Usability and Digital Inclusion: Standards and Guidelines

Abstract

This article aims at discussing e-government website usability in relation to concerns about digital inclusion. E-government web design should consider all aspects of usability, including those that make it more accessible to all. Traditional concerns of social exclusion are being superseded by fears that lack of digital competence and information literacy may result in dangerous digital exclusion. Usability is considered as a way to address this exclusion and should therefore incorporate inclusion and accessibility guidelines. This article makes an explicit link between usability guidelines and digital inclusion and reports on a survey of local government web presence in Portugal.

Keywords:

• usability guidelines
• digital inclusion
• local e-government
• information literacy

Notes

¹SCONUL- Society of College, National and University Libraries: involved in developing the profile of information literacy in higher education since 1997 (http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy).