Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal departments of Social Development, Public Works and Treasury have the most “reader-friendly” websites compared with their Gauteng and Western Cape counterparts.
This is according to a Clarity Index survey by VisibleThread, a document and web content analysis company.
The survey looked at the readability of 38 government department websites in the three provinces. About 100 pages on each website were scanned.
The survey looked at the language on the websites in terms of readability, the amount of passive language used, the use of long sentences and complex words.
The survey found that while the three KZN websites were the top performers, it had not received ideal scores in all categories.
The KZN Treasury lost points because of its use of too many complex words: “The Treasury would see an immediate improvement by auditing its content for complex words.”
The survey said most South Africans would struggle to read provincial government sites as writing on most of the sites was at or above tertiary education reading level.
It found that only 13 percent of the websites surveyed achieved readability scores that were above ideal levels.
“Despite well-established consequences, poor writing on government websites continues to be common,” said Fergal McGovern, VisibleThread chief executive. In a country where the language of government is a second language for many of its citizens, poor communication will result in inefficiency and affect service delivery.
KZN’s Social Development and Public Works were tied for the top ranking, with Social Development scoring the best for readability, while the Public Works Department was first for having less passive voice. The provincial Treasury was ranked first for having few long sentences.
The KZN Arts and Culture website was ranked last among the 38 websites surveyed, and a “complete overhaul” of its content was recommended.
The survey found the website had the worst content, as long sentences were six times higher than the recommended rate. A lot of passive language and complex words were used.
Approached for comment, the Arts and Culture Department’s Lethukuthula Mtshali said the department had not seen the findings but welcomed input.
The Mercury