24 January 2023
Our website at plymouth.gov.uk was updated with a new look and feel earlier this year. We are now working on redesigning the content and information architecture to make the site easy to navigate and accessible, and our information clear and easy to understand.
One thing we are keen to do is to hear more from our users. We already monitor feedback that we receive via the smiley faces on the website and we have access to analytics data, but we want to go further; to understand our user's needs, where they get stuck, what does and doesn't work and to make sure that the decisions we make about the site are carried out with users in mind.
One of the ways we can do this is to set up a digital user panel. This will be a group of users that we can contact to take part in research activities, this could be interviews, surveys or online studies.
We've carried out some online research and talked to other Councils to learn from those who already have user panels and we're now ready to recruit participants.
People can sign up to join the panel online. It's important to us that our website works for everyone, so we ask some questions about digital skills and accessibility needs. This means we can invite people to take part in research sessions that are appropriate for them.
We will also be contacting people who have indicated previously that they would be willing to help us improve our digital offer. Every time an online form is completed we ask for feedback and if people are willing they can leave a contact if they're happy to help us out.
We're also interested in talking to people who might not be regular users of our website, so we will be using offline channels and linking in with existing groups such as the Digital Inclusion Network to help us recruit participants.
Once the panel is established we will email when we have opportunities. This is completely optional and people can choose to take part as little or as much as they like.
Find out more and sign up to the digital user panel.