New study shows voters want substance in Congressional Web Sites
-- Invited feedback from constituents;
-- Provided educational content
-- Offered current, easy to find, and easy to use content
One finding that seemed to surprise the study team was the negative reactions to glitzy and heavily graphical Web sites. While respondents expected that kind of presentation from commercial sites, the study showed a strong desire for simple and substantive Web formats from their elected officials. Participants generally disliked the common practice of many Congressional Web sites to show multiple photos of officials at speeches, rallies, and other staged events. When presented with sample Web sites from Capitol Hill, focus group respondents generally approved of the simple, straightforward, and substantiative sites, over the flashing, glitzy, and graphical.
Guidance for Congressional Web managers
The study report offered the following guidance to senators and representatives on what the voters wanted from their Web sites:
Hold the glitz and the fluff, and provide real information. Voters wanted details about the issues, and where their representatives stood on the issues. Participants wanted specifics on who to call for help with problems and background on the legislative process.
Where do you stand on the issues and what do you do all day? Accountability and clarity on the stands of their representatives are important factors for the constituents. The voting records of the representatives, bills they have sponsored, committee assignments, and day-to-day schedules are the kinds of content that make the service of the elected officials real to the constituents. In fact, not having those kinds of details indicates to many study participants that the representatives have something to hide.
Listen to what the voters have to say. Polls on issues that enable Web site visitors to express their positions on specific issues received a favorable reception from the study participants. But elected representatives also have to show that they read and at least consider the results.
Be easy to use, up-to-date, and easy to find. Any Web site, not just those on Capitol Hill, needs to be well designed and easy to navigate, with a simple intuitive design, and a search feature to help find specific content. Keeping a Web site current is also a responsibility of any Web manager, but a particular need for Web sites for high-visibility elected officials like senators or representatives. Issues can change quickly, and if the latest news or positions of the officials are not posted, the Web site visitors can get an erroneous message. Web sites
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