Why we engaged

A treejack study is a type of user experience (UX) research method that is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of website navigation. In this particular case, the study was conducted using Optimal Workshop to gain insights into how users interact with the current City of Kingston website.

The primary goal of the study was to identify any usability issues and pain points that users may encounter when trying to access specific web pages. By doing so, the organization could gain a better understanding of the current website's strengths and weaknesses and where improvements could be made.

By identifying where users tend to get lost or experience difficulty navigating the website, the organization could pinpoint specific areas for improvement. This information could then be used to develop a new website that is more accessible and easier to navigate for users, ultimately reducing the number of customer support inquiries.

In summary, the treejack study was aimed at improving the website's usability by identifying weaknesses in the current website's navigation. The insights gained from the study can inform the development of a new website that is more user-friendly and reduces the need for customer support inquiries.

How we engaged

Participants were engaged using Get Involved Kingston (GIK). An invitation to participate in the study was shared on GIK, which allowed website users to sign up and contribute to the development of a more accessible and user-friendly website. This approach not only gathered valuable insights from potential users but also empowered the community to play a role in shaping the website to better suit their needs.

This study was promoted via social media posts, email newsletters, printed posters and connecting with relevant community groups to encourage participation.

Who we heard from

According to the results of our study generated by Optimal Workshop:

• 415 users participated
• 309 (74%) participants completed the study
• All participants (100%) were located in Canada

How input was used

This input was used to help inform and guide the development process of the new website, ensuring that the new website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The results of the treejack study outline how users interact with the website when they have specific information to locate. By designing a website that is easy to navigate and access, the organization can provide a positive user experience that encourages users to engage with the website and reduces the need for customer support inquiries.

Next steps

The organization is using the insights gained from the treejack study to guide the redesign of the website's navigation ensuring that the new website is more user-friendly and accessible to users. By prioritizing the needs and preferences of users in the website redesign process, the organization can provide a positive user experience that encourages users to engage with the website.

What we heard

• 90% of participants successfully completed their given task and ended up at the “correct” destination.
• 87% of tasks were completed directly, with no backtracking.

A listing of tasks and their completion rate is available in an accessible format upon request.

Task 1: Find where to apply for a building permit for a deck

Home > Applications, Licences and Permits > Building Permits > Deck Permits

Home > Building and Renovating > Building Permits > Deck Permits

Home > Home, Property and Taxes > Building and Renovating > Building Permits > Deck Permits

Figure 2: Pie chart showing percentages of successfully completed tasks. 98% of tasks were completed successfully and this is shown in green. An accessible format is available upon request.

Why we engaged

The City of Kingston is redesign the public information website, CityofKingston.ca with the vision of creating a site that is modern, accessible, inclusive and accessible. Engagement with City staff, a part of the engagement process, is also underway.

How we engaged

A survey was hosted on Get Involved Kingston from Oct. 17 to 27. The community was provided opportunities to engage online, by phone or by mail. An opportunity to sign up for future user testing was also offered.

Who we heard from

• 15 engaged participants completed surveys
• 20 individuals signed up to take part in user testing
• 152 aware participants visited the project page

Next steps

Feedback from Get Involved Kingston will be considered in the design of the redeveloped website. Next steps include navigation testing, which will take place in Q1 2023.

What we heard

The following are a list of comments provided by registered Get Involved Kingston participants. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston's Guidelines for Participation were omitted from the feedback.

Q1 (What do you like about the current website?)

• I can usually find what I'm looking for fairly quickly
• The big buttons to take you to the places as a resident that I would use
• Relatively easy to search and find what you're looking for.
• It is functional and appearance is OK. It is for the most part user friendly and easy to navigate.
• Clean look, easy to read
• Lots of information available over many pages and tags
• Easy to navigate, mostly clear choices to get the information I want. I like the resident tab and the garbage/recycling tabs work well.
• There is a lot of information on the website
• It has all the City-related info I'm looking for.
• Clean Design
• Lack of animations, events calendar being on the homepage, accessible colours, link to Kingston transit on homepage
• Font size
• Generally it has good speed
• It is relatively easy to navigate. The "I'd like to" drop down is a nice feature.

Q2 (What do you dislike about the current site?)

• When what I'm looking for is not readily findable from the column menus, the Search function is not usually helpful.
• There is a lot of stuff and not sure if it is all needed?
• Menu / organizational hierarchy doesn't make sense. How are items categorized under "Explore" vs "Resident"? Group all the transportation together (e.g. cycling is more than a tourist/recreation item. Put it with roads under "Resident").
• No glaring issues but could use a refresh. Additional content could be sections for people new to the city.
• Design looks extremely outdated
• The amount of words is overwhelming on most pages. The pages are not enjoyable to look at. The information seems to be presented in the centre of the screen, with either side unused.
• Response boxes don't expand to show text - Artillery park page needs to show ENTIRE price list, like weight room only.
• There are link issues - links that are dead, go to missing pages, or are out of date. It's often easier to search Google for the information than the City website. The buttons at the top often look like images/background rather than being obvious buttons.
• It can be difficult to find the info if it is contained in a council document. Council docs hard to navigate. Many of the useful features (i.e. rec & leisure class sign-ups, etc.) could be better centred/promoted on the site. The site is text heavy.
• Can be hard to navigate to where you want to go
• Navigation isn't clear, wasted space on homepage, design elements are small, not modern
• Search function
• Department definition such as contact by email and names to directly communicate with the different by law enforcement people needs to be straight forward and not circumvented by having to leave messages.
• It looks very bland. It is not engaging. The vey top of the pages are good, but design elements seem to go away when you start scrolling.
• I use it for parks and recreation and find it difficult to navigate. I can generally find what I need, but it's not intuitive. I was just on trying to find the get involved kingston webpage (I couldn't remember what it was called) and it was impossible.

Q3 (What website do you you think got things right? Please list the URL (website address) here.)

• any website with a strong and rapid Search function
• I don't know, I don't go to other city's websites
• www.calgary.ca/home
• City of Toronto is not bad
• Recycle & Garbage is good.
  
• https://www.kitchener.ca/en/index.aspx ; https://carletonplace.ca/index.php. Not city website but easy to find info: https://www.grainger.ca/en, https://www.mcmaster.com/, wikipedia.ca
• https://www.nyc.gov/
  
• Especially the navigation - https://ionic.io/
• Shopify
• There are lots of them but in the minority are those who have direct and clear email communication with department HEADS.
• https://www.nevadacountyca.gov

Q5 (On a scale of 0-10, how likely is that you would recommend this website to a friend or colleague as a source of information? For this scale, 0 = very unlikely and 10 = very likely.) Statement 1

• 10
• 6
• 9
• 9
• 9
• 4
• 9
• 3
• 10
• 11
• 6
• 6
• 6
• 9
• 3