Go and have a look at: http://data.gov.uk/home

The two key features on the homepage for me are the search box and map navigation. The search is as you’d expect from something mimicking Google. The map is a standard mashup of council data for the area. By web standards nothing new.

But. What I really like about all this is the fact that the council have been brave and tried something new. The search interface works. I can type what I’m looking for and can get to it very easily. This is a vast difference to the traditional affair, like www.lbhf.gov.uk where I have to navigate through a pretty large sitemap to get to what I need. The added benefit is that the average user has used Google and are comfortable in that environment. Instead of a daunting set of navigation links, the user is presented with the familiar. They know what to do and what to expect.

Similarly with the map navigation. I can select different overlays and see what is in my local area. Now this, again, is the standard set of data expected from a council site, but it’s a sure foot on pathway to something really good. My only criticism is that the overlay selection panel should be to the right of the map, as currently you have to scroll off screen to select new data.

On the whole this is a great effort to break from the norms. And I for one would like to see more of this kind of innovation, particularly from the public sector. There is a tendency to “play it safe” from government sites which certainly prove the value in what’s spent, but do little to improve user value.

My fear is that whilst this is a great start to something better, it’s that it won’t be treated as that. It’s a start. Not the final product, but the start. There is a lot of improvement needed on this site to give real value to users. The ball is firmly in their court; let’s hope that they will keep up the momentum.

Visit http://www.westminster.gov.uk/ and let me know what you think.