In Development

Last week, I took part in some user-testing for the upcoming NZ On Screen website - “a showcase of moving image and sound content created in New Zealand or by New Zealanders for local and international audiences”. What this meant is that I sat with two people from the project, and they watched me as I navigated my way around the prototype of the site, and asked me questions about the kinds of things that I’d want from the site, and what I expected.

It was a really great experience because not only did I get a sneak peak of things that they’re about to reveal, but it also made me realise exactly how important user-testing is. When you’ve been working on a site for months - or even years - it’s hard to see the big picture, and so you need someone from outside to come in and give you a fresh perspective.

I suppose that’s one of the things that we’re trying to achieve with this blog too. As we present our various parts of work to you, the readers, you might be able to offer us some insights that we might otherwise have missed. You get to point out that maybe the information that you’re really after is hard to find because it’s at the bottom of a metaphorical scrolldown, or that you’d really like to be able to customise the way you receive your government interactions.

Working through NZ On Screen’s user interface and giving their team feedback reminds me that this blog is also a work in progress. We are listening to your comments about design, and about what you’re liking to read about and what you’re not. We want this blog to evolve to suit our collective needs - so let us know what it is that you want to see. The days when a website was designed as a static entity to be stuck up on the internet and left alone for a couple of years are long gone - or at least they should be!

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