Sitra.

fi vision
Date Version Contributors
Based on comments
12.3.2010 Version 1.0 Karoliina Luoto / Sitra
Arttu Kataja / Avarko
Karoliina Luoto / Sitra
22.2.2010 Version 0.2 Arttu Kataja / Avarko
Otto Kataja / Avarko
Karoliina Luoto / Sitra
26.1.2010 Version 0.1 Arttu Kataja / Avarko
Otto Kataja / Avarko

This document describes the vision of the new website of Sitra the Finnish
Innovation Fund. The document specifies the objectives for Sitra's new online
services. The focus of this document is on discussing the strategic objectives,
indicators and website users.

The document has the following appendices:

• The 'Expected outcome' document, describing the intended results of the

web site renewal
• Sitra's IT environment description, addressing the project's technical
framework
• The 'User groups' example persons document, using hypothetical
examples of people to depict the current idea of what kinds of users Sitra's
online service has.

Moreover, a description of the project flow has been prepared according to how
Sitra sees it. Appended to the description of the project flow is the "Indicators of
the Sitra.fi website and the renewal project" document, depicting the criteria for
identifying the success of the project. For Sitra’s internal use here is also a more
extensive version of the project description.

1. Goals of Sitra's public website

In this website development project, we aim to create the best possible
organisation website. Below, we describe what we think that means at the
moment.

Solving an intended typical organisation website

combination in the best way possible

This project aims to solve a problematic combination which is currently typical of

organisation websites:

1. With respect to all areas in the online service, the aim is to create a high-
quality website that presents the organisation's work and it’s results in a
clear, understandable way and is seamlessly linked with the organisation's

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 background systems. The areas of the online service where quality is
sought include usability and accessibility, search engine findability, valid
code that can be easily developed further, clear information architecture
and well-defined visuality.
2. The aim is to combine the traditional information content produced
within the organisation (basic information and topical content flow) with
information development taking place in online communities. This
should be done so that it is easy for the user to recognise the difference
between different types of content, and to see their context.
3. A publishing platform will be built on an already existing and widely
tested basis. It’s particularly important that the tool it is easy to use for
regular people using the web site to share the results of their work with
the rest of the world. It should also be capable of reasonably meeting the
needs of a professional user.

Sharing and creating information for a better society

Sitra web site aims for a better society. Sitra's operations are underlined by the
idea that if an increasing number of success factors concerning a sustainable
society are found, people can have better lives. Sitra aims to see and carry out
the extensive systemic changes for solving existing societal challenges.

In order to create systemic change, solution proposals need to be shared and

refined together. This means that channels are needed for distributing the
information to people in an understandable way. It also means that the views of
various specialists and citizens need to be involved in Sitra's work. Sitra's public
website is a tool for this.

For information to reach its target and get people involved in this work, the
website must be inspiring, fresh and convincing.

Essential information in a clear way, and additional

information also available

Sitra website must be capable of arranging the information for users in relevant,
structured entities. The aim is to provide the user with a general picture of a
particular issue in a clear way, and all additional information can be accessed by
the user quickly and in a structured manner.

This means that in the implementation it must be possible to distinguish the most
important information from less important, and to present it in a structured
manner.

Visual aspects make for effective clarification

Information can be best clarified when the user interface is clear, and the content
includes pictures, videos and visual representations to support the text.
Therefore, Sitra website will be a visual and graphically powerful website, which
also takes care of the clarity of the concept for those who see or hear the content
with limitations (such as mobile users with old equipment or the users of voice
synthesizers).

In order to make the website more visual than before, and structure the content

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more clearly, the content maintenance tool should support the illustration of the
content. Adding a picture or a video should be as easy as in Blogspot.

Showing what is going on online

Sitra is undergoing a cultural change where an increasing amount of work takes

place online. Sitra's employees and functions distribute information and create it
in cooperation with experts, decision-makers and citizens in, for example, many
blogs, on Facebook, Twitter, the Finnish micro-blog service Qaiku, Vimeo, Flickr
and Slideshare.

We hope that Sitra website presents and provides a background for this work
taking place online. It gathers the online currents together and places them in
their context so that the online buzz related to a specific project is shown along
with the information material belonging to it. This means that Sitra website in
itself does not try to be a discussion forum between the world and Sitra, but
aggregates the discussion in the web concerning Sitra’s work.

When the online work is shown in a structured and understandable way, Sitra
website can, at its best, also involve in the web community work those Sitra
employees and partners who are not yet involved.

Distinguishing experimental buzz from serious groundwork

Sitra has two strong sides. Strong and professional investment operations are the
basis of its existence as the Finnish Innovation Fund. While, on the other hand,
there are open innovation processes for creating a better society. This means that
the Sitra website also has to have two very different elements: a serious side and
a fresh, experimental one.

The challenge is to clearly show users what part of the content is hard fact and
what is experimental development.

Information in a format that can be utilised further

We hope that information provided by Sitra website is also available in a

machine-readable format that can be utilised further for research purposes or
mashups, for example. For example, the news material published on Sitra website
could be provided as feeds to people utilising the information further, and the
content of publications produced by Sitra could also be made available in text
format in addition to PDF format. For more information on this subject, see
http://linkeddata.org/.

Different service in different languages

Sitra website will be executed at least in Finnish, Swedish and English. The
English version is used for the international dimension of our operations, global
showcases, and discussions concerning the world with fresh viewpoints. In Finnish
Sitra has most of its activities and content. The Swedish version has few users
but since Finnish law stipulates that Finnish public administration must also serve
in Swedish, we consider it important that the essential content is also provided in

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Swedish. Since the world is changing, we must be ready to also provide new
language versions, such as a compact case website in Korean.

