# Presentation: 299818

## EPA Web Review

- Jeffrey Levy
- Office of Web Communications
- Office of Public Affairs
- September 19, 2006

## Why Product Review?

- Problem: Need one Web site, not many
- Superfund site list:  HQ vs. Region
- Four NSR Web sites
- Just how long do we need to boil water?
- Solution: Coordination!

## Four Big Ideas

- What is subject to product review?
- All redesigns of Web sites
- High-profile items, even if only a page
- Anything supporting a news announcement
- Must wait for concept approval
- Design by topic, not organization
- Good design means much more than look and feel

## Governance: EPA Web Council

## EPA Web Review Process: Concept and Draft

**EPA Web Review Process: Concept and Draft**

## OPA Office of Web Communications

- Staff have beats – specific offices they work with
- Staff have years of experience in Web writing, development, and editing
- Staff write standards and conduct trainings

## Basic Process for Web Review

- Concept Development
- Concept Approval
- Draft Development
- Editing
- Draft Approval
- Launch (possibly with news announcement)

## Who (in order): 
“Local” management
Program or Regional Web Content Coordinator
OPA Office of Web Communications
Possibly other offices or regions

What:
Is concept appropriate?
Are all relevant offices and regions participating, including research and enforcement?
Does idea duplicate other content on epa.gov?

- “Local” management
- Program or Regional Web Content Coordinator
- OPA Office of Web Communications
- Possibly other offices or regions
**What:**
- Is concept appropriate?
- Are all relevant offices and regions participating, including research and enforcement?
- Does idea duplicate other content on epa.gov?

- Web Concept Review

## Web Concept Review	

**When:**
- The earlier, the better
- Typically takes only a few days
- High-priority items are fast-tracked
**How:**
- Mostly email and phone
- Sometimes meetings
- Sometimes handed down from “on high”

## Special Cases

- Material supporting news releases
- Every release must include URLs
- Supporting pages must be updated
- Interagency projects
- Crises

## Web Draft Development

- Follow all agency-wide policies
- Follow local policies
- Stay in touch with content coordinator
- Stay in touch with Office of Public Affairs
- Especially discuss innovations or new techniques (e.g., Flash)

## Who (in order): 
“Local” management
Program or Regional Web Content Coordinator
OPA Office of Web Communications
Possibly other offices or regions

What:
Do pages meet EPA standards?
Grammar, spelling correct?
Written in plain language?
Linking to appropriate places?
Coordinating inbound links?
Appropriate use of multimedia?

- “Local” management
- Program or Regional Web Content Coordinator
- OPA Office of Web Communications
- Possibly other offices or regions
**What:**
- Do pages meet EPA standards?
- Grammar, spelling correct?
- Written in plain language?
- Linking to appropriate places?
- Coordinating inbound links?
- Appropriate use of multimedia?

- Web Draft Review

## Web Draft Review	

**When:**
- Frequent contact better than once at the end
- Goal is within two weeks, but bug us if necessary
- High-priority items are fast-tracked
**How:**
- Mostly email and phone, BUT
- Meetings help explain standards, discuss tricky design choices, establish relationships, AND
- Sometimes handed down from “on high”

## What Goes into EPA Design

- Look and Feel: epa.gov/epafiles
- Topical organization: epa.gov/topicslite
- Writing Style, Graphics: epa.gov/productreview/guide/web_lookfor.html
- Many related standards: yosemite.epa.gov/oei/webguide.nsf/standards-guidance

## What’s It All Mean?

- High expectations about quality of draft sites reviewed
- Submitters should be familiar with standards and practices
- Sites should be clean of minor errors before review
- Length of time to review and edit depends on initial quality

## Web Standards Consolidation

- Standards now scattered across multiple sites for historical reasons
- Web Guide
- Look and feel
- Topical organization
- Product review
- Web governance
- Environmental Education Web Workgroup
- Goal:  One agency, one standards site: yosemite.epa.gov/oei/webguide.nsf/standards-guidance

## Tools For EPA’s Web Community

- Trainings, both in-person and via Web conferencing
- Standards site
- EPA Web Workgroup
- Web Council members
- Internal listserver

## Questions, Comments?

- Jeffrey Levy, Associate Director, Web Communications
- 202-564-9727
- levy.jeffrey@epa.gov
- Serenety Hanley, Director, Web Communications
- 202-564-6976
- hanley.serenety@epa.gov