Evaluating Metropolitan Assembly Web Sites in Ghana:Accessibility, Compatibility and Usability

In recent years, metropolitan assemblies in Ghana have undergone population increase due tourbanization (rural-urban migration). As a conduit for engaging residents, local governments allover the world are leveraging on web sites to provide e-services for citizens and residents so asto establish communication, trust and accountability. Quality web sites are crucial in userretention and user participation. Using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) heuristicsand the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standards, this paper analyses contentprofessionalism and public outreach of the web sites of four out of Ghana’s six metropolitanassemblies. The study evaluates the selected web sites by utilizing an automated web testingtechnique, mobile-friendliness and usability test, and content observation technique. The studyproposes a Double Evaluation Technique (DET) for assessing web sites. The study uncoversshortcomings with regards to non-compliance to international web standards. Finally results,practical implications and recommendations are discussed. The results of this study containimplications for e-government stakeholders, precisely government web designers anddevelopers. Ultimately, the study emphasizes on the need for policymakers at the metropolitanlevel to encourage frequent web site evaluation so as to be up to date with the fast changing weblandscape.