"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 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 online.
*Editor's note: The GSA's guidelines link is no longer available. Those interested in learning more about Web design and usability can learn more here.
