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Module II: Design Principles I - Basic United Nations ESCAP Session 3: Best Practices Naylin Oo Information, Communication and Space Technology Division UNESCAP Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan United Nations ESCAP BEST PRACTICES IN DESIGNING WEB SITES FOR DISSEMINATION OF STATISTICS United Nations Statistical Commission and Economic Commission for Europe Geneva, 2001 http://www.unece.org/stats/publications/websitebestpractice.pdf Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Most critical success factors (1/2) United Nations ESCAP • Users – Who are they? – What do they really need? – How do they use data? – What are their competence levels? • Web site content and functionalities – Main repository of the NSO – New functionalities offered by Internet technologies – Importance of metadata Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Most critical success factors (2/2) United Nations ESCAP • Web site architecture – Comprehensible search and navigation system – Easy to find data – Fast • Support and maintenance – A web site is not the task of IT experts only – Strong support of management is necessary – A web site is an on-going activity Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Users of a statistical web site United Nations ESCAP • A user is different from a visitor • A visitor maybe be only occasional or by accident • Real user? – Active on a web site (go further than home page, at least one click) – Will return to the site – Is the crucial purpose of any web site • Control visitors and users access – Access restriction should be well motivated Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Users of a statistical web site United Nations ESCAP • Imperative to know who is accessing a site – Estimation using site access statistics software (standard site feature) – Registration of users – Soliciting users feedback Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Types of users United Nations ESCAP • Individuals – “the interested citizen” • Private and public institutions • Scientific institutes and universities A clear user policy is a prerequisite for success Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan User policy will influence United Nations ESCAP • The layout – Different part of the site for different kinds of users • The content – Adapted to users requirements – National language(s) or/and English for international users • Site functionalities – Predefined formats only – Downloadable format – Print-on-demand Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan User policy United Nations ESCAP • Web site of interest to a broad audience? • National? • International? • Focus on target group? • Government offices? • Private companies? • User policy will influence • The content • The layout • The functionalities Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan User policy United Nations ESCAP • Users expectations may differs • Users behavior may differs • Need to change over time – Users behavior changes as they gain experience, leading to new demand – New Internet technologies make new functionalities available or expected Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site content policy United Nations ESCAP • User expectations: Statistics • But in different shapes and sizes – – – – – – – Fixed statistical table (key figures, basic data) Statistical publication in web-readable format Predefined tables (downloadable time series) Flexible access to database Information about the statistical office General description of main activities Links to other statistical sources Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site content policy United Nations ESCAP • Presenting statistics in different ways – According to the need of various user groups – Need to include a clear navigation system – Search function through metadata • Imperative to maintain consistency of data between across the site – Using database system (dynamic pages) – Data warehouse to integrate data from different subject matters areas Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site architecture and functions United Nations ESCAP • A web site is a complex architecture • Bad presentation can – Destroy content – Discourage users • Designer should always bear users expectations in mind Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site architecture and functions United Nations ESCAP • Response time – Most critical factor for occasional users – Professional user is obligated but unsatisfied – User of statistics is very rational and will not pay attention to glossy pictures – Avoid unnecessary features • The home page – – – – Normal entry point Should appear rapidly Clear overview of the content of the site Important up-to-date key figures? Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site architecture and functions United Nations ESCAP • Navigation – Links should help the user to find the quickest way to information – User should not get lost. Linking back at all time to home or beginning of sections. • Physical architecture – Usually hidden from users – Clear modular architecture is important for maintenance purpose Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site architecture and functions United Nations ESCAP • Web page design – – – – – Physical size of the page (Monitor/Screen resolution) Resolution independent design Browser independent design Clear structure Consistent across the site • Web site functions – Static pages vs. dynamic pages Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Web site functions United Nations ESCAP • Static pages – – – – – Publication of documents Simple search function Static or fixed tables, graphics, maps Administration information Download function of pre-defined statistical data • Dynamic pages – Flexible database access – Web enabled tabulation system, dynamic graphic presentation systems Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Dynamic web features United Nations ESCAP • Output database as fundament of dynamic web sites • Active communication with uses: – Registration of user to receive web site news by email – Sending updated time series automatically to user • Collection of statistical data – Important topic for the future for NSOs – Beyond the scope of this presentation Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Maintenance issues United Nations ESCAP • Most critical issue today for NSOs • Technical maintenance and development – Under the responsibility of IT staff • Maintenance of content – Under the responsibility of subject matter departments – Following procedures set by the Editorial Board Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Maintenance issues United Nations ESCAP • Setting up an Editorial Board – Including users – Representatives from all departments contributing to the site • Responsible for – – – – – – Maintenance of content Web site layout General structure of the site General functionality of the site Definition and specification of procedures for the site updates Technical development Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Administrative organization of a site United Nations ESCAP • Distribution of responsibilities – Subject department responsible for updating content – Technical maintenance and development by IT department • Necessity of a technical development strategy – New internet technologies – Increase of bandwidth – Evolution of user needs/expectations Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Basic conclusions United Nations ESCAP • Internet is changing everyday: – Further integration of internal IT technology to the Internet – Evolution towards a real worldwide network • What is success for a web site? – – – – – Income from selling statistics online? Decreasing dissemination costs? Frequency of visits? Number of users? Number of downloads? Volume of user feedback? Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Formats for downloading statistical data United Nations ESCAP Recommendations on formats relevant to the downloading of statistical data from the Internet United Nations Statistical Commission and Economic Commission for Europe Geneva, 2001 http://www.unece.org/stats/publications/downloadingformats.pdf Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Number of formats available United Nations ESCAP • Choices limited by – The resources available – The requirement of the users – Limitation inherent to each format • NSOs should set up a policy based on – – – – – Financial constraints/Technical reasons Complexity and cost of maintaining multiple formats Legal consideration Security concerns web site aesthetic concerns Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Transferring data over the Internet United Nations ESCAP • HTTP – Standard web site accessible though a browser – “Pull” method, the user take the initiative • SMTP (Email) – “Push” method – The author has a specific user in mind • FTP – Access at file level (File Transfer Protocol) – Suited for large file exchange – Used for communication between statistical offices Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Bare data file United Nations ESCAP • File containing only value: – Metadata are elsewhere – Oldest format – Dangerous: no guarantee that data are used with the correct metadata – NOT TO BE USED ON THE INTERNET Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Graphical files United Nations ESCAP • GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP – Suited for purely graphic information – Not suited for managing metadata – Graphical information should always be embedded in a document containing metadata Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Natural language file United Nations ESCAP • HTML, PDF, MS-Word – Use to present textual information – ASCII • • • • The most universal No specific software No layout control Conveys an old-fashioned, unprofessional aspect for the data • To be avoided – HTML Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Natural language file United Nations ESCAP • HTML – Reasonably universal format – Document made of separate file >>> difficult to save locally – Use to be limited to online browsing only • Word processor formats – User need the specific software – No satisfactory interchange format – User can edit document Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Natural language file United Nations ESCAP • Read only format: PDF – Presentation functionality of word processors – Free software to access it (Adobe, Acrobat Reader) – Best choice for the integrity of the data However – Malicious tampering can not be excluded – Does not support certification or encryption Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Natural language file United Nations ESCAP • Data managing formats – – – – Typically database format (SPSS, etc) Handle metadata Not likely to readable by user >> not recommended • Mixed format – Mostly spreadsheet format – Support both presentation and further processing Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Natural language file United Nations ESCAP • XML – The newest – More than a format. It provide tools for defining new XML-compliant formats – Separate data from content – Structure is defined in a separate file (DTD) – Content is accessible to any XML-enabled software – Is likely to become an Internet standard Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Guidelines for Statistical Metadata on the Internet United Nations ESCAP United Nations Statistical Commission and Economic Commission for Europe Geneva, 2000 Conference of European Statisticians Statistical Standards and Studies – No. 52 http://www.unece.org/stats/publications/metadata.pdf Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan 3 Groups of metadata United Nations ESCAP • Metadata assisting search and navigation – Often part of the existing web site – Help users understand the general framework of the site • Metadata assisting interpretation – Strongly content oriented – Depend on subject area and target group • Metadata assisting post-processing – For use for further statistical processing – Clear link to the metadata set – Other criteria (confidentiality, re-use restriction Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Metadata issues specific to the Internet United Nations ESCAP • The broad variety of users • The large amount of information increases the need for efficient navigation and search • Easy linkage of information • Updating is an essential quality criteria • Internet provides new opportunity Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Metadata assisting search and navigation United Nations ESCAP • • • • • • • • • • Sitemap/table of content Frequently asked questions Site news Descriptions of statistical subject areas Description of the statistical institution Reference publications Contact persons Release calendar Links to other statistical web sites Feedback facilities Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Metadata assisting search United Nations ESCAP • Press releases – Give an overview of a specific topic. – Link to more detailed information • List of keywords – Linking everyday language to statistical tables • Local search engine – Expected by many users – Need to link via synonyms everyday language to technical terms • Hierarchical subject matter classification – Preferred by many users – Maximum 3-4 levels Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan United Nations ESCAP Metadata required for the correct interpretation of statistics • = Minimum set of metadata – – – – – – – – – – – – Title/content description Labels for rows/columns Definitions of labels Measurement unit Time reference/period Regional units Comparability over time Footnotes highlighting specific precautions Source of data Explanation of standard symbols Copyright, use restriction Contact points for additional information Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan United Nations ESCAP Metadata for better assessing the quality and comparability of data • = Recommended set of metadata – Comparability with alternatives sources – Links to press releases/summary of findings – Description of methods used in collection, revision, calculation, and estimations – Information on error sources and accuracy – Description of background and purpose of the statistics; concepts, variable and standard used Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Metadata assisting post-processing United Nations ESCAP • Necessary when statistical data are downloaded – The ‘Minimum set’ of metadata should be attached or easily accessible separately – Links to possibilities/restrictions for reuse • Data should allow further processing using suitable tools/formats Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Module II: Design Principles I - Basic United Nations ESCAP Practical Exercise Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan Exercise: NSO web site assessment United Nations ESCAP • Select 3 or 4 national sites – – – – – – – – – – Available language ? English? Date of last update? For every page? Data format available (HTML, pdf, download formats) ? Database access ? Technology used? Free? Feedback forms? Publications release calendar? Site search? Press releases? Links to other national statistical resources? Subscription function? For what kind of services ? Third Group Training Course in Application of Information and Communication Technology to Production and Dissemination of Official Statistics: Website Design, 28 May – 1 June 2007, SIAP, Chiba, Japan