The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to ‘tidy up’ the mess, as opposed to understanding it’s a ‘day one’ issue and part of everything.”
- Tom Peters (issue Journal of Business and Design, Vol 6, No. 1)

Ever since we started documenting our journey here at Camden webteam, we have been inundated with emails asking about our web strategy and experience redesigning our site. One of the topics that always seem to come up is how we’ve conducted our user-led approach in designing the site. We were prompted to write this special piece together when @danslee from Walsall Council asked us why we think user research and user testing was important to us while redesigning our site. Given the extraordinary insightful journey we went through, we wanted to pull our thoughts together and recapture the essence of our website redesign project.

Customer insight and user testing

When we were going through our website redesign, we found the user research and testing to be one of the most useful and powerful tool for redesign. We got to know our users and learn what matters to them when using our site. It forced us to look beyond our own experiences, skills and knowledge and put users at the heart of our design.

We did several types of user research and user testing, allowing us to get a complete customer insight into what makes a good council website for residents of Camden. They included usability testing, focus groups, usability lab studies, A/B testings, contextual enquiries, personas and eyetracking.

Really getting to know our users

We also visited users in their homes to understand what sort of equipment they used to access the web and get a better picture of what their day-to-day life might look like. The user research and user testing were crucial in shaping a council website that suited our users’ needs instead of just complying with corporate demands. We made it our objective that this website was ‘to serve and not to be served to’ the public.

Result of user research and user testing

The result from our user research and user testing demonstrates how the user research and usability testing has helped us when we were in the process of redesigning our website.  It also resulted in a positive response from the local government community.

Here are some of the reasons why you should seriously consider doing user testing before launching your new council website

Alasdair Mangham – Head of Information Systems at London Borough of Camden

Can you afford not to user test is the question that should be asked. Is there really any justification for spending thousands of pounds of public money on a website and then to be left wondering why nobody is using it?

Channel shift and web usability

Council’s need to achieve channel shift to online to meet savings targets and users want a service that they can use easily.

“Usability is the key to ensuring that you are providing people with a channel that they will choose to use and that is the key to achieving channel shift.”

Is analytics enough?

It is true that you can design a new website from a good understanding of analytics but that presupposes users can do what they need on your existing site. Analytics is like a crying baby. It tells you that something’s wrong but it can’t tell you what. And this is where usability testing comes in.

The significant problems we have cannot be solved with the thinking used to create them.
- Albert Einstein

Here are some valuable points from Alasdair on what you can do to avoid a website relaunch disaster: -

1. Start early – It is important to start the user testing process as early as possible in the redesign. This can be done by using paper prototypes or wireframes, so with only minimal technology. It also does not need to be expensive.  Most large councils have a workforce of several thousand and small council’s workforce will still have several hundred employees.
2. Make use of the resources that are easily available – In most cases the council workforce will also be council residents and they are an ideal group to get half a dozen users for your user testing. So for very little investment it is possible to prevent mistakes that cost thousands of pounds to fix and there is no better return on Investment than that.

John Weller -  Camden webteam

“It’s easy to presume what you’re building is useful, but user testing often proves otherwise.”

Michael Fredman –  Camden webteam

“User testing and user research can provide a first hand understanding of how people a) use and b) view the site you are working on, and this is invaluable because it grounds what is being done in the real world.”

The value of running and moderating user testing sessions

1. When running or moderating user testing sessions I am always struck by how much insight is provided. People come to the site with fewer preconceptions than those deeply involved in the site’s development and can point out in their approach things you wouldn’t have noticed or would have taken for granted.
2. Another value of user research is that it gives you concrete examples of how people are affected by the design of a site which remain with you, because they are human examples – not textbook or guideline based.

A world of difference…

There is a world of difference between wanting to meet accessibility and usability guidelines because you know that abstractly it is a good thing, and wanting to implement them because you have gone out and met a diverse range of users and seen the problems they have with web interfaces, and the frustration and difficulty that can be caused from poor or thoughtless design.

