Technology has transformed the opportunities for communicating and sharing information in ways that can enhance democracy, and support improvements in public service delivery. However there are challenges in engaging users’ attention and understanding, and responsibilities to ensure that information shared is meaningful and accurate. Putting large volumes of data online won’t in itself be enough to enable and encourage people to use and understand it.
- Be clear and realistic about who the information is targeted at.
- Identify the messages you want to provide – what needs to be included and what can be left out.
- Choose the right pitch for your target audience – make it accessible and user friendly to suit that audience.
- Consider how you will ‘grab’ users attention – how will you encourage them to dig deeper than the ‘headlines’.
- Consider the best medium for communication – make sure that the data and information are provided in an analysable and usable form.
- Provide sufficient context and supporting information to make the information meaningful.
- Above all, make sure that the information is accurate yet timely, comprehensive yet easy to understand and above all, provides a relevant, trustworthy and truthful picture.
To maximise the benefits of technological advances both in improving transparency and democracy, and to support those tasked with improving the delivery of public services, information needs to be capable of informing the choices, actions, views and decisions of the public and public service providers. To achieve this, the information needs to be relevant, of sufficient quality and presented well (RQP).
This section provides guidance and examples to help you in presenting information about local public services, addressing the needs of different audiences.