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AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2007 Awards: Digital Government: Government to Citizen (G to C)

RECIPIENT:
Michigan
Michigan.Gov release 2.0

Michigan.gov release 2.0 Host: Dianne Adams, NASCIO Programs and Education Coordinator Featuring: Jim Hogan, Information Officer, Department of Information Technology, State of Michigan May 28, 2008 Run Time: 9 minutes, 24 seconds Download

The state of Michigan first introduced its state-wide integrated government portal, www.michigan.gov, in the summer of 2001. This is the official website for the state of Michigan. In the months that followed the official launch, all IT development was focused on adding interactive, online services to the portal, and the state now offers over 200. With the focus shifted from fundamental navigation and usability best practices, new services minimized the importance of having a portal that was intuitive, engaging and accessible for all. These usability limitations came to the surface in 2004 when the nationally renowned Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University released their annual review of state and federal web sites. The review focuses on key features, such as ADA compliance, usability, foreign language translation, and online services. Michigan’s web portal was ranked in the bottom 50%, results which were validated by a critique from the Michigan State University usability lab. “In Michigan, we are fortunate to work in a climate where our partners in state government understand the important role technology plays in serving our citizens and businesses. We are also fortunate to work in a culture where innovation is encouraged so that we can surprise and delight the many people who visit Michigan.gov. By focusing on the needs of our citizens and businesses, we will continue to innovate and improve the site to provide them with the information and services that they require from their state government.”
Teri Takai, CIO, State of Michigan

The business problem was simple – improve the end user experience of Michigan.Gov by making measured improvements in all categories addressed by the 2004 Brown University report. A two-year strategy, completed in April 2006, was developed to improve four key areas of the portal:

• Enhanced accessibility
• Expanded delivery channels
• Cross boundary data sharing
• Public engagement

The project and all of its related improvements were designated as Michigan.Gov release 2.0. This project engaged multiple development teams and was tracked as a strategic, enterprise-wide project for the state of Michigan. Tangible improvements from the 24-month process include:

• The adoption of fifth generation technologies, including, wireless access and web services to extend the reach and utility of the portal
• Integrated multi-channel delivery, including KIOSK and multi-media
• Adoption of assistive and translation services ensures that all citizens have access to their state government
• Practical use of social computing strategies, including web logs, online surveys, and, personalization to make Michigan.Gov truly a two way mechanism for communicating with citizens

This sustained focus on improving the end-user experience over a twenty-four month period resulted in Michigan.Gov earning a top 5 ranking by Brown University in 2006. This back-to-basics approach has taught Michigan not to place quantity over quality and has resulted in a more deliberate examination of end-user needs as the state proceeds with continued improvements to its portal.

NOMINATIONS:
Click on the link to download program submission.

Alabama
alabama.gov

California
California State Portal

District of Columbia
Washington, DC LSDBE Online

Iowa
Iowa Agricultural Soil Conservation Financial and Reports Management System (FARMS)

Kentucky
Get Healthy Kentucky

Maine
HireME- State of Maine Online Job Application

Montana
Montana End-of-Life Registry

North Carolina
North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry

Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Vehicle Tax Estimator

Oklahoma
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management's Weather Notification System

Pennsylvania
Municipal Statistics

Utah
Utah's On The Spot Renewal System

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