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Connexions Direct (CXD) is an innovative, engaging, accessible and secure site for 13-19 year olds in England. Funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) CXD successfully delivers online information, advice and support for young people.
The site provides quick and easy access to local and national information on issues as diverse as careers, health, relationships, money and travel, and encourages peer to peer interaction and support.
However, what makes the website unique is that the ‘self-help’ information is supported by a team of qualified advisers. The advisers are available from 8.00 am to 2.00 am, 365 days per year, to answer phone calls, emails, confidential webchats and SMS texts.
The website also presents information in different formats to ensure it engages successfully with its target audience. The sites interactive arm - CXD-i - uses a variety of rich media content, including flash video quizzes, ‘Talking Heads’ videos, a blog and ‘Pathfinder’ video timelines to bring topics and issues to life.
The site is fully integrated with all 47 local Connexions Partnership websites offering users access to local information vie deep links. This also means that Connexions Direct advisers have immediate access to local referral agencies.
The views and opinions of young people have been central to every stage of the site’s development. They have helped shape the site in terms of how it looks and works, the information it contains and the best formats for presenting this. This approach has always proved very successful and will continue in future.
For example recent feedback identified the need to improve the way information was provide to disabled young people. By involving disabled young people a system whereby all disability-related content could be badged up and an area that draws all this content together so it could be easy to find was developed.
As a citizen-centred online service, every element of the online offering was developed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. As well as complying with A, AA and many AAA W3C WAI accessibility guidelines CXD has been awarded the prestigious RNIB ‘See it Right’ badging.
An example of this accessible approach in practice can be seen in the fact that all flash and video content on the site is available in alternative html format to ease accessibility while maintaining a sense of interaction.
CXD has proved to be a great success with users. In addition to receiving 439,553 visitors during March 2006, the site also regularly receives positive feedback from young people. Further evidence of success can be seen in the latest User Survey (Research Report RB670 www.dfes.gov.uk/research) which rated the site and the Adviser Online facility as “very easy” or “easy” to use.
The site has also picked up a number of awards acknowledging the way that it so successfully delivers youth orientated information, advice and support, online. The most prestigious of these awards is the internationally renowned Webby Award in the category of ‘The People’s Choice Award for Best Government Website’
Claire Thackray
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Connexions Direct.com (CXD) is an online information, advice and support service for 13-19 year olds in England. The website offers young people easy access to national and local information on a wide range of issues as well as peer to peer support.
CXD is supported by a team of qualified advisers providing one to one confidential support via telephone, mini-com, e-mail, adviser online, and SMS text.
In line with strict e-Government guidelines the site was built to be as accessible as possible for the diverse range of potential users and as a result it complies with A, AA and many AAA W3C WAI accessibility guidelines. Particular attention was also paid to making the site usable for young people with hearing impairments, visual impairments, mobility impairments and cognitive difficulties. The site’s development also accommodated any access technology these users may require.
An example of this can be seen in the way all flash and video content - across Connexions Direct.com and the interactive arm of the site, CXD-i - is available in alternative html format to ease accessibility while maintaining a sense of interaction.
Further evidence of our commitment to developing a truly accessible site can be seen in the fact that we successfully achieved the prestigious ‘See it right’ accreditation awarded by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).
In addition to this Connexions Direct also won a Visionary Design Award in the category of Best Young Adults website for its outstanding efforts in ensuring the site’s content is accessible to visually impaired people.
The awards, which are run by the National Library for the Blind (NLB), celebrate accessible web design and aim to encourage website publishers and designers to consider access technology when they are designing their sites.
Research was conducted throughout the site’s development and is ongoing. This research has ensured that the site is accessible and usable and continually meets the needs of users. All aspects of the site’s design, look and feel, and navigation, tone of voice and the range and depth of content are reviewed regularly in this research.
An example of the effectiveness of this approach can be seen in the way the website supports disabled users. As a result of research findings and users comments a system whereby all disability-related content is badged as such was implemented. In addition to this specialist articles were written and an area of the site was developed to draw all this information together into one, each to find ‘portal’ space.
Claire Thackray
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