New Dissemination Model Beta Website Consultation

Consultation objectives

In April 2012, Statistics Canada launched its multi-year New Dissemination Model project with the goal to modernize the methods and framework for disseminating data via its website. The key objective is to create a user-centric website and to increase coherency, consistency and simplicity in dissemination activities.

Statistics Canada held consultations with Canadians about its beta website in November and December 2014. They focused on determining whether the beta website provides:

• easier access to Statistics Canada's data and products, including improved navigation and organization, and
• improved—simplified, consistent and coherent—presentation of outputs.

Consultation method

Statistics Canada obtained user feedback through an online discussion forum as well as moderated group discussions held in various Canadian cities.

The online survey consisted of both closed- and open-ended questions that allowed participants to post online comments and add their remarks to other participants' comments.

How to get involved

The consultations are now closed.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in a consultation may contact Statistics Canada by sending an email to consultations@statcan.gc.ca.

Please note that Statistics Canada selects participants for each consultation to ensure feedback is sought from a representative sample of the target population for its studies. Not all applicants are asked to participate in a given consultation.

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of consultation participants. All personal information created, held or collected by the Agency is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.

Results

What worked

The beta site was well received by participants. They appreciated the agency’s efforts to modernize the site.

Participants found the home page easy to read and information easy to find. They liked the consistent layout of the subject and product landing pages and thought that information will be easier to find than in the current website.

The feature ‘Key statistics’ was well received by participants—especially the ability to select data for a province or territory. They found the site’s filters to be intuitive to use, helpful for refining search results and liked the ability to sort results by date or popularity.

Participants liked the geography mapping feature and felt that it would be a useful tool to search for data by region. The drop-down menus in the initial tables were described as easy to use and participants liked the new features added to the complex tables: the ability to change the layout of the table and the information icons within the tables.

Areas for improvement

While trying to load the beta site, some participants experienced technical issues.

The button to Add/Remove data to customize a table was not always noticed, nor was the Customize layout button. Some users would prefer to get detailed data tables in fewer steps and to save their table customizations.

Participants would like to retain the CANSIM table numbers and vector numbers, as well as publication numbers.

Suggestions were also made regarding the filters, e.g., adding data reference periods. On the Subject pages, participants suggested providing users with the ability to expand or collapse categories to limit the amount of scrolling.

Although the new mapping tool itself was very popular, the advanced search and hover features were not intuitive to users. Participants also recommended adding a reset button to start a new search, instead of having to re-enter the page.

For the beta site in general, users would like to see more consistency with details ranging from fonts to functionalities (e.g., filters, sorting options, etc.).

Recommendations

• Make the site accessible on most browsers and Internet connections.
• Ensure consistency in formatting, result descriptions and functions, etc.
• Rethink labeling and positioning of the Add/Remove data and Customize layout buttons on the table pages. Ensure CANSIM and vector numbers are searchable. Add options in order to save a customized table and complete calculations.
• Consider adding descriptions or definitions to labels and sub-categories to help users understand what they contain, or renaming some labels that were not intuitive.
• Inform users of upcoming changes to the website, including changes to tables. This could be communicated through blogs, videos, online tutorials, etc. and should highlight the changes and demonstrate how new features work. Access to the Frequently Asked Questions should be intuitive and quick.
• Conduct end-to-end usability testing in both French and English once most of the data has been loaded.
• Ensure all major changes to the new site meet users’ needs. Portions of the site that were not previously tested should also be considered for future rounds of usability testing.

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.