survey” found at:https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-

telecommunications/articles/global-mobile-consumer-survey-us-edition.html

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…and We Don’t Stop Checking!

Source: Deloitte, “2016 Global mobile consumer survey” found at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-

telecommunications/articles/global-mobile-consumer-survey-us-edition.html

Mobility

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http://www.ci.fullerton.ca.us/

Part 1 Wrap Up

• Your organizational “brand” is more about the service you offer

online rather than the look you present

• People want to go straight to the source to complete their business

• This is increasingly a mobile experience

• Your website should be a reflection of the ways you interact with

the public and not your organizational structure and history

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Questions?