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'Direct and well-mannered' government website named design of the year 'Direct and well-mannered' government website named design of the year
(6 months later)
The UK government's website, gov.uk, has beaten off competition from the Shard, the Olympic cauldron and a revolutionary folding wheel to take the crown of Design of the Year 2013. It is the first time that a website has won the prize, which has previously been awarded to a low-energy lightbulb and a folding plug.The UK government's website, gov.uk, has beaten off competition from the Shard, the Olympic cauldron and a revolutionary folding wheel to take the crown of Design of the Year 2013. It is the first time that a website has won the prize, which has previously been awarded to a low-energy lightbulb and a folding plug.
Visiting the website, you might be hard-pressed to see where the design is – but the designer behind it says that is precisely the point. "We have tried to strip everything away to make it as legible and intuitive as possible," says Ben Terrett, who heads up design at the Government Digital Service. "We've removed everything that gets in the way of fast and easy access to information."Visiting the website, you might be hard-pressed to see where the design is – but the designer behind it says that is precisely the point. "We have tried to strip everything away to make it as legible and intuitive as possible," says Ben Terrett, who heads up design at the Government Digital Service. "We've removed everything that gets in the way of fast and easy access to information."
Launched in October last year with the motto "simpler, clearer, faster", gov.uk brings all of the government's websites together under one domain for the first time, providing a one-stop shop for everything from passport applications to employment rights, car tax renewal to adopting a child.Launched in October last year with the motto "simpler, clearer, faster", gov.uk brings all of the government's websites together under one domain for the first time, providing a one-stop shop for everything from passport applications to employment rights, car tax renewal to adopting a child.
"It's the kind of site that you might only visit once or twice a year," said Terret, "so you shouldn't have to understand how government works to be able to find something out. Booking a driving test should be the same as booking a prison visit.""It's the kind of site that you might only visit once or twice a year," said Terret, "so you shouldn't have to understand how government works to be able to find something out. Booking a driving test should be the same as booking a prison visit."
His team took inspiration from a history of public service design, from Harry Beck's London Underground map to UK motorway signage developed by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir in the 1960s. For clarity and consistency the site employs a single font throughout – an updated version of the Transport typeface designed by Kinneir and Calvert and still in use on road signage today.His team took inspiration from a history of public service design, from Harry Beck's London Underground map to UK motorway signage developed by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir in the 1960s. For clarity and consistency the site employs a single font throughout – an updated version of the Transport typeface designed by Kinneir and Calvert and still in use on road signage today.
The site's structure is guided by 10 design principles, including "start with user needs, not government needs", "be consistent, not uniform" and "do less", which came out of user feedback and developing a platform that could work across computers, phones and tablets.The site's structure is guided by 10 design principles, including "start with user needs, not government needs", "be consistent, not uniform" and "do less", which came out of user feedback and developing a platform that could work across computers, phones and tablets.
"It's the classic example of form follows function," says Terrett. "Users are coming to find out what the VAT rate is, or what the minimum wage is – it's not about browsing, so the idea is to get people in and out as quickly as possible.""It's the classic example of form follows function," says Terrett. "Users are coming to find out what the VAT rate is, or what the minimum wage is – it's not about browsing, so the idea is to get people in and out as quickly as possible."
The site is a product of the government's "digital by default" strategy, recommended by a report commissioned from Lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane Fox. It is an project that will soon see every ministerial department and related agency brought together on the gov.uk site, processing hundreds of thousands of transactions a year.The site is a product of the government's "digital by default" strategy, recommended by a report commissioned from Lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane Fox. It is an project that will soon see every ministerial department and related agency brought together on the gov.uk site, processing hundreds of thousands of transactions a year.
"It's simple, direct, well mannered – all the things that we would like to take for granted from the government but, in a sea of red tape and jargon, usually can't," said the Design Museum's director, Deyan Sudjic. "It is elegant and subtly British, the Paul Smith of websites.""It's simple, direct, well mannered – all the things that we would like to take for granted from the government but, in a sea of red tape and jargon, usually can't," said the Design Museum's director, Deyan Sudjic. "It is elegant and subtly British, the Paul Smith of websites."
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