Reflects the Civilised Image of UAE
Diplomacy
In each issue of Smart Government magazine, we review
one of the federal government websites to highlight its
main strengths as well as areas for improvement. Our
common goal is for the user to be able to access govern-
ment services easily and conveniently anytime anywhere
in line with the UAE Vision 2021.
1
Website homepage
In this issue, we review the website of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which
is rich in the information it provides
and highlights the role of the Min-
istry and its various activities. The
website has witnessed more than a
million visits from different countries
around the world. A new version of
the Arabic website was launched last
September.
Accessibility:
‘Accessibility’ refers to a website that
is compatible with different browsers,
has an easy to remember URL and
is easily accessed through different
search engines. People with spe-
cial needs should be able to use the
website with no difficulty.
Following are a few remarks on the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website
in this regard:
The website has an easy to remem-
ber URL
) and can
be reached through the Arabic do-
main (
وزارة-الخارجية.امارات
).
It appears among the top results
when directly searching for “Ministry
of Foreign Affairs UAE” but not when
using phrases such as “getting a
tourist visa UAE”.
It is available in Arabic and English.
However, it would be better if more
languages are added since the web-
site is accessed from different parts
of the world.
The website gives the option to
change the font size and colour to
help the visually-impaired. It would
be a good idea if text-to-speech fea-
ture is added.
Usability and Design:
‘Usability’ refers to ease of using the
website. A key methodology for as-
sessing usability is to have a User-
Centred Design (UCD).
Following are a few remarks on the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website
in this regard:
The Arabic version of the website is
characterised by a modern design
that reflects the Ministry’s mission
and vision, the civilised image of the
UAE diplomacy and its principles of
tolerance, justice, love and peace.
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