Isle of Man Government’s online services (gov.im/onlineservices) will soon be receiving a new look and feel aimed at:
- simplifying visitor experience though easier navigation and layout;
- improving usability, particularly for customers using mobile devices and tablets;
- and improving the technology framework for delivering new online services more quickly.
John Shimmin MHK, Minister for Policy and Reform said:
‘One of the major reasons for developing the Digital Strategy was to provide better services to everyone in the Isle of Man. That, of course, means making sure that the website is the best possible experience for everyone, regardless of how they access the site. The restyling of online services is a big step towards an even more mobile friendly website and will vastly improve the online experience for customers of Government.’
The first thing that customers will notice is that the online service pages are now much more visually striking and easier to read. Text is larger and clearer and pages are much cleaner, with confusing links and text removed. This will make it easier for new customers to find their way around the services and help existing customers to quickly get to what they need.
It is mobile users that will benefit most though. Removing clutter from the pages and ensuring that content resizes appropriately to fit any screen size will make it much easier to select the right links, without zooming or needing multiple attempts to open a small link.
Mark Lewin, Director of Government Technology Services said:
‘The last six months has seen a major change in the way people are using gov.im. Visitors to gov.im are now using mobile phones and tablets more often than traditional desktop computers. This is no surprise given the sheer number of mobile devices in circulation in the Island and this is a general trend across Europe. As the recent Capgemini EU Benchmarking showed, the Island is already well ahead of other European Governments in our mobile approach and this restyling work will further improve our advantage in this area.’
Kath Kermode, Head of Enterprise Application Delivery said:
‘This is the first major redesign of online services since they were launched in 2007 and whilst we have modernised and cleaned up the online services pages, it was important that we didn’t change how customers actually use the services. So all the functionality customers are used to and expect will remain the same.’
Whilst the new styling is the most noticeable part of this work, there are also less visible changes. Most significantly, there is now an improved framework for delivering new online services. This will allow Government to accelerate projects that provide customers with better and more convenient access, whilst reducing the cost to Government.
Mrs Kermode concluded:
‘This gives us an excellent foundation to increase the number of services as part of the Digital Strategy and ensure a great experience regardless of how our online customers choose to access them.’
To see what the new styling will look like, visit - /about-the-government/offices/cabinet-office/government-technology-services-gts/new-online-services-styling/
