Though the City of Seattle’s nationally renowned Chief Technology Officer Bill Schrier is a West Seattleite, it seems WS is not yet well-represented in an independent study to help the city website get better! So says a note we just received, asking if we’d share the request for help – and yes, there’s something in it for you besides the warm fuzzy feeling that maybe you helped guide a vital online resource into its future. They’re running a usability study and need help ASAP – click ahead for the pitch!

Have you ever been frustrated at how difficult government web sites are to use? Here’s your chance to help them improve (and make a little something-something for yourself while you’re at it).

Knowledge as Power, a non-profit based in Seattle, is running a Usability Study on Seattle.gov. Essentially we are looking for participants like you to sit in a room and let us takes notes as you browse for information on Seattle.gov. It’s as easy as that, and in return we will give you $20 in Tippr credit. (Tippr.com is a local Seattle company similar to Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. Your $20 credit gets you $40-$60 worth of Seattle goods.)

Right now we are looking for two specific groups of people, 1) People who use or have used Seattle.gov for a business purpose (e.g. perhaps you’re a startup and you have to use the website to find & apply for permits) and 2) Ordinary Citizens! We’re looking for people of every level computer competency to come in and test the website.

Come help your city work better. You will find a link to the short application page here:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFI1cGxpdTEwZXk1aFZGNkN6Y1pvVmc6MQ#gid=0