e-impact Benchmark Report

Transcription

1 e-impact Benchmark Report A balanced scorecard approach to improving Government s Return on Web Assets Hillwatch e-impact Benchmark Report gives Government a roadmap to on-line Excellence & Citizen-Centric Web sites. Hillwatch Inc., #200, 440 Laurier Ave. W. Ottawa, ON K1R 7X6 Tel (613) Fax (613)

2 Moments of truth Your Problem Your web site may be the first point of contact with your department or agency. This first impression is a moment of truth it sets the tone, establishes perceptions and fixes expectations from that point forward. It is critical that the interaction be successful, positive and engaging. Does your site make an impact? Are on-line communications aligned with program strategy? Are client group and stakeholders effectively targeted? Are they engaged by your content? Do you have the right tools to measure your site s ability to meet specific program and departmental goals, as well as government-wide objectives? Government departments, boards, commissions and agencies have compelling reasons to measure their web site performance. As initial e-government milestones are being reached, governments are beginning to focus attention on measuring the efficacy, performance and impact of their web assets. This performance focus is driven by the cost of these assets and the need to determine if the initial promise and expectations of this new on-line channel is being realized. Site performance has traditionally been measured through a combination of technical reports, rudimentary traffic analysis, focus groups, surveys and usability studies. Too often, tactical issues such as download times, links status, number of visitors, pages accessed, and focus group reports dominate what should be a strategic discussion on site effectiveness. All too often, subjective bias clouds the substantive debate on the appropriate metrics to evaluate site performance. In addition, many of the existing techniques and tools, developed for the private sector are not easily applied to public sector sites. Governments need to measure more than sales, revenue, and Our Answer profits. Many leading edge web site measurement techniques raise privacy issues that make their adoption by governments problematic. Hillwatch E-Impact Benchmark is a management evaluation tool. It is specifically designed to help government align online web performance with strategic program objectives and in the process, assess the degree to which its web assets are citizencentric. It adapts many of the evaluation tools and techniques developed for commercial web sites to the needs of the public and non-profit sectors. The E-Impact Benchmark measures a site s performance against other sites (a minimum of 10) that share an issue neighbourhood using meaningful, consistent and quantifiable best practices indicators. The E-impact Benchmark provides fact-based results. We measure site strengths and weaknesses and generate multiple operational recommendations; Our outside-in user perspective is Citizen-Centric. Important drivers of citizen satisfaction such as ease of finding, ease of use, information density and value, responsiveness, transparency, credibility, accountability, etc. are fully captured by our methodology; The Balanced Scorecard reporting formats support public sector manager decision-making; Results remain comparable year over year thus ensuring your investment in performance measurement is protected, and;

3 Performance is easy to report up results can be aggregated or disaggregated depending on the level of detail required by the client and/or central agencies. Hillwatch products strongly support (and often anticipate) the emerging guidelines put forward by government for web site measurement. (See Appendix B for more details.) Measure Evaluate Improve To improve, one must first measure. The Hillwatch e-impact Benchmark Report is primarily a measurement evaluation tool that incorporates more than 400 indicators grouped into 12 focus areas as follows: Core Focus Areas Awareness & Profile Media Friendliness Organizational Transparency Content Credibility Policies Usability Design Visitor Patterns Optional Focus Areas Online Consultations Interactivity Accessibility Each focus area is composed of indicators reflecting recognized best practices based on comprehensive research. The indicators examine tactical elements (the details) of a web site to ensure that simple design, content, technical, and functional issues are not jeopardizing your site s strategic goals. Focus areas appropriate to the target site are selected and the indicators measured against a weighted scale. The results are presented as a series of figures by focus area along with a detailed analysis. We combine these into a Balanced Scorecard that provides management a succinct overview of web site performance and a baseline upon which clear, fact-based recommendations can be developed. Our reporting format is another key differentiator of the e-impact Benchmark Report relative to all other performance evaluation and measurement systems. We deliver five different report formats: The Balanced Scorecard Report (BSCR): Modeled after the familiar Balanced Scorecard, the e-impact Benchmark Report BSCR gives a concise, yet comprehensive evaluation of the audited site. The four quadrants of the BSCR are weighted to reflect their relative importance for your program areas and stated web site goals. Situational Awareness Reports (SARs): Hillwatch has developed a set of innovative methods to quantify and visually display your site positioning against international and domestic peer sites in your issue neighbourhood, including a mix of sites that oppose or support your goals, or are neutral. The result is a frank assessment of your peer positioning. (See Appendix A) Focus Area Reports (FARs): These detailed reports outline and analyze your site s performance against a series of metrics in each focus area. E-Impact Visitor Pattern Analytics (VPA): Hillwatch winnows through the site traffic logs to highlight key metrics and combines these to deliver a unique perspective on visitor behaviour, interests and actions. Hillwatch also offers comprehensive VPA reporting through its unique and proprietary VPA reporting

