This month we explain how we are developing an open data standard and update on our usability testing
Project update
We are hurtling towards the finish line for this phase of the project with less than two months to go before our suppliers present us with the final versions of their prototypes. As we explained previously these will be a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that will need further development and not a full government digital service.
We have asked Anthesis and Topolytics to deliver a clearly defined set of objectives by mid-October based around five user journeys that demonstrate the key functionality and technical challenges of the waste tracking service. These are:
A waste holder can register, log on and upload/enter waste data
Three separate parties in a waste transaction can log on and each enter data to complete a transaction
A producer can find out the next destination and the likely end fate of their waste
A regulator can view and extract key information in the regulator dashboard
A policy maker can view recycling rates in a local authority area
The suppliers will need to demonstrate this functionality which must be ready for release to internal and external users for testing through pilots.
During July and August both suppliers continued work on their regulator dashboards, refining the layout and content that agency officers will see. Agency officers and Defra policy makers were involved in workshops to review the dashboards.
The suppliers have also been working on their methodologies for linking waste transaction together to allow waste to be tracked from the producer via the carrier to the receiving site.
Meanwhile the project team has been starting to prepare for the next phase of the project by thinking about potential pilot studies for specific applications that could be rolled out to a small number of users in 2021. A series of workshops are taking place with the four agencies and government policy makers during the period August to October to inform, shape and prioritise the next phases of the project.
Waste tracking open data standard
We think one of the fundamental elements to develop for waste tracking is an open data standard.
An open data standard is a set of rules that specify how data is described and recorded and is publicly available so that anyone who needs to use it can do so at no cost. Having a standard format for waste tracking means that data requirements will be easy for users to understand and support the smooth exchange of data between government, industry and agency systems and processes.
Our user research to date tells us that waste tracking will need to support a range of data entry options including an online form, upload via a standard spreadsheet and the use of an Application Programming Interface (API) to transfer data from a company’s own software or a commercial off-the -shelf software product. Using a data standard will ensure that all these methods capture the same data fields in the same format and they can be stored in one database.
Government Digital Services (GDS) require the use of open standards when building APIs for a government service and has published guidance on API technical and data standards.
Our work on a data standard started with developing a set of data fields based on current legislative requirements for duty of care, hazardous waste and transfrontier shipments of waste. This included identifying all the mandatory data fields on waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes and Annex VII forms used for movements of green list waste. These formed the basis of a common set of data requirements along with a small number of additional fields that were identified as important for users, regulators and government and to support the tracking of waste. We carried out some initial user research on these key data fields to understand what information users currently hold and how they hold it. You can read the report here.
Anthesis and Topolytics have used our draft list of data fields as a basis for developing their prototypes and for proposing a data standard, taking into account any standard data formats that may already exist for individual data fields.
In developing our data standard we are following broader Cabinet Office Open Standards Principles and are considering a standard that could be assessed by the Open Standards Board. The Board is made up of experts drawn from industry, academia and the public sector and it selects and implements open standards that will improve the efficiency of government services, data and technology.
There are seven principles for selecting open standards for use in government:
Open standards must meet user needs.
Choose standards that make it possible for suppliers to compete on a level playing field.
Open standards must support flexibility and change.
Open standards must support sustainable cost.
Select open standards using well-informed decisions.
Select open standards using fair and transparent processes.
Specify and implement open standards using fair and transparent processes.
We want to work towards a data standard which is largely independent from products of single providers and specific platforms. It also needs to be capable of being delivered or used with more than one technology.
The data standard will be subject to public review as it is important that stakeholders are given the opportunity to feed their ideas into the decision-making process. This is a requirement of the Open Standards Principles.
This is just part of the Government Digital Service Standards that we are working to for the design of the waste tracking service.
User panel activities
Over the past two months we have focussed effort on increasing the number of users on the user panel. The pandemic has understandably meant that some of our panel members have been unable to take part in user research and usability testing and there was a risk that the results we obtained may not be fully representative of some sectors.
A social media campaign was instigated by the four environment agencies, and trade bodies and regulated businesses were also contacted directly to invite them to get involved. We are pleased to report that the number of panel members has risen from around 600 to over 1000 which is very encouraging. This puts us in a good position for the usability testing we need to do on the two prototypes in this phase of the project and also for new user research and testing as we move into the next phase.
As we approach the final two months of this phase of the project the focus for user panel activity will be on usability testing of elements of the prototypes rather than on user research. Generally this begins with one-to-one moderated usability testing with a small number of users followed by unmoderated testing with a wider group of users.
During a moderated test the user is asked to carry out specific tasks while talking through what they are doing in real time and being observed by a facilitator who is able to gather detailed findings on the usability of the product. In unmoderated testing the user completes the tasks alone at their own pace and in their own time. The feedback from both types of testing is fed back to the suppliers to help improve their prototypes and make them easier and more intuitive to use.
In July moderated usability testing was carried out on the data ingestion process for both suppliers. The Topolytics task involved uploading waste movement data via a spreadsheet and separately users completed an online form to upload data into the Anthesis prototype as well as testing their sign-in process.
In August an improved version of the Anthesis sign-in process went through moderated testing, as well as a ‘Service Wizard’ - a set of questions that would help new users decide which data ingestion method their organisation should use to record their data in the waste tracking service.
During July and August the four environment agencies were involved in user research and usability testing with both Topolytics and Anthesis. Topolytics held a workshop to explore how waste is transformed at waste management sites to help them develop their waste chain movement model. Anthesis held a waste mapping and reporting workshop to get feedback on their model for linking waste transactions together. Moderated usability testing was carried out on the regulator dashboards for both suppliers.
In case anyone missed it you can view a recent waste tracking webinar that was hosted by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) here.
