Website analytics for government user behavior during COVID-19 pandemic
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-11-2021-0329 |
| Published date | 31 May 2022 |
| Date | 31 May 2022 |
| Pages | 90-111 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management |
| Author | Yu-Jung Cheng,Kuang-Hua Chen |
Website analytics for government
user behavior during
COVID-19 pandemic
Yu-Jung Cheng and Kuang-Hua Chen
Department of Library and Information Science, National Taiwan University,
Taipei, Taiwan
Abstract
Purpose –The present study aims to clarify the following two research objectives: (1) the user behavior of
government websites during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) period and (2) how the government improved
government’s website design during the COVID-19 period.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors used website analytics to examine usage patterns and
behaviors of the government website via personal computer (PC) and mobile devices during the COVID-19
pandemic. In-depth interviews were conducted to understand theuser experience of government website users
and to gather users’opinions about how government websites should be redesigned.
Findings –With the rising of the COIVID-19 pandemic, most studies expect that the use of government
websitesthrough amobile device will grow astonishingly.The authors uncovered that the COVID-19pandemic
did not increase the use of government websites. Instead, severe declines in websiteusage were observed for all
device users with the declines being more pronounced in mobile device users than in PC users. This is an
admonitory caveat that reveals public health and pandemic prevention information announced on government
websites cannot be effectively transmitted to the general public through official online platforms.
Originality/value –The study highlights the gap in information behavior and usage patterns between PC
and mobile device users when visiting government websites. Although mobile devices brought many new
visitors, mobile devicesare ineffectivein retaining visitors and continuous long-term use. The results of localize
experience is helpful in the improvement of government website evaluation worldwide.
Keywords Website analytics, COVID-19 pandemic, Google analytics, Mobile device, Information behavior,
Government website
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has substantially affected many
countries’economies and the lives of people worldwide, and it has also changed the patterns
of interpersonal communication and information seeking behavior (Howe et al., 2021;Liang
et al., 2020). During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have tended to use virtual and remote
services more frequently and access government information online. During this period,
governments also deployed information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver
services and enhance public involvement (Kristensen et al., 2021;Puron-Cid et al., 2021).
Accordingly, government websites have become an influential gateway for information
services, the usability and accessibility of website have a substantial influence on the public
(Howe et al., 2021;Huang and Benyoucef, 2014). To help website managers and designers
improve the design of government websites, active evaluations of government websites
should be conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Puron-Cid et al., 2021;Shrotri
et al., 2021).
AJIM
75,1
90
Funding: This article was sponsored by National Taiwan University under the Excellence Improvement
Program for Doctoral Students (108-2926-I-002-002-MY4).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2050-3806.htm
Received 12 November 2021
Revised 11 February 2022
10 May 2022
Accepted 12 May 2022
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 75 No. 1, 2023
pp. 90-111
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-11-2021-0329
Another important consideration that gives context to this studyis that mobile technology
has matured. Mobile devices provide spatial flexibility, resulting in many users choosing to
visit government websites through smartphones and tablets. Mobile devices are now
indispensable tools for bridging modern e-government and citizen. The enhancement of
mobile users’access to website information is a key topic that warrants further investigation
(Shareef et al., 2016;Sharma et al., 2018;Wang et al., 2015;Wirtz et al., 2019). However, studies
have focused on individual devices, and few have compared desktop and mobile users’access
to government websites. To determine how government websites should be presented across
multiple devices and promote the efficient use of government websites, mobile website
performance must be assessed to uncover online information behaviors and the needs of
mobile users (Alsaadi et al., 2018;Wang and Teo, 2020).
The present study therefore applied the web analytics method to collect government
website usage data relating to the COVID-19 pandemic period and conducted longitudinal
and comparative analyses of users of various devices. Web analytics tools allow for website
usage records to be collected non-intrusively, and researchers are not involved in the data
collection process. Web analytics has the advantage of enabling access to highly accurate,
objective, and comprehensive website usage records that aresuitable for government website
evaluations (Bekavac and Garbin Prani
cevi
c, 2015;Chau et al., 2005;Song et al., 2018). In
Germany, Kristensen et al. (2021) used website analytics to examine the German federal
government’s website, reported that can aid the understanding of government website users’
views, resulting in positive effects on citizens’democratic decision-making regarding COVID-
19-related health issues. In the United States, Digital.gov (2021) conducted an annual survey
regarding the US federal government website to compare the usage patterns of users who use
different devices. However, few studies have explored this topic in the context of government
websites of Asian countries.
The presentstudy aims to clarify thefollowing two research objectives,(1) the user behavior
of governmentwebsites during the COVID-19 periodand (2) how the government improved its
website design during the COVID-19 period. To understand user behavior of government
websitesduring the COVID-19 period,the present study used GoogleAnalytics to collectTaipei
City councilwebsite data for the periodfrom March 20, 2019, to December31, 2020 (22 months);
the website user recordsrelated to various age groups, mobiledevices, and time periods were
combined with website analytics indicators to analyze thebehavior of various types of users.
Subsequently, with regard to website design improvements made by the government, the
present study used in-depth interviews to understand the opinions of users regarding
government websites during the COVID-19 pandemic and the attempts to redesign the
government website to improve the dissemination of pandemic prevention information. The
research design is based on the website analytics method, supplemented by an in-depth
interview method, to identify strategies for improving suchwebsites to more effectively meet
public needs, communicate prevention information, and promote the dissemination and
utilization of health policy informationto aid in global pandemic prevention efforts.
Based on the research objectives, this study hopes to answer the following questions.
First, we compared the user behavior of government websites during the COVID-19
pandemic among different device users and age groups. Second, we compared government
website usage during the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 periods to identify the characteristics
that encourage users to visit the government website. Third, we examined the experience of
users of government website users during the COVID-19 period and provided suggestions on
how government public health websites can be better designed for more effective pandemic
prevention. The present study aims to enhance users’access to information from the
perspectives of pandemic prevention and improve the two-way communication between the
government and public to deliver timely and accurate information regarding pandemic
prevention policies and health practices.
User behavior
of government
websites
91
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