| This research examines the e-government website usability of the 30 most populous counties nationally. E-government, or Internet use for web-enabled government services, is reviewed from a governance and public finance theoretical framework. It represents a paradigmatic shift in public service delivery. Usability is a qualitative measure of the relative ease with which a novice user interacts with an e-government website to accomplish the users' goal(s). Four questions are investigated: (a) Are there some common user service variables that enhance users' abilities to benefit from e-government? (b) Are there variations in these variables across the most populous counties? (c) Are the most populous counties making efforts to bridge the other digital divide, or website usability? and (d) May some of the most populous counties serve as benchmarks for other counties to emulate?; Research established usability as an aggregate measurement of discrete variables of manifest website content. Triangulation determined common variables from existing e-government studies. Variables and their related dimensions were conceptually and operationally defined. Data were collected through an online content analysis. Assessment of variables were recorded dichotomously or by using constructed scales supported by reviewed literature. Finally, benchmarks were derived using a composite usability index with equally weighted dimensions to organize and to analyze the data.; Findings indicate that six usability dimensions (online services, user-help, navigation, legitimacy, information architecture, and accessibility accommodations) enhance users' abilities to benefit from e-government. They are comprised of 37 discrete, common variables with variations across counties. The most populous counties are making efforts to address website usability, albeit some counties are more successful than others. The research methodology supports the establishment of benchmarks and is reinforced by robust benchmarking literature. Descriptive statistics characterize variations.; The research addresses a gap in the e-government literature and contributes to methodological advancement in website usability with operationalized scales. Furthermore, the research speculates about implications for governance and public finance, website usability methodology, and benchmarking to advance county e-government performance. |
