Agenda item

To receive a presentation from the Business Improvement Manager regarding the Stevenage Borough Council Website.

The Head of Customer and Digital Services provided an update on the Council’s website, touching on its evolution over the last 30 years. Originally serving as a basic directory, the website had grown into a significant resource, now containing over 11 million words and more than 1,000 pages. It served a wide range of purposes, including providing information, advice, and guidance about Council services, promoting key services and events, and ensuring transparency through governance and regulatory information.

A major point highlighted was the behaviour of website visitors. Most users accessed the site via Google, particularly searching for topics like bin collections, housing, council tax, and waste management. Housing-related content was the most frequently visited, followed by payment options and news events. Notably, two-thirds of visitors use mobile phones, primarily iPhones, and the website must be optimised for small screen devices, especially for short, transactional tasks like reporting missed bins.

The Head of Customer and Digital Services also addressed the ongoing efforts to simplify the website’s content for better accessibility. The team aimed for a reading age of nine, though the average reading age on the site is currently 12.4 years. There was ongoing work to simplify and reclassify complex information, such as Council housing or planning services, making it easier for the public to navigate.

Accessibility remained a core focus, with particular attention to ensuring the site works for users with disabilities, including those who rely on screen readers. The team used various tools, such as Google and Microsoft analytics, to monitor user behaviour and identify areas for improvement, including search functionality and the presentation of events and services.

Looking ahead, The Head of Customer and Digital Services mentioned potential improvements in areas such as search functionality, where a more conversational query system (e.g., “I’m in council tax debt, what should I do?”) could enhance user experience. The Council also aimed to update photos and videos, ensure relevant content was displayed, and improve the way events were presented to engage visitors more effectively.

In conclusion, the website was seen as a key tool for delivering services and information to the public, and the Council was focused on making it more user-friendly, accessible, and responsive to the needs of its visitors.

The Chair thanked the Head of Customer and Digital Services for their presentation and invited the Committee to ask questions.

A Member raised questions about the placement of the "Find Your Refuge," "Recycling Dates," and "Local Councillors" sections in the same area of the website. It was noted that this layout might confuse users into thinking the Councillors are involved in these services directly, leading them to contact Councillors for issues like missed bin collections. The Head of Customer and Digital Services responded, acknowledging the feedback and indicating that such changes could be considered to improve clarity and user navigation.

A Member commented about the user experience on different devices. They highlighted the 18-second average time visitors spend on a page and asked about the frequency of testing pages on different devices, networks, and iOS/Android versions. The Head of Customer and Digital Services explained that while there was automated performance testing, it was limited, and some issues may be addressed on a case-by-case basis. He acknowledged the challenges with mobile payment functionality, noting that specific issues, like difficulties with council tax payments via mobile, could be linked to network providers. The Member confirmed that they had experienced issues with multiple networks but not on a laptop.

Another query focused on whether the website offered a dark mode feature, and if not, whether it could be considered for future updates to improve accessibility. The Head of Customer and Digital Services confirmed that dark mode was not currently available but agreed that it could be considered in future accessibility improvements.

A Member noted the significant difference between the usage of mobile devices for general browsing (87%) and the lower percentage (49%) for benefit claims. The Head of Customer and Digital Services suggested that benefit claims might be more complex, requiring users to sit down at a desk and fill out forms, which could explain the preference for other devices like laptops or desktops. He acknowledged that this insight could guide future improvements to make the claims process more suitable for mobile users, possibly by simplifying or adjusting the form for smaller devices.

A Member asked a question concerning the fault reporting system on the website, specifically whether users can track the progress of reported issues. The Head of Customer and Digital Services explained that it varied by service, but for services like environmental nuisance or park maintenance, users received a receipt with a reference number. Officers would then update the progress of the issue, and those updates were communicated back to the user. However, the effectiveness of this system depended on the Officers updating their own IT systems, and some delays might occur in the process.

A question was raised about improving the website’s search function, which many users found ineffective, leading them to rely on Google instead. A suggestion was made to explore using Google’s search functionality on the Council website for a small fee. The Head of Customer and Digital Services responded that this was technically possible and noted that some councils did use Google’s search capabilities. However, he also mentioned the potential for more advanced AI-based technologies to offer more personalised and summarised answers, although caution was needed with the marketing of such technologies.

A Member suggested that the website had too many steps to complete a payment, which could be simplified. The Head of Customer and Digital Services acknowledged this issue, noting that saving card details could streamline the process, but the cost of this feature was currently high. He also agreed that some elements, like accessing balance information, could contribute to the complexity. A Member also raised an issue with the "rapid" page, which contained many forms that are not relevant to online payments, and the Head of Customer and Digital Services promised to investigate the issue.

A Member suggested changing the wording of the “Report a Repair” button to “Request a Repair,” as the former could imply the repair has already occurred. The Head of Customer and Digital Services acknowledged this and agreed it would be a useful change.

The idea of having a more curated section of the website for community engagement was raised. Members suggested that, while this would involve some cost, it would help improve communication and foster a more cooperative image for the council. The Head of Customer and Digital Services agreed with this point, indicating that more could be done in this area.

It was RESOLVED that the presentation from the Head of Customer and Digital Services be noted.