For many Internet users, when it comes to visiting websites, rather than being attracted to appealing layouts or engaging in interactive features, all they want is to be able to search for information they need as quickly and as easily as possible.
Therefore, organisations with an online presence, especially through their websites must ensure that they are designed in such a way that users find them – among many other aspects of a good website design – functional, user-friendly, optimised for desktop and mobile, and clear enough to understand.
Information or content clarity on websites is particularly vital for government agencies or departments.
As part of their service delivery, these organisations not only need to provide information on their services, but also ways for citizens and businesses to reach out and relay any cause for confusion or concerns regarding said services.
With these considerations in mind, let’s take a look at official websites of agencies or departments of the Sarawak Government, namely:
- Astana Negeri Sarawak (https://tyt.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Department of Agriculture Sarawak (https://doa.sarawak.gov.my)
- Department of Irrigation and Drainage Sarawak (https://did.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (https://dvs.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Dewan Undangan Sarawak (https://duns.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak (https://jais.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Bekalan Air Luar Bandar Sarawak (https://jbalb.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Hutan Sarawak (https://forestry.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Sarawak (https://welfare.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Sarawak (https://syariah.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Kerja Raya Sarawak (https://jkr.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Mufti Sarawak (https://muftinegeri.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Perbendaharaan Negeri Sarawak (https://treasury.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Jabatan Wanita dan Keluarga Sarawak (https://jwks.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Land and Survey Department Sarawak (https://landsurvey.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Public Service Commission Sarawak (https://psc.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Sarawak Museum Department (https://museum.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Sarawak State Attorney-General’s Chambers (https://sag.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- Sewerage Services Department Sarawak (https://ssd.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
- State Financial Secretary’s Office (https://sfs.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/)
In essence, these websites serve not only to inform the general public about the agencies and departments’ roles, functions and activities, but also to provide an avenue for members of the civil service to access their respective organisation’s intranet or work-related platforms such as SCS-GEMS and CACTUS.
Depending on the nature of the organisation, each also features relevant materials or guidelines for targeted stakeholders. For example:
- TheDepartment of Irrigation and Drainage Sarawak website elaborates in detail roles, functions, and contacts of its divisions at its headquarters (“Bahagian di Ibu Pejabat” in Bahasa Melayu (BM); “HQ Division Offices” in English) as well as divisional offices (“Pejabat Bahagian” in BM; “Divisional Offices” in English) across Sarawak. Its “Resource Centre” is equally comprehensive, which can be useful for students, researchers, consultants and other individuals who are looking for information regarding drainage and irrigation in the State.
- As a vital entity that provides federal and state welfare services, Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Sarawak outlines essential information regarding said services for the needy, including social welfare assistance, crisis and disaster management, and child protection. There are also information on welfare institutions under its purview (“Institusi Kebajikan” in BM; “Welfare Institution” in English), such as entry criteria and methods.
All of these websites share a similar layout, mainly with the agency or department’s logo, navigation, search bar, language toggle, light/dark theme toggle and SarawakID login/registration on top; and contact details and operating hours at the bottom.
Given the standardised design, however, they are not as clean and streamlined as the main page of the Sarawak Government official portal.
In fact, for most of these websites, it actually requires more effort than expected for users to search for information.
Whether in BM or English, not all of them are available in both languages, which can put users who are only fluent in one of them at a disadvantage. Plus, when switched to dark theme mode, some fonts that are written in black cannot be read.
There are also sections that are not as updated as they are supposed to be. While many ensure that the latest quotation and tender notices are posted, for instance, not all websites provide the latest news on the agency or department’s activities.
Relatively, if any agency or department has its own social media platforms, links to them are not present throughout the website.
Considering that users might visit through their mobile phones, these websites are, unfortunately, not optimised for these devices.
As a result, when seen on mobile, they might appear a lot more cluttered, with images with wordings too small for viewing unless zoomed in and text formatting inconsistent throughout, just to name a few.
In short, much is needed to be done to improve these websites’ functionality and user-friendliness for both desktop and mobile.
Officers in charge of maintaining them should also strive to keep information available as organised and simplified as possible, bearing in mind experiences of diverse users.
For agencies and departments, it would be extremely beneficial to invest in their websites. As mentioned, apart from being a communication tool and access to government services, an effective website can help reduce their administrative workload.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has released an implementation toolkit for governments around the world to strengthen their websites. Called “Effective Government Information Websites”, it notes that enhancing the trustworthiness of their websites involves fulfilling the following requirements: authoritativeness, comprehensiveness, fit-for-purpose, and ease of navigation.
References:
7 Qualities of a Great website. (2024, January). Ideas on Purpose. https://www.ideasonpurpose.com/on/7-qualities-great-website/
McGrath, O. (n.d.). Web users demand clarity. Endless Gain. https://www.endlessgain.com/blog/web-users-demand-clarity
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023, January 6). Effective Government Information Websites. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/effective-government-information-websites_ac325b03-en.html
What Is The Importance Of Clarity On A Website? (2022, May 29). Blue Sky – Online Graphic Design School. https://blueskygraphics.co.uk/what-is-the-importance-of-clarity-on-a-website/
Volpe, M. (2017, July 28). What Do 76% of Consumers Want From Your Website? [New Data]. Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/14953/what-do-76-of-consumers-want-from-your-website-new-data.aspx
