Transcript Training Module II

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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