What we heard - Engagement report
Why we engaged
MyKingston is the City of Kingston resident portal where residents can apply for programs and permits, register for programs and services, submit service requests, questions, or feedback, view information related to property (such as taxes or garbage pick-up dates) and report issues. The Digital Content (DTAP) team wants to improve how they deliver online services to the community by receiving feedback on residents’ experiences using MyKingston.
This survey builds off the results of the usability testing that was conducted in 2023. Feedback from this engagement will be used to improve the City of Kingston’s online services.
How we engaged
The survey was open for three weeks on Get Involved Kingston. It consisted of fourteen questions, asking participants to share:
- Their knowledge and understanding of the MyKingston platform
- Usage and frequency of MyKingston and other online services
- What types of services they access on MyKingston and their experience with completing tasks
- Issues and challenges experienced when using MyKingston
- How they navigate the MyKingston and find what they are looking for
The survey was shared with community members multiple ways, including:
- Banner on MyKingston pointing to the Get Involved Kingston user survey
- Social media posts on the City’s Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn channels
- Promotion in the weekly Get Involved Kingston newsletter
- Pinned to Get Involved Kingston homepage and CityofKingston.ca website
Participants were also entered to win a $100 VISA gift card.
Who we heard from
- 96 engaged participants completed the survey
- 468 aware participants visited the project page to learn more
- 3 participants engaged with the City for the first time on Get Involved Kingston
Locations of respondents:
- 34 per cent Southwest Kingston (K7M)
- 27 per cent Central-East Kingston (K7K)
- 21 per cent Northwest Kingston (K7P)
- 15 per cent Central-South Kingston (K7L)
- 3 per cent Rural Kingston (K0H)
Age of respondents:
- 5 per cent young adults (18-24)
- 39 per cent adults (25-44)
- 27 per cent middle-aged adults (45-54)
- 29 per cent older adults (55+)
Figure 1: Age of survey respondents
What we heard
The following is a summary of responses and themes identified by staff in the survey and from open feedback questions. A complete breakdown of survey responses can be seen in Exhibit A and verbatim text feedback can be seen in Exhibit B.
Usage of MyKingston and other platforms (Questions 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10)
The majority of respondents (78 per cent) were aware of MyKingston and 75 per cent stated that they had used MyKingston in the past. Most use it “Sometimes, a few times a month” (38.5 per cent) or “Rarely, a few times a year” (37.5 per cent).
Of those who stated they were not aware of MyKingston (22 per cent), "Information is easy to find” was ranked as the most important factor that would encourage them to use it, followed by “More City services are available” and “Transactions (payments) are secure and private.”
Respondents had also used other City platforms including Get Involved Kingston (69.7 per cent), DASH (36 per cent) and have registered for recreation programs (40.6 per cent). 55.7 per cent of respondents stated they were “very likely” or “likely” to recommend MyKingston to others.
Services accessed and experience with completing tasks (Questions 4 and 5)
The most commonly accessed MyKingston services selected by respondents were:
- “Finding information” (66 per cent)
- “Submitting feedback or complaint” (56.7 per cent)
- “Asking a question” (32 per cent)
- “Registering for a program” (28.4 per cent)
Figure 2: Services accessed on MyKingston
Most respondents have had a positive experience with MyKingston. The majority (72.8 per cent) agree that MyKingston makes it easy to complete tasks. This indicates an opportunity for minor usability improvements to enhance ease of use.
69 per cent also agree that information on MyKingston is accurate and complete, and that it is useful to complete tasks (72.8 per cent agree). This suggests there might be specific content that could benefit from clarification and additional details. Some respondents find MyKingston “unnecessarily complex” (30.9 per cent) and most respondents (84 per cent) do not think that assistance from a technical person is needed to use MyKingston effectively.
Finding information and notifications (Questions 8, 11 and 12)
When navigating MyKingston, some users use the search bar (33.7 per cent) or scroll to find the services they are looking for (31.7 per cent). 25 per cent of respondents filter by categories. This suggests that users prefer to locate information quickly, highlighting the importance of prioritizing search functionality, structured navigation and clear filtering options.
Most respondents (73 per cent) use the City website (CityofKingston.ca) to find information on City programs and services. MyKingston was the second most common response (selected by 35 per cent of respondents). 30 per cent “follow the City of Kingston on social media” and 25 per cent “ask friends and family” for information on City services.
Figure 3: Where respondents find information related to City programs and services
Issues and challenges (Questions 6 and 7)
When asked to rank challenges and issues experienced with MyKingston, the most commonly ranked issues were related to navigation and usability (“There are too many steps to complete a simple task/goal” and “I do not know which category my service/request belongs to”). Login and account management problems were identified as well, with “I never remember my password and it’s difficult to reset it” and “I cannot login” as the third and fourth highest rank challenges, respectively.
The themes identified in the text comments (Question 7) support the challenges ranked above. Many comments spoke to multiple themes.
- Navigation and Usability Issues (28.6 per cent of comments): including broken links and buttons, too many categories making information hard to find, clunky design and layout issues and difficulty finding specific information (such as municipal boundaries and yard waste pickup schedules).
- Login and Account Management Problems (32 per cent of comments): including login errors and difficulty changing user information such as email addresses.
Other issues identified in text comments include service-specific challenges (problems booking sessions for recreational activities and with renewals for transit cards), dissatisfaction with customer service (delays or lack of response to issues reported and issues not being resolved to the user’s satisfaction) and finally, confusion with distinguishing purpose of different City platforms.
Other comments (Question 14)
When asked if they had any other comments on MyKingston, the following themes were identified. Please note that many comments were categorized under multiple themes.
- Positive feedback and suggestions (26 per cent): including appreciation for features like adding funds to transit passes and accessing councillor information, recognition of MyKingston’s potential as a service hub and suggestions to add a feature to acknowledge good service
- Navigation and usability (20 per cent): comments display mixed experiences with accessing information on the website, some include suggestions for better functionality and mention issues with mobile responsiveness
- Account and login issues (16.6 per cent): some comments express frustration with the need to sign in for various services, confusion over needing multiple logins for platforms, and problems with account management and password recognition
- Customer service and human interaction (10 per cent): including preference for human operators over automated systems and concerns about job losses due to automation/AI
- Service quality and responsiveness (10 per cent): including some criticism of the quality of services offered on MyKingston and response time to resolve issues, and a desire for more user-centered services
- Accessibility and inclusivity (6.6 per cent): such as the need for better voice recognition and compliance with accessibility standards, and concerns about exclusion of certain groups accessing services on MyKingston
Next steps