Personally, I recall going out to meet with a group of older people from the local community and discussing their opinions and experiences of the web. I also remember the first time I witnessed a visually impaired person use a browser to navigate a website; these experiences were affecting and gave me a clear understanding of potential problems. Having those experiences has encouraged me to always try to bear them in mind when I am approaching a project.

- Michael F.

Martin Black – London Borough of Camden Web Manager

User testing on the cheap!

Usability testing needn’t be expensive and you don’t always need an external company to do it for you.  Easy to use, cheap tools include:

• Google Analytics (free!) or similar – identify what people are doing on your website (essential resource: Avinash Kaushik’s books and blog: www.kaushik.net/avinash/ )

• Google Website Optimizer – A/B testing (free!) find out if users prefer using version A or version B (www.google.com/websiteoptimizer)

• Online surveys / face to face interviews (free!) – identify why people are doing things on your website and what problems they might be having (resource: Gerry McGovern’s book on Top Task Management: www.gerrymcgovern.com/)
• User testing (free!) – identify what problems users are having with your website (essential resource: Steve Krug’s ‘Rocket Surgery Made Easy‘: www.sensible.com/rocketsurgery/index.html

• Stats from your customer services (free!) – what are users asking for? What can’t they find?

• Internal site search stats – what are the top keywords? What are people after?

Recommendation

We strongly recommend that any council redesigning their website takes time to thoroughly understand their customers by using research and testing. It’s a great way to gain support from the public,  insight and to save money in the long run, as you can deliver services based on what users needs and their top tasks.

User testing allows you to see whether or not a feature of the website is actually useable or facilitates the completion of tasks.  And that’s what a council website needs to deliver – the ability for a customer to complete a task that they came to the website to do. Be it paying council tax, ordering a new recycling bin or simply searching for wedding venues within the borough.

- Liz Azyan (Camden webteam)

And remember….

“For each dollar a company invests in developing the usability of a product, the company receives $10-$100 in benefits and wins customer satisfaction and continued business. Furthermore, industry data shows that for each dollar spent to fix a problem during product design, $10 are spent to fix the same problem in product development, and $100 or more are spent to fix the same problem after product release.”
- Claire Marie Karat, “A business case approach to usability cost justification.” In, R. Bias and D. Mayhew, Eds. Cost-Justifying Usability, Academic Press, NY, 1994.

Hope this was useful!

Camden webteam

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Sheenagh Reynolds from Local Directgov welcomes #RU11 attendees to the ‘Really Useful’ event – 1st July 2011 from Liz Azyan on Vimeo.

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Download the ‘Data Discovery Workshop’ Agenda

A. Its one of a kind

The LDG Community in conjunction with the Transparency team at DCLG and the LG group are planning a series of events and activities over a 6-month period to encourage use of open data sets and developments of some really useful apps.

We are holding a preparatory day themed the ‘Data Discovery’ workshop on 1^st July in London. At this event we are hoping to: -

1. Identify some really useful apps,
2. Learn about different types of data available
3. Learn and work together to source the data
4. Identify how we can publish data in different ways (not just PDFs and excel or csv formats)
5. Discover how we can use the data effectively and efficiently

THERE ARE KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ABOUT OPEN DATA!!!

B. It doesn’t end at the workshop

After discovering the potential, barriers and challenges of data, the will event continue offline to develop complete business cases, and high level specifications that can be subsequently developed at the main hack day in September. This will take place on the Open Data Cook Book wiki website to encourage local government participation and making the process as transparent as possible. In addition, we will be featuring ways to engage and get real feedback from citizens on the ground from experienced citizen engagement experts to pave the way forward for sustainable use of data.

