The structure of the EC branded web presence is based on extensive external user research with stakeholders (DGs and people using EC websites) between September 2014 and February 2015.
In 2014, people visiting Commission websites were polled to establish the most important reasons why they interact with the organisation. The poll was based on a list of 77 Commission-wide user tasks distilled from an original list of 1,700 tasks, collectively agreed by all DGs. The poll was carried out in 24 languages and received more than 100,000 valid responses.
The poll revealed the main audiences interacting with the EC online, and their 'top tasks':
The solidity and consistency of the poll results provided a strong case to build a common information architecture for the European Commission to address some areas prompting low satisfaction levels among users, for example what users saw as confusing menus and links.
See Factsheet digital transformation user survey for more information.
The next stage of the process involved:
Success was achieved after 4 iterations of testing.
The outcome of the process was a top-level classification for the European Commission website, comprising 15 'classes'.
Factsheet digital transformation user survey with tasks.pdf
Report on common architecture level 1
Report on common architecture level 1-executive_summary.pdf
If you require further assistance, please contact:
European Commission
DG Communication
Unit B.3
Europa Web Communication
The Europa Web Guide is the official rulebook for the European Commission's web presence, covering editorial, legal, technical, visual and contractual aspects.
All European Commission web sites must observe the rules and guidelines it contains.
Web practitioners are invited to observe its contents and keep abreast of updates.
More information about the web guide.