So that the different language versions of the service remain up-to-date, it is

important that the updaters note the connections between the content in different
languages when such connections exist.

The service affects the everyday lives of a large group of

people

We want Sitra website to be a fast and reliable tool for users and developers,
which remains functional for years; for example, without a re-launch.

We want that our users do not have to go through stressful mazes of

information—they should quickly find what they are looking for and immediately
understand it. In addition to the above, this means that the maintenance is so
easy that it appeals to one to keep the information up-to-date, and that the
service works well with both general search engines and its own internal search
function.

Public administration quality criteria are used in Finland and international usability
and accessibility is specified in W3C recommendations. Sitra website aims to
clearly exceed these.
The 'Quality to the Web' criteria:
http://www.suomi.fi/suomifi/qualitytotheweb/quality_criteria/index.html
W3C recommendations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W3C_recommendation,
http://www.w3.org/standards/techs/wcag#w3c_all

The service involves a group of Microsoft background systems (CRM and

document management system) for taking care of Sitra's daily processes. It is
important that information can be uploaded efficiently to the website and vice
versa.

In order to distribute the information supplied on our public website, we also want
the service to be easy to link to those people who are considerate enough that
they link forward some piece of information in our service.

2. Users of the service

The Sitra website is not primarily made for Sitra's internal needs, but the needs
of the people using the website.

Simply put, on the basis of experiences of the Sitra website so far, it seems that
Sitra's service is used by people of the following kind (on the basis of surveys, the
example people will still be further specifying during the competitive tender
process in the project):

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Example person As a Sitra.fi user Sitra.fi goal
Kikka clearly sees what Sitra is doing
Kikka looks for information
An active and that we provide added value.
about Sitra's operations in
official/citizen, When she looks for information, she
order to find weak spots and
Kikka, 47 years of is 'sucked in' as a contributor to plan
material for developing the
age new operational models for public
public sector
administration
Pertti understands that our
Pertti wants support for his
investment operations are not
Inventor/pensioner, technology invention
directly allocated to product
Pertti, 65 years of that he believes has a
development, but he finds out that
age significance for systemic
we are doing something else that is
change
important
It is easy for Veera to participate in
Demos has invited Veera to
Specialist the matter she is interested in; while
contribute to the discussion
discussion party, learning something new about Sitra's
of the Energy Citizen project
Veera, 27 years of tasks, she is surprised by Sitra's
because she is an active
age fresh approach and becomes a
green citizen
member of Sitra's network
Andrew is looking for In the Finland showcase, Andrew
reference information about sees an open, discussion-based
American investor, the Finnish innovation innovation environment that
Andrew 40 years of investment field with the impresses him, and he also learns
age help of Sitra; he is something new about the Finnish
particularly interested in the innovation environment and about
health sector Sitra's role in the environment
For Mirjami, it is easier now to
Assistant, Mirjami helps her unit to highlight relevant content (in regard
Mirjami, 55 years update the information for to the unit's operations) to relevant
of age the topic area locations and to allocate her energy
to content instead of technology
Sitra.fi provides Seija with an inviting
Communications Seija is in charge of the environment where the
Manager, communications of a Sitra communicator can use Web 2.0 in an
Seija, 40 years of programme and implements efficient and secure manner for the
age the communications online purposes of Sitra's communications;
the basic routines are fluent
Through the new Sitra.fi, Marko gets
such a good grip of online
Investment
Marko writes a blog and communities that he begins to see
Director,
engages in online real advantages, and if the decision-
Marko, 35 years of
discussions in his own area makers of the previous generation go
age
online at some point, Marko is
already there waiting with his skills
Through Sitra.fi, he concretely sees
the added value of online
Programme Hannes tries to keep up with
communities and begins to
Director, what is included on Sitra.fi
participate as a result, in which case
Hannes 55 years of with respect to the area of
the open innovation processes
age his programme
receive more authority through an
influential participant

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Annika wonders whether
Job seeker, Annika,
Sitra could be a potential
35 years of age
workplace
Sitra.fi conveniently and quickly
provides the information needed by
the job seeker: What positions are
open? Is Sitra a place to which I
want to apply? What is the
application procedure like?

An example user description is appended in full as "User groups' example

persons".

3. Illustrating the vision

The aforementioned vision has been illustrated as follows during the preliminary
survey of the development project. The illustrations are an example of how the
service described in the vision could be outlined. The actual user interface
solutions and visual solutions will be sought during the implementation project.

With the new website, the aim is to better communicate what kind of work Sitra
is doing. The vision illustrations show how the service could be visual, topical and
clear, and how professional communication and content produced by networks
could coexist.

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Tiedostonimi: Sitra website vision
Hakemisto: C:\Users\kl\Desktop
Malli: C:\kameleon\mallit\Normal.dotm
Otsikko: Sitra.fi visio v.0.2
Aihe:
Tekijä: Karoliina Luoto
Avainsanat:
Kommentit:
Luontipäivä: 12.3.2010 15:05:00
Version numero: 4
Viimeksi tallennettu: 22.4.2010 15:26:00
Viimeksi tallentanut: Karoliina Luoto
Kokonaismuokkausaika: 55 minuuttia
Viimeksi tulostettu: 23.4.2010 16:32:00
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