SNS Improvement Project Users, their needs and priorities for improvements to the live site

Summary Stages of development User engagement activity Web traffic information Types of users and their needs What users like Areas for development Next steps

Improvements to the live site Phase 1 – Develop a better understanding of users, their experience and their needs Phase 2 – Make proposals for an improved site that will make a real difference to users Phase 3 – Develop and test new site Phase 4 – Roll out and promotion

More detailed work to explore user experience and use of routing One-to-ones with a users from key user goups Develop more detailed user profiles Initial exploration of views Feedback we already had from users Small area statistics workshops Statistics standards seminar User questionnaire advertised via Scotstat, SNS site, AQuMEN, topic user groups informed by evidence from workshops 3 rd sector event Holyrood Big Data Public Sector workshop Learning from others with experience Project Board Nomis, NeSS, NRS, KnowFife Lesley Thomson – Creativity team Web team Reviewing web traffic information Google analytics Adding more tracking into the SNS admin site Plus lots more engagement as we move to the next phases Gathering information on users and their needs

Google Analytics Only tracks a sample of users (around a third) and probably biased Changing to opt-out option – should mean many more users included A third of visits are from new users, two thirds are returning A third leave straight away A fifth have visited more than 25 times Average visit duration is 7.5 minutes – but much variation Average 12 pages visited A third of our visits are directly to SIMD Majority of visits are 9-5 Mon to Fri with peaks on Mon and Wed and a noticeable drop-off on Fri A tenth of visits are via a mobile or tablet (mainly iPhone and iPad) Roughly half of visitors use Internet Explorer, with Chrome, Firefox and Safari being the next most popular browsers Roughly half Internet Explore visits are using IE8 and half evenly split between IE7 and IE9 (Based on data for 20 April – 20 May)

Who are the users of SNS? What do they use the data for? Who else could be making use of SNS?

Types of user Area users Users wanting big data downloads Topic users SIMD users Many users are only interested in data for a particular area or topic A third of visits to SNS are directly to the SIMD section

Data (particularly on SIMD) to Inform eligibility decisions and provide evidence for applications Area & SIMD users - looking for key figures for a particular area/s or to identify deprived areas LAs, CPPs, Health Boards and other Public Sector users users: Data to evidence policy and service delivery decisions and evaluation Data to evidence performance and to allow comparison with others Allocating or applying for funding Reporting on performance Targeting service delivery SPICE looking to provide information services to MSPs Constituency level data General public Looking to inform lifestyle choices Data on own and other areas to inform decisions on where to move, choice of schools etc. School pupils and teachers working on a school project on their local area Data on local area to inform learning/ school projects

Third Sector Media producing an article Data to Inform eligibility decisions and to provide evidence for applications Data to provide evidence to support article Topic users – looking for key figures on a particular topic Private Sector companies considering strategic planning Data on key demographics to inform marketing strategies Working on improvement projects Applying for funding Data to help target and assess impact of projects Current known users Potential users Scottish Government working on policy development Data to evidence policy and service delivery decisions and evaluation

Researchers working on projects for Government or others Academics working on a PhD or writing a book or article Private Sector developing systems and applications for profit For detailed analysis to inform or evaluate government policies To analyse a topic in detail and to publish results Those looking to download large quantities of data Data to feed into own applications to generate revenue Local Authorities & other public sector with own sites/systems for providing access to local data Data to feed into own bespoke systems Current known users Potential users To perform data linkage with other data (need more info on how used)

What users particularly like Range of data available Mapping functionality SIMD interactive mapping section Quick profiles Users like the SIMD section and tend to find it easy to use.

Key areas for improvement Finding Data/navigating the site: Users tend to use the part of the site they are most familiar with, even when this is not the best route. They are often unsure where to find data that they do not access frequently. Often users do not realise that the reports are the main route into the data. Some go to data downloads even when looking for just a few key figures, others start by using the search facility which is of little help, Many users do not know which indicators are in the standard reports so can spend time looking around before they get to the right report. The ‘back’ arrow does not take the user to previous page when in a report. The structure of the advanced reporter page is confusing. Users are not clear whether they should be choosing from the left or right of the page. It is not clear in advanced reporter that ‘next’ will take the user to the screen allowing them to choose indicators. Advanced reporter retains information from the previous report – confusing. Allow users to access data via a topic or area route directly from home page Have a navigation system that runs smoothly though- out the site. e.g. all menus flowing downwards. Include an option in advanced reporter to start a new report and clearer previous criteria. Improve guidance, provide training and promote. Make site more intuitive with a better description of data available.

Data Availability: Many users say that out of date data is a problem. Part of this problem is perceived, as it is not clear when indicators have been discontinued. A few users have asked for access to more data. Make it easier for data owners to load data onto SNS. Encourage data owners to load data promptly by encouraging joint ownership. Develop an API to update labour market data automatically from Nomis so it will always be up to date. Adopt better archiving procedures for discontinued indicators. Ensure that indicators are kept under review as new sources of data become available.

Information on the data: Having any relevant provisos/explanations/health warnings for the data easily accessible alongside the data would be helpful. A few users mentioned having information or links to other data sources. Some of the terminology used could be more user friendly. Split tables by topic with footnotes directly below each – similar to the format on Nomis which users like Within each topic area provide a link to the relevant topic page of the SG statistics website Use ‘write well write less’ concept on the site and keep language consistent with the SG website.

Downloading Data: Many users want more download format options – Word for reports and SAS, SPSS and Access for data files. The labelling of variables in data downloads is often not clear. The download process could be faster. Some misunderstanding about the need to sign in to create and save user defined downloads and reports. “Why do I need to sign in to access public data?”. Some users would like to be able to get a live data feed to their own systems. Include an explanation of the purpose of signing in. Investigate options for providing the data in additional formats. Consider moving to bigger servers or virtual machines to speed up downloads. Investigate options for putting the data onto an open data platform to allow automatic links from other systems. Improve labelling of variables in downloads.

Geographies: Users would like to be able to select more than one geographic level at a time within reports and downloads. Some users want more pre-defined geographies, e.g settlements and towns. It is not clear which data is available at which geographic level. Users do not find it easy to define customised geographies. Allow users to choose more than one geographic level within reports and downloads. Consider adding further geographies – need to consider possible duplication of area names.

Presentation of the data: Users would like a map and key stats on one page. They want to be able to create customised reports more easily. They would like to be able to map multiple indicators on the same map The aerial photography icon is not at all clear. Some users want more options to customise maps, including different colour schemes. Change the standard format of reports to include a map and data on the same page. Split tables by topic. Consider improved functionality for users to customise reports and maps. Make the aerial photography option clearer.

Questions for Advisory Board Q1. Do you agree with the segmentation of users? Q2. What are your thoughts on the areas identified for improvement? Q3. What is of highest priority?

Next steps Phase 2 – Agree priorities for improvements and develop specification Phase 3 – Develop and test new site Phase 4 – Roll out and promotion