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This month we report on progress with our five key user journeys and show some images of the suppliers' prototypes

Project update


There are only two weeks left in this phase of the project and we are looking forward to receiving a full, end to end demonstration of our suppliers’ prototypes in mid-October, focussing on five key user journeys as proof of technical feasibility of the waste tracking concept. Up to now we have only reviewed and discussed elements of their solution in isolation so it will great to see it all come together in one place. We expect that usability testing of the two prototypes will continue into November so members of our user panel will have further opportunities to test the two solutions.

We are looking at how we can best showcase the work so please look out for this in forthcoming newsletters.

The project team is undertaking other tasks to set out and prepare for the next phases of the project. Key tasks include:
  • Developing a consultation on waste tracking
  • Developing the procurement strategy for the next phases
  • Preparing for the anticipated next stage of pilot studies to look at the possible specific applications for waste tracking
  • Engaging in usability testing and user research with user panel members

Supplier progress with five key user journeys

As we explained in last month’s newsletter we have been asked Anthesis and Topolytics to demonstrate the key functionality and technical challenges of the waste tracking service through five key user journeys. Their progress against each journey is reported below.
 
User journey 1: A waste holder can register, log on and upload/enter waste data
 
Both suppliers have completed this user journey and have successfully demonstrated different methods of entering waste data into the waste tracking service. The methods including entering data directly using an online form, uploading a spreadsheet containing waste movement data and an upload via an Application Programming Interface (API). The prototypes allow any party in the waste chain to upload data and errors are flagged during the upload process so they can be addressed promptly. Once the data has been uploaded successfully it is visible to regulators. 

The image below shows the data upload screen for the Topolytics prototype. In this example a spreadsheet is being uploaded by a waste producer.
 
User journey 2: Three separate parties in a waste transaction can log on and each enter data to complete a transaction
 
This user journey builds on user journey 1 and allows any party in the chain (producer, carrier or receiving site) to enter information for their part of a waste movement and for that information to be linked in the system by means of a unique identifier and/or a data matching process. This provides flexibility for users by allowing parties to use different data upload methods and to work to different timescales for data entry.
 
Below you can see an example of how a three party transaction is displayed in the Anthesis prototype. A unique transaction ID has been used to link the three parties in the waste chain and the timestamp for each party shows when the waste was picked up and dropped off. A map indicates the waste was moved from Oxford to Swindon. It also shows how discrepancies in the weight of the waste between the parties are highlighted.
 
User journey 3: A producer can find out the next destination and the likely end fate of their waste
 
Through our user research with waste producers we learned that they wanted to know what happens to their waste to help them fulfil their duty of care obligations. This user journey illustrates how the waste tracking service will provide waste producers with information on the next destination of their waste (information extracted directly from the three party transaction) and the likely end fate of their waste.
 
In response to this both suppliers have developed a dashboard that displays a wide range of information about the waste transactions that waste producers, carriers and receiving sites are party to. The dashboard allows users to drill down into their individual waste movements to see the detail or to view higher level statistics and create reports, all based on their own waste movements.

Whilst the dashboards are still undergoing improvements based on initial feedback from usability testing you can view the latest version of the Anthesis dashboard for a waste producer below. We expect to further iterate and refine the outputs based on more extensive user research and usability studies but this shows what is possible.
 
User journey 4: A regulator can view and extract key information in the regulator dashboard
 
Both suppliers have developed a regulator dashboard and are in the process of refining the content and functionality based on findings from early usability testing. This user journey will demonstrate, ideally in near real-time, a range of tasks that an agency officer might need to do to carry out their job.
 
Tasks will include:
  • Running a standard report for a specific site, waste type, producer, carrier etc
  • Receiving a notification eg because a site is approaching its capacity limit
  • Receiving an alert eg because a site has accepted a waste type it is not permitted to handle
  • Creating a bespoke query to download data for more detailed analysis
The functionality of the Topolytics regulator dashboard is shown below. It allows an agency officer to see a series of key facts about a named site, such as waste inputs and outputs over time, capacity used and alerts so that the performance of the site can be easily monitored. A map shows the location of the site. The authorisation details for the site are displayed along with summary statistics about the waste streams received and the ultimate fate of the waste by type.
 

User journey 5: A policy maker can view recycling rates in a local authority area
 
This user journey is the most complex as it brings together the information gathered by user journeys 1-3, in particular information relating to the next destination and end fate of materials, to calculate the recycling rate in a local authority area.
 
A lot of effort has gone into understanding and exploring approaches to follow the identity and source of the material through the full waste treatment journey to develop the basic principles of a credible methodology to address some of the inherent complexities and challenges associated with the data. This has included looking at predictive analytics and modelling. We anticipate further refining the methodology and analytics for the various calculations in subsequent phases. We will be able to share more on this in due course.
 

User panel activities

 
Moderated usability testing of elements of the suppliers prototypes was the main focus of our work with user panel members in September. During moderated tests a user is asked to carry out specific tasks while talking through what they are doing, allowing the facilitator to gather detailed findings on the usability of the product. The results of these tests, which highlight areas of the user experience that need to be made easier and more intuitive, are played back to the suppliers allowing them to make improvements to their products.

During September we usability tested the home page for the Anthesis external user dashboard. This page, illustrated by the image in user journey 3 above, is meant to offer a helpful and informative entry-point for the user, providing key information and a way to navigate to the rest of the site. Overall user feedback about the home page was very positive.

We also tested the online forms that could be used by producers, carriers and receiving sites to manually record waste movements in both the Anthesis and Topolytics prototypes. In both cases the producer, carrier and receiving site versions of the forms were tested in isolation, making sure that each form works well for each type of user. In further sessions we’ll be testing how these forms are joined up to track the end-to-end journey for the waste. These sessions have just concluded and the results are currently being analysed.
 

We have had difficulty recruiting small and medium-sized carriers, particularly those operated by just one or two people, to take part in usability testing. We appreciate that it is difficult for them to give up their working time to contribute to the project in this way and so we are now offering early morning, evening and weekend testing slots in an effort to accommodate smaller carriers as much as possible. The sessions generally take one hour to complete.

We encourage all small and medium-sized carriers to take the opportunity to review the prototypes when invited to do so to ensure it best fits their unique needs and ways of working.

You can register here to join our user panel.
You can read previous newsletters or subscribe here to receive future copies.
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If you have any questions or comments you can contact me at wastetracking@sepa.org.uk

Cindy Lee
Newsletter Editor

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