Discussion Forum Survey

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) completed an engagement exercise to establish what users of online discussion forums would like to see on a forum for users and producers of statistics.  

We ran a survey to gain user feedback from 6 July to 13 August 2023. This was followed by semi-structured interviews between 14 August and 15 September 2023, with those who opted-in at the end of their survey.

This engagement exercise provided us with feedback about what users and producers of statistics would like to have included and avoided on an online discussion forum. These findings will help inform the decision-making process as we revitalise the ONS’s online discussion forum, StatsUserNet, ready for an early 2024 relaunch.

The 2023 discussion forum improvement survey received 227 responses. Interviews were completed with 23 survey respondents who opted in. Responses were gained from statistics users who currently use discussion forums, as well as those who do not use discussion forums but would be interested in using one which meets their needs.

The survey and interview respondents came from a range of different sectors. The full breakdowns are in tables 1 and 2.

*Other included: arm’s length body, national statistical institute, researcher, public sector, finance, retired, business and trade, and user groups.

Feedback indicated how the participants use discussion forums, and the functionalities they find useful or hindering on a forum. Common requests included:

Technical features, such as:

• clear navigation and improved accessibility
• clear organisation by theme and topic
• an improved search function which allows filtering and Boolean searching*
• the ability to tag topics and other users to make it easier to find posts
• the ability to select notification topics and frequency
• user profiles for sharing the statistical background of users
• guidance on how to use the features of StatsUserNet
• a word limit on posts so content is concisely presented

* A Boolean search broadens or limits search results by allowing users to search by keywords, phrases, or combinations of these using operators: “”, *, AND, OR, NOT.

Content features, such as:

• frequent, up-to-date posts to engage with
• additional categories for best practice, methodology, question and answer areas for learning, and cross-cutting theme areas
• more interaction with statisticians from the ONS and the Government Statistical Service
• an a-political platform which is a safe space to search and post
• moderation of repetitive, offensive and political content
• posts with links or references to the data or publication discussed
• a space which directs users to published official data sets and publications

Community requests, such as:

• wider promotion of StatsUserNet in the workplace and in social media spaces where professionals and statistical user groups reside
• a community of both users and producers of statistics to discuss statistics together and answer one another’s questions
• a community of statistics professionals, academics, and consultants from a range of backgrounds
• encouragement for statistical students to ask questions and share ideas
• all users to post and respond to one another regularly

In 2023, we:

• created a findings report and a statement of requirements based on feedback
• updated existing StatsUserNet policies to add referencing posts and authors
• added guidance to StatsUserNet to explain how to navigate the site
• updated the navigation menu on StatsUserNet
• began researching options to improve StatsUserNet based on the statement of requirements

In 2024, we will:

• relaunch StatsUserNet, including as many requested features as possible
• upload a suite of user guidance for how to navigate and use the platform
• seek more statistics professionals to join the platform as users
• recruit voluntary champions from all backgrounds to bring new users online
• continue to ask for user feedback to make sure the changes are suitable
• continue to update the platform based on incoming user feedback

If you have any questions about this work, please contact statsusernet@ons.gov.uk.