New Dissemination Model – Review of Geography Component

Consultation objectives

In April 2012, Statistics Canada launched its three-year New Dissemination Model project with the goal of modernizing the methods and framework for disseminating data via its website. In June 2013, Communications Division conducted usability testing on four areas of the site that help make up the new geography component of the New Dissemination Model — Browse by subject, Geography door (mapping tool), and the Change the geography feature of the Key statistics and Census profiles.

Consultation methodology

Statistics Canada held in-person usability consultations in Ottawa. In total, 10 participants were asked to complete tasks using the new geography component and to provide feedback on its ease of use.

Results

What worked

The Browse by subject feature was well received, with most participants successfully completing their tasks.

Participants liked the Change the geography feature in the census profiles and in the Key statistics section on the subject landing page and the search results page.

They also liked how the search results were presented by type of product (data, analysis, methods) on the search result page.

The Key statistics feature on the home page also tested well, and was considered intuitive and easy to use.

What did not work

Participants noted that the proposed Geography mapping tool was not intuitive, with many finding it too complex and difficult to use.

The key indicators and featured products on the subject landing page were not always used by participants to complete tasks, as many did not notice them or misunderstood their function.

Participants also found certain elements on the results landing page hard to identify, such as the geography details in product titles and geography filters on the right-hand sidebar. Some found that, generally, the product titles on the page were hard to decipher.

While the Change the geography features tested well on the Census profiles, some participants found manipulating the census profile data tables difficult: they were given too many geographical variables from which to choose, the table formatting was unclear at times, and table customization was unintuitive.

Recommendations

In general, participants liked many of the features in the geography component of the New Dissemination Model. However, testing revealed a number of areas for further improvement and testing:

• Provide the Geography door (mapping tool) with a more intuitive label, a simpler list of geographic variables and a more intuitive interface
• Ensure users have easy access to the tutorial for the geography mapping tool
• Simplify the product titles on the subject results page, and clearly indicate the geographic information for the products within the title
• Simplify table customization on the Census profiles, simplify the geography variables of data tables, and ensure that these have clearly visible formatting.

Statistics Canada thanks participants for their participation in this consultation. Their insights guide the Agency’s web development and ensure that the final products meet users’ expectations.