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HHS and GSA Announce Updated Web Design and Usability Guidelines

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the publication of the 2006 edition of the popular Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. Based on the latest research, the Guidelines now include over 40 new or updated guidelines and have become a primary resource for government and other Web communicators. The updated guide is being published by HHS in partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA).

"Record numbers of citizens are turning to government sites to find information and services that will improve their daily lives," Secretary Leavitt said. "Access to authoritative research-based guidance helps us create Web sites that are highly responsive to our citizens' needs."

Since their introduction in 2003, the Guidelines book has been widely used by government agencies and the private sector, implemented in academic curriculum, and translated into several foreign languages. By updating this resource, the federal government reinforces its commitment to making U.S. Government Web sites the best in the world.

"GSA is pleased to be an active partner in identifying and delivering government solutions that improve how citizens interact with government," GSA Administrator Lurita Doan said. "This guide contributes to the growing need to establish and use standards of excellence for Web design and usability."

This resource now contains 209 guidelines for effective Web design and usability and covers a wide range of Web site design issues, including home page design, page and site navigation, graphics and images, Web content organization, and effective Web content writing. Each guideline includes a "Strength of Evidence" rating that indicates how much research there is to support that guideline. It also includes a "Relative Importance" rating that shows how important that guideline is to the overall success of a Web site.

Experts from across government, industry and academia reviewed and analyzed the research and helped develop the guidelines. The complete set of guidelines is available:

In electronic format at HHS' Usability.gov Web site: http://www.usability.gov/pdfs/guidelines.html.
As a book that can be ordered from the U.S. Government Printing Office at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

The updated Guidelines strengthen an existing set of valuable tools for government Web communicators. These tools include Webcontent.gov, a practical resource for managing government Web sites, and Usability.gov, a guide to creating usable and citizen-friendly sites. Note: In September 2006, Usability.gov won the cross-government Web Managers Best Practices Award for best-in-class Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services