Dear Sir or Madam,

Can you please tell me if any research has ever been conducted or
commissioned relating to the Council's web site? (For example, what
the public would like to see on it, how usable it is, etc.) This
should not include wide-ranging eternal studies that survey many
council sites at once, if not directly requested by the Council,
but solely research that the Council itself has carried out or
directly authorised. This should include any research carried out
amongst staff or council members, and even informal or ad hoc
research (such as collating comments made) should be included.

If any such research has been performed, I would request electronic
copies of any final reports and/or presentations produced, along
with details of when the report was produced, by whom, and at what
cost.

Yours faithfully,

Colin

Dear Colin

Thank you for your email dated 28 June 2008 requesting information on research into Belfast City Council's website.

The council holds the information you have requested and has decided that it can be disclosed. I can confirm that the council has conducted the type of research you have specified. I have attached the reports and have set out the other information you have requested below in date order:

1. Title: Review of Best Practice in Local Authority Websites

This involved research by two members of staff who questioned staff responsible for website management in one university and three local authorities. Please note the appendices attached refer to this report.

Carried out by and produced by: Belfast City Council

Date: August 2004

Cost: Staff costs including accommodation (£440), travel (£417.50), subsistence (£109) and staff time (estimated at £800) Total: £1766.50

2. Title: Usability Template Report

This report looks at the Belfast City Council website template to assess how usable the site is and how disabled people might view it.

Commissioned by Belfast City Council and conducted by AbilityNet

Date: November 2005

Cost: £634.50

3. Title: Section 75 web consultation and user testing

Carried out by: Belfast City Council

Date: 23 November 2006

Cost: There were no costs apart from staff attending the consultation forum and collating the feedback, estimated at £200.

4. Title: User feedback

Carried out by: Belfast City Council based on online feedback from users

Date: Since June 2006

Cost: Estimated apportioned cost for developing an online form in-house £480.

5. Title: Accessibility testing

Evaluation requested by Belfast City Council and provided by a web user who is partially sighted.

Date: 5 April 2007

Cost: There was no cost involved in this.

6. Title: Residents' survey 2007

This public consultation survey was a door-to-door survey of 1,500 residents and a focus group. It covered all aspects of Belfast City Council's services.

Commissioned by Belfast City Council and produced by: BMG Research

Date: July- August 2007

Cost: The cost for the overall survey was £28,250 - there is no break-down of costs per question.

7. Title: Website survey - online

Carried out by and produced by: Belfast City Council. This was an online survey for our web users to give us their feedback. The survey was online for two months.

Date: September 2007

Cost: There was a cost for setting up the staff survey of £150 paid to Information Services Belfast, Belfast City Council's IT department, plus an estimated £50 Corporate Communications staff cost for writing the survey and collating the feedback.

If you are dissatisfied with how the council handled your request for information, you have the right to request that we formally review this decision. Please write to:

The Records Manager,

Belfast City Council,

Adelaide Exchange,

24-26 Adelaide Street,

Belfast, BT2 8GD.

Should you remain dissatisfied following the council's internal review, you can seek an independent review from the Information Commissioner. Requests for an independent review should be made in writing to:

The Information Commissioner,

Wickliffe House,

Water Lane,

Wilmslow,

Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

I would advise you that the Information Commissioner has indicated that a review will not be undertaken unless the council has first had an opportunity to reconsider its decision.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Caroline Dixon

Caroline Dixon

Publications Manager

Corporate Communications

Belfast City Council

Adelaide Exchange

24-26 Adelaide Street

Belfast

BT2 8GD

[email address] <mailto:[email address]>

Tel: 028 9091 8766

www.belfastcity.gov.uk

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