Register to ‘The Really Useful – Data Discovery Workshop’ NOW and vote for the open data challenges

Download the ‘Data Discovery Workshop’ Agenda
C. Experts and experienced individuals in open data and citizen engagement will support you all the way
We will also be supporting attendees (online and offline) of the ‘Really Useful’ post-event to continue their apps development. This will be achieved via our online forum (Local Directgov CoP) and other online facilities via the hashtag #RU11.

We will also be inviting experts to answer open data related questions to break through any barriers and challenges that may arise in the business case and high specification development stage.

D. It is not a flash in the pan, we have done our research

Recently me and Ingrid, who will be facilitating this event had a session at the recent #localgovcamp to ask what makes a good hacks and collaborative development days really useful. We learnt a lot of good lessons from that session and continued to talk to experts in open data to inform the ‘Data Discovery’ workshop. So this is an event that already knows the problems with open data and the challenges that comes with it but will allow you to discover them within context of your own organization, while having fun!

E. It is a platform where you can develop your ‘Open Data Strategy’

We believe this ‘Data Discovery’ workshop and the continuation of conversations, discussions and development of apps post-event is a revolutionary approach that will inspire local government to think beyond hack days and really realize the potential of sustainable use of data.  We believe it can also help you to develop your open data strategy too.

We are very keen to get local government partners involved in this first event. You don’t have to be a developer to make a real impact but you do need to be able to think innovatively and assess the potential and sustainability of ideas that are put forward.

Register to ‘The Really Useful – Data Discovery Workshop’ NOW and vote for the open data challenges

Download the ‘Data Discovery Workshop’ Agenda

We would like to encourage Head of Services to attend this event, so please forward this to your Head of Services. If you wish for us to invite them, kindly email Sheenagh.Reynolds@communities.gsi.gov.uk and she can invite them on your behalf.

Looking forward to seeing you there or online (using the hashtag #RU11).

Liz Azyan

Really Useful Enthusiast

Other posts

• Now with pictures & other Twitterati lists!: @Liz_Azyan’s Twitterati Dedication List – People you should follow on Twitter
• List and status of UK Local Council Twitters
• List of UK Local Councils on YouTube as of 22nd July 2009
• Updated list of UK Local Councils Twitter Accounts – 22nd July 2009
• Government-to-Citizen Communications: Utilising multiple digital channels effectively

If you don’t have a Facebook Page Vanity URL, then your ID is the 12 digit number at the end of the URL.

But if you do have a vanity URL like I do (http://www.facebook.com/LGEOResearch) then you will have to look for the ID by following these 2 easy steps.

STEP 1

Click on ‘Edit page’ on the top right corner of your page.

STEP 2

Check out the URL after the jump and take note of the 12 digit number at the end of the URL. That is your Facebook Page ID! Easy peasy right?

Hope this was useful!

Liz xxx

Listening to All for you – Sister Hazel

Like this article? Why not be a fan on facebook? http://www.facebook.com/LGEOResearch

Other posts

• Now with pictures & other Twitterati lists!: @Liz_Azyan’s Twitterati Dedication List – People you should follow on Twitter
• List and status of UK Local Council Twitters
• List of UK Local Councils on YouTube as of 22nd July 2009
• Updated list of UK Local Councils Twitter Accounts – 22nd July 2009
• Government-to-Citizen Communications: Utilising multiple digital channels effectively

Facebook article/blog post search and page

There is one thing specifically on how I think Facebook can leverage on news, content/information or interesting articles online. And maybe also try to become the world’s most used search engine after Google and current second place, YouTube search engine.

Facebook should allow users to set up pages for a specific article. Say if the article that broke the story of Ryan Giggs super-injunction had an actual page on Facebook, then people can discuss it with an article search. This gives people a place to talk without having to trawl the web but go straight to Facebook’s search engine. Or they could even go to community/company pages that are already featuring that article. Facebook currently displays shared links but takes you straight to the article’s website rather than a facebook forum page for that article.

