1. Topic Idea - Top Tasks for Canadians on government websites

2. Key Points

It shouldn't matter who owns the information; government sites should be cross-referenced across lines of authority if necessary to provide a seamless experience to the user/citizen.

Ground rules for the session: (a) use verbs; (b) don't worry about federal vs. provincial vs. municipal; (c) describe tasks users do.

3. Takeaways

4. Next Steps/Action Items

Standards similar to the current accessibility standards are needed for usability.

The most important tasks that people do on the web should be identified. 

The "Top Tasks" could help web strategists measure how well their websites serve clients' tasks.

People who manage web channels or web content could then manage user tasks instead.

5. Input from participants - grouped after the session

Deal with personal issues

Look for a job (any job, government jobs)

Get health info (swine flu, track spread of virus)

Get authenticated (health card, SIN card, passport, permanent resident card, driver licence, transportation licence, hunting licence)

Find income tax information (instructions, forms, rules)

Find government programs (e.g. funding for projects)

Get funding or money

Check traffic, weather, transit

Check traffic (street cameras, intersections, snowy days)

Check the weather (right now, forecast)

Plan route on public transit (bus routes, travel planner)

Get information the government collects

Find rules and regulations

Look up legislation (find info on treaties after Canada signed it)

Access info for free (ATIP has a cost) 

Get free access to information (vs. $$ per hour, ATIP, in the format I prefer)

Get info about the environment (climate change, evidence, reports, what government is doing)

Trust government info

Find truthful & complete info about:

• treaties after Canada has signed 
• income tax 
• legislation
• building codes
• the environment (climate change)
• What Canada/the government is doing about...

Learn what government is doing

Figure out how government works

Find info about what all levels of government are doing on a specific topic

Identify which department/level of government does what

Get evidence about what government is doing

Get reports on what government is doing (on a topic, what level of gov)

See what government is doing (how government works, what level of gov. does what)

Interact

Dialogue about both sides of an issue (consultations)

Ask/speak to/input a question and be answered

Be listened to (what I need & how)

Collaborate with re-designing website / organizing info

Connect the people who buy-in with people who know-how

Consult with the public

Input data

Put something in

Influence my web experience

Allow social tagging input into thesaurus

Download widgets to embed (in a web page, blog, etc.)

Get updates

Search/find info

Type in what information I need (e.g. “building code” would get a list of gov. websites)

Use tags (social media, meta) to organize, manage & find information 

Select the interface I want to use

Select the interface with no geek language

Select a common interface across many government websites (a template, don’t have to re-learn how to use it)

Be engaged according to who I am (a child, a lawyer, lowest common denominator)

Repackage public data

Aggregate info from multiple sources (call on meta tags, “eat or be eaten”)

Link into databases (using an API, into archives)

Provide info in a format that can be aggregated

Reformat or stream content from official data (in government format, or not)