InfoCentre

Given that the web will support a number of ways of paying, which is right for which site? As always, much of the decision comes down to an analysis of user requirements.

If eGovernment services begin to fail Irish "eCitizens", it's a safe enough bet that along with other Government failures it may become a talking point. So how could eGovernment alienate users?

Implementing a usability strategy involves certain up-front costs, but the return on investment is significant – estimates vary, but I have seen some as high as 700%. Either way, there are a number of good reasons why introducing usability engineering techniques can save costs in the medium to long term.

In the same way that successful eCommerce companies have had to get to know their users - not just through focus groups but by involving them in design and development of products, services and interfaces - Government must get to know it's customers.

Recently introduced legislation and some high-profile legal cases, are increasing the profile of website accessibility. It's easy to design and build a site which is accessible in basic terms. But producing a truly usable site which supports many different user groups in achieving common goals demands more serious consideration of user needs and requirements in the early stage of development.