Executive Summary
Executive Summary - extracted from User Vision report on Careers Scotland Online Survey Findings (Pre & post launch) April 2007
Given the re-launch of the Careers Scotland website in Autumn 2006, User Vision recommended undertaking an online survey to ascertain user views of the site both prior to launch and post launch. This survey was undertaken in addition to the usability testing and expert evaluations User Vision also ran during the development phase. The first survey was undertaken in October 2006, with the second survey running in April 2007.
There has been significant difference between the 2006 and 2007 results. It was clear that the levels of satisfaction were lower in the initial survey, with visitors finding it very difficult to navigate round the site. The demographics of the respondents did not significantly change over the two studies, with school users, unemployed and employed users being the most dominant groups.
With regards to the percentage of first time users, more respondents in the first survey had visited the site previously. The 2007 study showed a significant amount of first time user, the positive aspect of this is that the site is clearly drawing a wider audience and marketing activity is proving effective. However it is important to ensure that people will revisit the site, a key measure of success and usability.
There has been a notable shift in the reasons respondents access the site. Previously respondents used the Careers Scotland site to get assistance choosing a career, now more respondents are looking for help with CVs and application forms.
An important measure of success is how the respondents rated the website. 2006 results were relatively poor; however the redesign has seen a marked improvement with more respondents rating the website as very good or excellent. Another measure of success is the accessibility of information. The 2007 study showed the respondents were finding the website far easier to access information. The majority of respondents found all or most of the information they required in the post redesign survey.
In addition to this visitors commented that they were more likely to visit the site again and recommend it to a friend. This is an important statistic as word of mouth is one of the most effective methods of promotion. The qualitative data was naturally more negative as respondents are more likely to leave a criticism than a compliment. However the 2006 qualitative information was heavily focused on poor navigation yet the 2007 data did not have such a high emphasis on the accessibility and usability.
The 2007 study also pulled in some positive feedback which is quite unusual for qualitative data. Overall there has been a marked improvement of the site in terms of usability and user satisfaction.
