Lowering costs with improved usability
Public Servants,
Your are not alone among government agencies in having a difficult to navigate website - But, if you truly want to serve your clients (the workers, not the businesses) you will overhaul the website.Here is one particular example among many.
Please excuse the sarcasm in the following illustration. I feel strongly that everything should be done to design an interface (human or electronic) that doesn't demean, confuse, and demotivate.
Please take a minute to follow a user's experience following a trail to nowhere.
Imagine being unemployed seeing a banner ad on the Tacoma News Tribune - training benefits! Good for me, good for the economy, good for the state.
Click.
Ok - how do I find some training programs.....
Here is what I see:
(PS: This is the address I would have to type to get back here or share with another interested person.)
I want to learn a specific thing. I'm very passionate about career x and I want to find "acceptable training program".
Click...
These five criteria aren't really helping too much right now, but it is nice to see that there is a link to a list of "eligible training providers." I assume that these are also "acceptable."
Hopefully, I don't try to read these criteria, because I might forget what I was her for trying to figure out what this "Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board" what "my labor market" and "workforce development council."
If I carefully read this page I read the shortest bullet point (the 4th), and repeat to myself "Is not primarily intended" until my English degree kicks in and I realize that though an "acceptable training program may be "secondarily intended" for BA's "or higher" the sentence in fact says nothing new or helpful about the program.
I won't even get into the relevance of the last bullet point.
If I am like most people, I won't read everything on this page, but will go straight to the link, filled with excitement that I may be able to find a program that helps me build a career doing something I love -
"Eligible Training Provider List"
Click...
Ok. Not looking like a list, but I see the link I'm looking for - "are you looking for the Eligible Training Provider List"
Click...
Yea! The page tells me that I've found the Eligible Training Provider List...
....
...
.
..ok
I realize there is not "list of Eligible Training Programs" per se, just another link to a page where I presume I will be able to enter "career x" and I'll know, when I see an x in the ETP column, I will find the info I need, which if you forgot was "a training program for career x."
...sigh...
Click...
Finally, I arrive at something that I think may be useful.
Why can't I get here on my first click?
Why doesn't it simply say, "Use this tool to find a training program and then contact us to see if we can help you afford it."
I applaud your efforts at gathering so much valuable information, but if it can't be used, or even found by the people who need it, your efforts are wasted.
Please forward this to whoever can make a difference in this widespread and COSTLY problem.
One more note: If the intention is to "force" clients to come to WorkSource offices, instead of using zero-cost electronic resources, this is an effective website.
Thank you for your time. Please contact me if you need more examples or more suggestions on improving your sites usability.
Sincerely,
Matthew Kreiling
