GC Web Usability Theme

Overview

Project lead: Paul Jackson (@pjackson28)

Purpose

The GC Web Usability theme was developed to comply with the Standard on Web Usability.

Benefits

  • Top tasks have been tested with users: contact us, search, return to home page, learn about us, stay connected through social media, navigate the site, read the terms and conditions, and toggling to the users official language of choice.
  • Conforms to the Standard on Web Accessibility and Standard on Web Usability
  • Conforms to WCAG 2.0 AA
  • Responsive design that includes both mobile and desktop views
  • Uses HTML5 semantic elements and WAI-ARIA to enhance accessibility
  • Groups most of the navigation after the content area
  • Validates to HTML5 and is XML conformant

Recommended usage

Use When

This theme must be used on Government of Canada websites (including web applications).

Do Not Use When

This theme can only be used on Government of Canada websites.

Appearance

The theme prescribes the look of the template for content pages, splash pages and server error pages. Content layout, including that of the home page, is not prescribed, except for the Priorities section that is right-aligned somewhere below the breadcrumbs.

Content

Content should focus on users' top tasks. Users tend to navigate through the content area first and then to the menus. They are looking for keywords that will help them meet their information need. Write in active voice and use verbs. Users will often scan the information looking for things that stand out - like links. Each link must be descriptive and representative of the content to which it leads. This is especially pronounced when users are accessing the site via a mobile device.

Implementation

General instructions

  1. Use the \theme-gcwu-fegc\*.html files to create your Web pages.
  2. Optional: Create and install one or more new CSS files (will be used for custom CSS)
  3. Optional: Create link(s) to the new CSS file(s) in between the following comments: 
    < !-- CustomScriptsCSSStart -->
< !-- CustomScriptsCSSEnd -->
  4. Correct all *.css, *.js, and *.gif file paths referenced in the installed *.html files
  5. Replace the page title (in between <title> and </title>,), the site title, and the content title (in between <h1 id="wb-cont"> and </h1>)
  6. Correct the metadata values
  7. Correct the Terms and conditions/Avis link(s)

Content page-specific instructions (cont*.html)

  1. Correct the menu bar links
  2. Correct the mega menu links or remove the mega menus
  3. Correct the English/Français link
  4. Optional: Implement either secondary navigation version 1 (maximum of 3 levels) or secondary navigation version 2 (maximum of 4 levels)
  5. Correct the search field
  6. Correct the breadcrumb
  7. Correct the Transparency/Transparence link
  8. Correct the site footer links
  9. Correct the Date modified/Date de modification or change to Version (where permitted by the Standard on Web Usability)

Welcome page-specific instructions (sp-pe*.html)

  1. Correct the English and French language links
  2. Optional: Include language selection links for other languages

Server message page-specific instructions (serv*.html)

  1. Replace the English and/or French messages.
  2. Optional: Include messages for other languages

Examples

Development

The code for the GC Web Usability theme is located in several places within the source folder of WET:

Known Issues

  • CSS styling will not be entirely consistent across all browsers since many of them will interpret CSS syntax differently.
  • Usability testing is required on the styles in the CSS grid system.

Version History

Related Documentation