The Scottish Government Digital Directorate has published a set of standards for the creation of online content for public services.
It has made them available on the mygov.scot resources website, pulling together best practice, guidance and tools for the country’s public and third sectors.
Named content standards they have been based partly on the content requirements of Scotland’s Digital First Service Standard – the assurance framework for the design of services – along with consultations with public sector content designers, and reflect what the directorate has learned from its projects and the type of questions it is often asked by partners.
There are four elements to the standards: content strategy, deliver and roles, along with how content can help an organisation to meet the criteria of a Digital First Service Standard assessment. The structure differs to that of the UK Government Digital Service's guidance on content and publishing, which includes a strong emphasis on the GOV.UK platform.
A blogpost outlining the move says it is aimed at promoting consistency in these areas and meeting user needs.
“Ultimately content is an important interaction between citizens and government,” it says. “For example it could make the difference between someone getting access to the money or help they need, through clear and accessible guidance or understanding how to complete an application form.
“At the moment these interactions can be too complicated for users. We want to make sure there’s a consistently good experience across all services.”
The directorate has added that it is ready to act on feedback from users.
Image by flickrtickr2009 from Wikimedia, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