4 system. For managers that really want to understand what the web traffic logs mean to your organization, a comprehensive VPA is an excellent investment. Action Items Matrix (AIM): We provide you with a comprehensive set of recommendations that succinctly illustrate areas for site improvement, providing a clear action plan moving forward. Why should you consider an e-impact Benchmark? Whether you are developing a new site, considering re-designing an existing site, or simply interested in evaluating your site s performance, the Hillwatch e-impact Benchmark Report helps you manage your site better. The Benchmark Report delivers lasting value by: Objectively analyzing and benchmarking site performance; Measuring your site s ability to attract and hold it client groups; Evaluating the clarity of your message; Positioning your site relative to issue or program peers and understanding its variance from those exhibiting best practices in their field; Developing baseline data on site performance to gauge future progress; and Defining a clear framework through which strategic organizational goals can be translated into web site objectives. Contact us and implement the changes that distinguish good websites from great websites. For more information or to schedule a presentation, please contact: Scott Proudfoot Principal Hillwatch Inc. tel: (613) proudfoot@hillwatch.com Michael Teeter Principal Hillwatch Inc. tel: (613) teeter@hillwatch.com In the U.S.: Alex Langshur Principal Hillwatch Inc. tel: (781) alangshur@hillwatch.com We are committed to ensuring that you derive maximum benefit from this Benchmark Report. As a result, Hillwatch consultants, recognized leaders in their fields, are available to provide ongoing expertise and guidance. We will help you to develop the strategies Hillwatch, Inc All rights reserved (Gv5-03)

5 Appendix A: Situational Awareness Reports Peer Positioning Peer Analysis - Issue Space Positioning The figure on this page illustrates the peer positioning of a target site against 10 other sites in its issue neighbourhood. The horizontal axis measures Transparency & Credibility; the vertical axis measures Engagement. The size of the site balloon measures Awareness & Profile. The larger the site balloon, the greater the site s ability to draw an audience. The most effective sites are those in the Best Practice Quadrant (upper righthand corner of the figure). In this particular benchmarking exercise, the more successful sites included two government sites and two antagonistic sites (see groups 1 and 2). The high-ranking antagonistic sites were as effective as the government sites despite a fraction of the financial investment. The target site and the other industry sites ranked lower across almost all focus areas. This report provided 51 specific recommendations for the target site. Thirty-one of these recommendations were simple and inexpensive to implement; the remaining recommendations were prioritized and the client was advised to implement them as resources permitted. Other Situational Awareness Reports include: Richness (content + interactivity) Group 2 Best Practice Quadrant Group 1 Group 3 supporters competitors Neutral Government target site Quartile Analysis: site variance to quartile distribution across each focus area. Transparency & Credibility Credibility Factors: radar graph combining the five key focus areas that relate to user perceptions of site credibility. Loyalty assessment: evaluation of the elements that contribute towards site loyalty.

6 Appendix B Hillwatch Alignment with Government Web Asset Performance Measurement By design, Hillwatch best practices methodologies help individual govenrment managers drill down to detailed performance data in order to develop clear action plans. They also provide a readymade vehicle for departments and agencies seeking a consistent, rigorous and mature tool to address current and future central reporting requirements for web site assets. Hillwatch carefully tracks Canadian and International governmental trends in online performance measurement. The table below compares our capabilities to both Canada and OECD key indicators. As governments develop new measures, we believe we can develop new indicators that roll into our existing methodologies. To obtain more information on this topic or our Visitor Pattern Analytics 1, please visit the E-Services section of the site. 1 VPA stand for Visitor Pattern Analysis, a proprietary product that reduces the mountain of data from server logs into simple, compelling and manager friendly Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tailored to specific program objectives. VPA enables public sector managers to see underlying trends in visitor traffic and to understand how these can be leveraged to improve the site. VPA also helps managers crosswalk between online and offline performance measurement. VPA and the E- Impact Benchmark are complementary offerings. Indicators Comparison: Government Requirements & Hillwatch E-Services products TBS CIOB Success Indicators E-Impact Benchmark Convenience Accessibility Credibility VPA Critical mass of services Unique to client Take up Service transformation Unique to client Client satisfaction Security Privacy Efficiency/ROI Innovation Progress/Implementation TBS Citizen First - Drivers of Internet Satisfaction Ease of Navigation Outcome Visual Appeal Informative Fast Pages OECD Dimensions Accountability/Openness Efficiency Participation Effectiveness/ Responsiveness Citizen focus Other Program & Web Site Strategic Alignment Balanced Scorecard

7 Appendix C Hillwatch E-Services Government and Non-Profit Clients Have Included: American Chemistry Council Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee Canadian Chemical Producers Council Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Canadian Food Information Council Canadian Forces Grievance Board Canadian Labour and Business Centre Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Health Canada Communications, Marketing & Consultations Health Canada Consultations Secretariat Industry Canada - Community Access Program (IHAB) Industry Canada Grassroots SchoolNet (IHAB) Industry Canada SchoolNet (IHAB) National Roundtable on the Environment & the Economy National Defence Canada