Welcome

Welcome to the council website usability dashboard!

The purpose of this site is to build up a picture of the usability of different council websites in England, Scotland, and Wales - but doing so by letting users carry out a series of task-based tests, to gradually build up a comprehensive objective picture of the usability of the sites across a much broader range of tasks than other methodologies do, by crowdsourcing the data.

Anybody can view the test results by following the links below - if you are registered and logged in you can then join in with the testing as well. You can carry out as many tests as you like at any time, on any council - though we encourage you to test your own council's website first!

This site is currently very much a work in progress, with plenty of rough edges right now - future developments include more sophisticated analysis tools to compare councils against each other, and to see how different levels of computer literacy show up different usability levels. See the roadmap for more details!

Latest news: Results now viewable by task as well as by council!

If your council isn't listed here, please do contact us to let us know and we'll add it for you.

Currently the system has 505 users who between them have run 1610 tests against 70 tasks.

Recent tests

• Parking fine - pay one at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-23 and it was easy.
• Taxi driver - complain about one at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-23 and it was very difficult.
• School term dates - find them at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-21 and it was very easy.
• Sustainability and climate change - find information on at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-21 and it was difficult.
• Freedom of Information Act request - make one at Leeds City Council on 2015-01-19 and it was easy.
• Voting - register to at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-19 and it was easy.
• Voting - register to at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-19 and it was easy.
• Food hygiene problem - report one at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-16 and it was difficult.
• Death - register one at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-16 and it was easy.
• Taxi licence - apply for one at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was very easy.
• Trading Standards - complain about a dodgy item from a shop at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was very easy.
• Trading Standards - complain about a dodgy item from a shop at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was very easy.
• Taxi driver - complain about one at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was difficult.
• Travellers - find information about them at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was easy.
• Travellers - find information about them at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was easy.
• Tree preservation order - apply for one at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was difficult.
• Welfare reform - find information about at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was easy.
• Welfare reform - find information about at Newcastle City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was easy.
• Tree preservation order - apply for one at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was difficult.
• Tree preservation order - apply for one at Liverpool City Council on 2015-01-15 and it was difficult.