We mostly find articles if we see a friend like it, but when will Facebook give us the opportunity or autonomy to find our own information that does not relate to a search by a company or community of interest but information that it offers?

For instance someone looking for relationship advice might not go to this Facebook page called “The problem with women.. is men” but the content of that page contains a wealth of information that can help both and men with their relationships (albeit the title may be a bit misleading and one-sided – read with a bit of humour)

The page is close to half a million fans and the writer of the page who is also the author of the book has tapped into a massive audience based on recommendations but imagine how much bigger it could get if people could search for content of his page on Facebook? BTW, he is about to get a TV Show talking about relationships because of the success of his Facebook page!

Geo-tagg

How about combining that with some geo-tagging. If say there was a story about Camden Council recycling service, a news ticker for all those living in Camden can be highlighted of top story/article pages that talk about a story being reported by say a local blog or website. Facebook can do a lot of things that can increase cohesion of a community and people that share interests with the vast amount of information that they have at their disposal by simply providing the platform to share stories/articles in a way that is more than just commenting randomly but to create a community of interest and connect people with similar interest semantically.

Twitter to follow Facebook group lists for tweet updates

I’m not sure about everyone else, but I love the Facebook friends group lists. They help to separate work friends, social friends and families on our friends list. Some updates are personal and doesn’t need to be seen by say work colleagues or social friends and are only family related.

Same goes for twitter. Sometimes we tweet, but we don’t intend to tweet that to EVERYONE on our list. Yes, I do agree the randomness sometimes does catch my interest but other times, some tweets are personal or a bit too random and we don’t want to tweet that to our business relations, work colleagues or people we haven’t met in person.

Allow a filter of hashtags on timeline

Twitter lists taken to another level

We all know about Twitter lists, it was hot and tasty when they first introduced it but what happens next? Do we just continuously create lists without having any use for it? Why can’t we dedicate a tweet to a specific list? We painstakingly create these lists to acknowledge people who make the cut but what can it do a part from recommending others to follow the people on the list? It might be an idea for Twitter to start letting us tweet only a particular list  if we wanted to? It could possibly revolutionize the way we talk on Twitter. It could even increase productivity in how and what we say in this wonderfully open world.

We continually try to compartmentalize our lives to keep up with things and make things less messy. So why not compartmentalize our tweets?

STUD OR DUD?

If you can’t see this poll, please try opening this blog post in a different browser. Firefox seems to work well.

Looking forward to hear what you think!

Hope this was useful!

Liz xxx

Other posts

• Now with pictures & other Twitterati lists!: @Liz_Azyan’s Twitterati Dedication List – People you should follow on Twitter
• List and status of UK Local Council Twitters
• List of UK Local Councils on YouTube as of 22nd July 2009
• Updated list of UK Local Councils Twitter Accounts – 22nd July 2009
• Government-to-Citizen Communications: Utilising multiple digital channels effectively

Here’s some of the juicy stuff from the report that you might find useful.

Mobile apps offer content producers: -

• Accessibility: Because at least 60% of mobile phone users carry their phone with them “at all time,” include inside the home, this channe enables “anytime, anywhere” content distribution and access.
• Multi-slicing: Because smartphones give consumers the opportunity to multi-task during small slices of productive time, content producers are quickly devising new ways for them to do so.  Mobile content is being optomized for a large and growing number of tasks that are unique to the mobil medium, such as capturing a coupon by scanning a QR code on a poster or magazine ad, and then redeeming the coupon by using the smartphone as a payment device; using the mobile device as a remote control; professional networkig in real-time by using the smartphone to access associated online applications; and many more/
• User-targeting: Mobile devices offer extremely precise targeting opportunities based on geo-location, device, social network and special interests.
• Relevance: As their owners’ constant companion, mobile devices’ content is inherently highly personal and relevant.
• Reasurement: Mobile analytics provide detailed user insight on exactly how and where mobile content is consumed.
• Deliverability: Phone numbers change much less frequently than email addresses, ensuring that the vast majority of content is delivered and consumed.
• “SoLoMo”: Mobile devices are the perfct locus for today’s three top consumer computing and communication trends: Social, Local and Mobile.

