Statistics Canada's registration page and dashboard

Consultation objectives

In November 2013, Statistics Canada held consultations on the usability of the redesigned 'My Account' portal along with the 'Share this page' widget. The main objective of these consultations was to determine whether Statistics Canada website visitors can register and receive email notifications, complete a series of tasks to personalize their Statistics Canada account and share our web pages on social media.

Consultation methodology

Statistics Canada held in-person usability consultations with participants who were asked to complete a series of tasks and to provide feedback on the proposed website.

How to get involved

This consultation is 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 from a representative sample of the target population for the study. 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

Participants found the 'Share this page' widget intuitive, easy to use and would like it added to every publication and article on the website. They were also satisfied with the list of widgets that were available to them.

On the 'My Account' page, participants were successful in signing up to receive product and service updates and logging out. They found the text on the welcome page useful and informative and they also liked the drop-down functionality of the register button and the 'Password requirements' box. Participants were also happy with the selection of titles in the 'Articles and Publications' submenu.

Areas for improvement

• The 'Hide' functionality within the 'Share this page' widget was not intuitive.
• Participants could not easily change their password.
• The links in the 'Articles and reports' submenu were not intuitive.
• The 'Help' section content was incomplete.
• The dashboard should allow users to add a greater variety of content and features.
• Unfamiliar terminology was used throughout the portal.
• Labelling on the left-hand sidebar of the dashboard was unintuitive.

Recommendations

• Add Census and classifications to the list of items users can add to their dashboard.
• Add the widget to all publications and articles.
• Replace the label 'Hide' with an 'X.'
• Revise the taxonomy and links throughout the dashboard along with the labelling on the left-hand side bar.
• Make the registration process more user-friendly.
• Add a list of frequently asked questions and a link to the 'Contact us' webpage in the 'Help' section.

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.