You may have seen some info about Delib’s comms strategy during the coronavirus crisis. If you missed it, see here.

In summary, Delib has a lot of knowledge to share regarding bringing participation processes online, which a lot of public bodies are having to contend with at the moment. This post rounds up all of these resources in one place.

An announcement: from this week we will be sharing resources once per week, instead of twice, on a Wednesday. That means that these roundups will now be posted on a Thursday or Friday.

On Wednesday, we shared some links on the topic of accessibility, with a focus on alt text:

  • 1. If you’re not sure what alt text is and its purpose, this article is a great place to start. It very clearly explains what alt text is for, how to use it, and why it’s important.
  • 2. Once you’ve got the basics down, this alt text ‘decision tree’ will help you to determine whether your image needs alt text attached and, if so, what you should add.
  • 3. Alt text for consultations: this article outlines how to add alt text to an image in Citizen Space, as well as a quick snapshot of dos/don’ts.
  • 4. This entry from GOV.UK’s blog has some things to consider when optimising pages for screen readers – for example, a screen reader might not be able to guess the correct meaning of homonyms (e.g. ‘take a bow’ vs. ‘tie a bow’). There’s also a clip of a screen reader in action.
  • 5. Lastly, here’s an article from our knowledge base on accessibility labels in Citizen Space: what they are, why they’re important, and how to add them.

On Friday, we rounded up a selection of links we’ve shared over the past couple of weeks:

  • 1. Delib’s guidance on things to consider when conducting public participation solely online. Audience and accessibility are two such considerations. 
  • 2. An article by Delib account manager Katherine on creating accessible consultations – for example, use simple, plain language, and provide clear instructions for links.
  • 3. One of the key tenets of GDPR is informed consent. Our account manager Natalie wrote a helpful guide featuring examples on different ways to display data protection info in a consultation.
  • 4. Delib operates on ‘privacy by design’, a set of principles meaning that privacy must be taken into account at every stage of developing a product. The IAPP has a summary of the 7 main principles.
  • 5. 10 Principles for Design in a Crisis: this excellent article is by Louise Downe, author of the equally excellent book Good Services. (I recommend that as well.) Principles include:
  • -Do no harm
  • -Speak the truth
  • -Prioritise the most vulnerable
  • 6.  What’s in a question? A lot, as it turns out. Poorly written questions have a huge impact on response quality. Delib account manager Tim wrote a great article on the dos and don’ts of question design for consultations.

Thanks for reading. If someone you know would benefit from receiving this roundup via email, here’s a link to the signup form. 

Lastly, this is a new way of delivering information and is subject to constant revision as we learn. If you have any suggestions, Dani is Delib’s content editor and welcomes any feedback – follow her on Twitter or send her an email.

Stay safe, everyone, and have a good week.