Usability evaluation of Iraq government websites

It is well known that electronic government has the potential to promote economic and social development in any country. Electronic government provides opportunities to enhance administrative efficiency of official institutions in the public sector, to decrease administrative and financial corruption, and to build trust between the citizen and the government. Nevertheless, most initiatives aim to construct a successful and comprehensive electronic government in Iraq failed because they increasingly suffer from usability problems. In terms of electronic government initiatives in Iraq, the model is problematic in spite of great interest on this critical issue because of the existing bureaucracy and administrative corruption in Iraq. Many researchers have confirmed that this country is considered one of the least developed country in terms of electronic government. Thus, the development of electronic government in Iraq requires the promotion of the usability of electronic government. Considering these needs, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the usability of electronic government in Iraq for three most frequently used websites. A total of 30 subjects participated this usability study. The results showed that these three websites suffered from critical usability problems. Suggestions to minimize these usability problems were discussed.