DUMFRIES and Galloway Council’s website is desperately in need of a digital overhaul, council chiefs have admitted.
They have taken on board feedback from members of the public who complain that the website is filled with too much “council speak”, is hard to navigate, and “lacks personality”.
There have also been complaints that the site, www.dumgal.gov.uk, does not clearly state what the council can and cannot do – and that information is often out of date.
Given that the council’s public website – and intranet/subsites combined – are visited by hundreds of thousands of users per year, plans are underway for a revamp.
An update report on the council’s digital strategy for 2021-2026 has been produced for the local authority’s economy and resources committee next Tuesday.
It reads: “Our public website is the go-to place to find out more about council services. Most users visited using a mobile phone. However, while our digital channels have become the place to find information and services, it is rarely a quick, accessible, and enjoyable experience.”
The report continues: “Our users and stakeholders have shared their frustration with our current digital offering and particularly our public website and intranet.”
The report listed the following most common complaints about the council’s website:
• difficult to find and access online information and services.
• difficult to connect with the right person/service for help.
• Does not clearly say what the council can and can’t do.
• Messages are not person-focussed, approachable and friendly.
• Websites lack personality
• Information is often out of date
• Information is often not written in plain English; there is too much council-speak.
The new council digital strategy update report states: “Users have a right to expect a better digital presence, with more digital information/services, with content and communications bring easier to find and digest and the user journey more intuitive.
“Overall, people want the same quality of experience with us as they receive from the private sector, with the website providing the opportunity to transact and fully integrated as part of an end to end consistent customer offer.”
