Emma Okonji writes that the introduction of Web Jurist Awards by Phillips Consulting about a decade ago has forced many organisations to step up efforts in ensuring better functioning websites
Over a decade ago, Phillip’s Consulting started the Web Jurist Award project that looks very insignificant and nearly unrecognisable but today, it has turned out to be a great foresight that forms the building blocks of modern societies.
Web Jurist, as the name implies, seeks to examine the effectiveness of organusations’ websites without the website owners having the slightest knowledge that their websites were being examined. The independent examination lasts for close to one year and at the end of the year results are released and organisations are awarded in various categories.
The categories include: the website with the highest numbers of visits, the best designed website of the year, the best navigational websites, among others.
Since Philip Consulting started the process, it has been consistent and the results have spurred website competition and have equally challenged several organisations to step up their games in website administration, just to win awards and be recognised as one of the best websites.
Some chief executive officers (CEOs) have even had issues with their web managers, threatening to fire them if they do not, for once win the Web Jurist award.
How NCC clinched Web Jurist Awards
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, is one body whose website was independently monitored by Philips Consulting and the website met and surpassed all the criteria for adjudicating websites, leading to it clinching three awards in the latest edition of the Web Jurist award.
This feat has attracted comments from NCC and industry stakeholders who testified that the commission truly deserved the awards based on the consistency and flexibility of the regulator’s website.
NCC, while commending Philips Consulting for its unbiased and independent assessment of websites, said when an organisation knows that somebody is watching over its shoulders, things do indeed change. “Something very important is the need for people and organisations to take interest in what is happening in the society in order to bring about positive change, and we commend Philips Consulting for that,” NCC said in a statement.
The motivation
Speaking on what may have propelled NCC into winning several awards the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo said when the awards were announced in previous years, NCC was not mentioned but could not understand why an organisation regulating mainstream technology would not be the one leading the pack. Between the relevant departments some situation meetings were held to reappraise the situation. We all admitted failure for not receiving honourable mention in an award that was independently done, where those involved did not even know that they were being judged, Ojobo said.
“We also agreed to retool the various web platforms to ensure the Commission doesn’t fall short another time.This is what makes the recent awards very exciting for an organisation that wasn’t even in the radar some years ago to suddenly get very reasonable mention in three categories, which include: Winner – Web Content, Parastatal Category; Second Place, Best Overall, Parastatal Category; and Third Place, Use of Social Media (Twitter ) Parastatal Category,” he added.
How Web Jurist Awards started
According to a statement culled from the website of Phillip’s Consulring, the Web-Jurist ratings were conceived by e-business experts at Phillips Consulting. The ratings commenced in May 2001 with version 1.0. Its primary objective was to critically and objectively evaluate the effectiveness of websites in Nigeria, focusing initially on the financial services industry and taking into account what the customer wants. Phillips Consulting sought to establish a barometer for assessing e-business activities and for identifying best practices. This exercise evaluated a total of 46 Banks’ websites at the time.
The impact and effect of this initial evaluation exercise has been far reaching: Web Jurist 1.0 served as a wake up call for banks. For the first time, websites got executive attention which resulted in a deluge of internet activity by the banks. Several websites have been extensively revamped, some even abandoned their existing sites at the time and developed brand new websites, many websites are still in the process of evolving.
Criteria for assessment
The Web-Jurist evaluation tool used for the ratings, according to Phillips Consulting, was developed using intelligent algorithms and the process entails a step-by-step web analysis using detailed criteria developed specifically to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of web sites. The criteria include: Aesthetics, Technical Aspects, Site Content, Web Transaction Processing, Consumer Experience and Performance.
It examines adherence to key design principles such as legibility of text, functionality of graphics and appropriate use of colours.
For the technical aspects, it examines the functionality of the site based on the ease of navigation as well as the security features implemented on the site. For site content, it evaluates the accuracy and freshness of information presented on the site as well as the presentation of the web content.
For web transaction processing, it evaluates the ease with which a customer is able to actually transact business effectively on the website, and for the consumer experience, it evaluates the extent to which a customer or potential investor’s needs are satisfied.
As for performance, the criteria evaluates the overall performance of the site by measuring such critical metrics as the extent to which web pages have been optimised and the speed with which web pages are displayed.
This kind of process developed by Phillips Consulting does not recognise faces, tribe, state or nationality. It recognises quality, excellence and the ability to remain on top, according to Philips Consulting.
Validity of the award
Speaking on the credibility of Web Jurist Awards, Ojobo said: “For a Commission that bases its regulatory activities on the platform of being fair, firm and forthright, the Commission does not only validate the Phillips Project but will strive to lead the pack going forward. There are still some grounds to cover and the present management led by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, will not leave anything to chance by way of achieving its overall target of being a reference point among parastatals.”
Telecoms growth in 2016
For the NCC, the preceding year wasn’t a bad one after all. Investment in the telecommunications sector hit an all-time high of about $68 billion contribution to GDP, and this was bullish in the first three quarters in 2016. Telephone subscriber base is well over 153 million with over 93 million connected to the Internet. And here is the big clincher.
Whereas the country’s National Broadband target is 30 per cent by 2018, recent research by the the International Telecoms Union (ITU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Broadband Commission For Sustainable Development says Nigeria already has 20.95 per cent broadband penetration as at 2016, making it very likely that Nigeria can easily surpass that target.
With that encouraging information and based on the 8-Point Agenda of the current administration at the NCC with facilitation of broadband penetration being a cardinal arm of the agenda, plus a carefully coordinated spectrum licensing regime put in place, Danbatta is excited and is assuring that the sector has the capacity to do much more than what is stated in the broadband plan.
The victory of NCC at the recent Web Jurist Award is a testament to the fact that NCC, as industry regulator, is determined to further drive industry growth, through available technology tools.