Managing the Mobile Rush: Smart Strategies for Multi‐channel Publishing

(Listening to Eliza Doo-Little – Skinny Genes )

Other posts

• Now with pictures & other Twitterati lists!: @Liz_Azyan’s Twitterati Dedication List – People you should follow on Twitter
• List and status of UK Local Council Twitters
• List of UK Local Councils on YouTube as of 22nd July 2009
• Updated list of UK Local Councils Twitter Accounts – 22nd July 2009
• Government-to-Citizen Communications: Utilising multiple digital channels effectively

To register for the Really Useful event of 1st of July go to http://reallyuseful2011.eventbrite.com and vote for the challenges at http://ru11.ideascale.com

Ever since the launch of open data here in the UK by Sir Tim Bernes-Lee in  January 2010 with data.gov.uk (who ReadWriteWeb says actually put the US version Data.gov to shame due to the volume of data data.gov.uk offered was far more than the U.S. site), we here in the UK have seen some interesting stuff coming out from raw data.

There has been much talk recently at the Guardian regarding whether or not open data can actually create more efficient services. For fellow enthusiasts, this statement itself makes you want to jump out of your seats and say YES!  But for many others, the statement still remains a question. Can it or does it not?

Or as young people might say these days, is it a STUD or a DUD???

GOLD STAR

Tiny details aside, we’ve had some marvellous efforts by our friends OpenlyLocal who are collecting information on which local councils have open data. And also LinkedGov founded by my good uni friend Hadley Beeman who has setup a community project to collaboratively clean and make usable data from local authorities and other public bodies.  NESTA has also been doing some useful things too with their ‘Make It Local’ campaign.

SIR TIM BERNES-LEE

Need I say more? I’ll leave it to the man himself to tell him why open data is relevant, plus a reference to the lovely Paul Clarkes blog!

THE SHINY THING

The idea of open data and doing wonderful things with it in the forefront might be an attractive thing but its not always useful. So how do we know if that information is useful to the people we serve?  How do we, as local authorities help assist developers to identify citizen’s issues? With the thousands of data available and the variety of services we deliver, how do we give our data A VOICE?  Or more importantly, how do we GIVE CITIZENS A VOICE? And also how do we give LOCAL AUTHORITIES A VOICE?

THE VOICE

Ideally in a perfect world, we’d have developers, citizens and local government sitting together in a room with tea and biscuits and talk about our problems and find ‘Really Useful’ solutions. Although this might be happening already, it needs to be happening on a larger scale. Like Lee Bryant from Headshift said (which I completely agree with and could not put any better)…

I would strongly urge developers to answer the call to get involved, and ideally to avoid obsessing about tiny details of data formats and licensing in favour of actually building something that is (a) useful and (b) communicable to normal people rather than just data geeks. It is easy to forget that what we are doing here is so utterly marginal in terms of both investment and impact that it barely registers on either government’s or citizens’ radar right now. But there is no doubt in my mind that this is where government should be headed if it is serious about engaging better, improving services and getting more value out of existing investment.

A REALLY USEFUL EVENT

With that quote, it is my pleasure to announce a ‘Really Useful’ event (#RU11) that will be happening within 6 months (both online and offline) where it aims to: -

• To seek innovative ways of using local datasets in ways that help citizens by taking a user led approach
• Create a collaborative space for policy and service managers to help shape developments based on user need using customer centric intelligence
• Make use of existing standards and influence further enhancement of standards
• To support the development of web and mobile applications and web services to support the sector in using its data to support improvement, efficiency and innovation
• To identify and remove barriers to innovative developments using local datasets
• To facilitate collaboration between different areas of public sector

