Mobile usage has exploded over the last decade, with 1 in 3 visits to federal websites now coming from mobile devices, according to the federal Digital Analytics Program. Additionally, mobile usage is continuing to grow exponentially going forward.

With greater usage comes the need for increased measurement gauging the effectiveness of those mobile experiences. It also begs the following questions: Are these mobile visits inspiring loyalty and encouraging usage of digital information sources over more costly channels? Are citizens responding to mobile sites and apps the way they do to federal websites?

The only way to quantify the answers to these questions is to measure citizen satisfaction with mobile sites and apps. Research has shown repeatedly that satisfaction is the best predictor of future behaviors linked to customer service excellence and cost savings.

However, measuring satisfaction — and putting a quantifiable value on it — is something many organizations haven’t traditionally done in the past. It can also be difficult to identify which specific elements of the mobile experience are best to track. ForeSee has been measuring satisfaction with mobile websites and apps since 2010, and we’ve found a few common elements of the mobile experience that every federal website should be measuring:

1. Navigation: The organization of the site and options for navigation. This element frequently shows up for our federal clients as the top priority for improvement — meaning improvements in this area will have the greatest impact on overall citizen satisfaction with the mobile site or app.
2. Site Information: The accuracy, quality and freshness of news, information, and content on the mobile site.
3. Look and Feel: The visual appeal of the site. Also, the visual consistency throughout the mobile site.
4. Functionality: The usefulness, convenience, and variety of online features and tools available on the mobile site.
5. Site Performance: The speed, consistency, and reliability of loading pages on the mobile site or app.

These aforementioned elements are drivers of mobile satisfaction, according to our researchers and the models they’ve developed. If you aren’t already measuring the citizen experience on your mobile site or app, it’s a good time to start. Many federal agencies, programs, and departments are already working working with ForeSee to measure mobile experiences, so we have had a strong benchmark in place since 2013.

To check out the latest mobile citizen satisfaction data, download the latest E-Government Satisfaction Index here.

Are you measuring mobile satisfaction using the same predictive, scientific methodology you use for your website?

About the Author

Dave Lewan is responsible for managing the organization focused on the public sector, including federal and state government departments and agencies, non-profit organizations, associations and higher education institutions. He is charged with defining strategy and leveraging internal resources to initiate new business opportunities while delivering to existing ForeSee public-sector clients. Dave is also responsible for ForeSee’s growing Canadian business including public and private sectors. In 2016, Dave will serve as ForeSee liaison with the Partnership for Public Service for the Center for Presidential Transition, in an effort to educate some 4,000 appointees who will enter into the federal government from the private sector as part of the new administration. Prior to joining ForeSee in 2009, Dave led in key strategic areas at ADP, SalesLogix, Ultimate Software and Ceridian. Dave graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in speech communications.

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