REALLY USEFUL 2011 (#RU11) EVENT STRUCTURE

• 1st July – The first event will identify possible apps and uses for open datasets. Developers and LA users will be able to discuss feasibility, build business cases and sustainability models and functional specifications. All apps going forward should have a sponsor. (Register interest by emailing liz.azyan@camden.gov.uk, kindly indicate 1st July event in subject heading)

To register for the Really Useful event of 1st of July go to http://reallyuseful2011.eventbrite.com and vote for the challenges at http://ru11.ideascale.com

• August (TBC) - The outputs from the initial day(s) will be posted on a COP site and developers and La users will improve the specifications and post new ideas. Sponsors will find datasets and remove obstacles wherever possible.

• September (TBC) – LG group envisage a two day event where developers can come together and continue to realise the most popular specifications. (Register interest by emailing liz.azyan@camden.gov.uk, kindly indicate ‘September event’ in subject heading)

• October/November (TBC) – Further work to take place on the CoP: look for opportunities for deployment/distribution and productisation etc

• December (TBC) – The developer teams return to showcase their apps, tell of success, lessons learnt etc. This event would be open to a much wider audience- useful to involve central gov and also CAs and cllrs from local government. (Register interest by emailing liz.azyan@camden.gov.uk, kindly indicate ‘December event’ in subject heading)

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

The ‘Really Useful’ event also wants to hear from you about your apps and hopefully (time permitted) review it too! So if you have an exciting app that you developed from open data in local government and want to share it with the world, drop by our forum and stick your linkHERE!

We’re looking forward to being ‘Really Useful’! Are you?

To register for the Really Useful event of 1st of July go to http://reallyuseful2011.eventbrite.com and vote for the challenges at http://ru11.ideascale.com

Liz Azyan (Really Useful Enthusiast)

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This 6 min talk by New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly, gracefully highlights how humor can empower women to change the rules. I truly believe that. In fact, I believe women all around the world can engineer change.

She talks about how women can break down barriers and not be confined by how society shapes our persona. Liza uses her talent and skill as a cartoonist to make this change. WE, can use OURS.

The “Women for Social Change” event is the first of its kind, organized by the lovely Miss Carrie Bishop (@carriebish).
She describes the event below

You might be working in government, the voluntary sector, academia or be a social entrepreneur. You might just be nosey.

Whatever your interest in social change I hope you can come along to meet other talented, creative, witty, and downright interesting women.

I have no idea what these meetups will involve so I’m hoping that at this session we can start to shape them together. I’ll be asking for your thoughts on how often we should meet up, what format(s) you’d like to see, who else should be invited (our supportive male colleagues perhaps?), and any other aspirations you might have for a group like this.

If nothing else it will be a great chance for us all to get together, compare notes and do something fun to brighten up an otherwise dreary month.

I believe one of the things that has always bugged me in the tech world is attending events and conferences where there are hardly any women speakers. I know so many great women who are more than capable to stand up in front of a large crowd and wow them at the same time. I know so many women who are empowering, inspiring, knowledgeable and aspire to make change.

I often count how many women there are speaking at an event and its usually just one or two and sometimes even close to none.  THIS HAS TO CHANGE. We must be heard. We must WANT to be heard. But in our own way…. we CAN start to socially change the world we live in.

If you want to support the “Woman for Social Change” event, kindly get in touch with @carriebish. You have no idea what you are going to be a part of… all I can say, it is going to be the beginning of something AMAZING!

http://womenforsocialchange.eventbrite.com/

Other posts

• Now with pictures & other Twitterati lists!: @Liz_Azyan’s Twitterati Dedication List – People you should follow on Twitter
• List and status of UK Local Council Twitters
• List of UK Local Councils on YouTube as of 22nd July 2009
• Updated list of UK Local Councils Twitter Accounts – 22nd July 2009
• Government-to-Citizen Communications: Utilising multiple digital channels effectively