Meaningful data design and bringing people on the journey
Mixed methods approaches for developing data-informed products that deliver efficiency, improve outcomes and develop mutually-beneficial relationships
Data is everywhere. It can effectively inform what happens at a local and national level, both in terms of service delivery and decision-making. Data isn’t, however, an end unto itself. Collecting, analysing and disseminating information doesn’t necessarily turn into meaningful action.
“Be data-driven.”
“We need a dashboard.”
But why? What does it mean we can actually do?
As data scientists and designers, we need to ask ourselves: how can data work be structured in a way that maximises the likelihood that people know how to — and are able to — act in response to what it shows?
Nesta has been working with Birmingham City Council (BCC) to explore available data relevant to the context of early years services, such as data on take-up of early education entitlement (EEE) places locally. Together we are working to understand how we could bring that information together in a useful ‘data tool’, and define what that ‘data tool’ might look like — one that supports the council and its partners to deliver these services with improved outcomes and in as efficient a way as possible.
Our approach and methods
We wanted to understand how the data could better flow through the organisation and be collated sustainably into a useful early years data tool. A variety of activities took place between May and August 2023, including stakeholder mapping, interviews, design workshops and prototyping.
During the interview stage we spoke with early years service and information managers and analysts, and analysts and managers from their partner teams and organisations. The broad purpose of the interviews was to:
- Understand users’ day to day needs of a data tool and how it could support different roles and services;
- Explore users’ preferences;
- Uncover opportunities, barriers and practical constraints in terms of existing systems or ways of working.
Building on and informed by the themes from the interviews, three face-to-face design workshops were held across July and August 2023. Participants were invited from the same list as the interviews and invited to attend all workshops. The workshops were sequenced so that each one developed the emerging ideas and feedback from the previous one.
- Workshop 1: Focusing on needs, existing examples of ‘data tools’ and what people might want, and why.
- Workshop 2: Reflecting on workshop 1, testing prototypes based on the highlighted needs and prioritising. Attendees chose to prioritise four core datasets and key features such as mapping, area profiles and including key meta-data.
- Workshop 3: Unpicking the processes and roles required to develop the data tool in line with prioritised user needs.
The following visual summarises the flow of activities and how they informed each other.
Measures of success part 1: The Data Tool itself
In the long term, the design and development of the early years data tool has a number of key objectives, which will ultimately form the basis of how its success is measured:
- To support the understanding of inequalities across the city with a view to addressing them;
- To drive demand and increase take up of services and entitlements;
- To contribute to quality improvement by understanding what might be needed and where;
- To improve early years outcomes.
Measures of success part 2: The Data Tool design process
However, the achievement of these goals, and the success of the data tool, requires a successful design and implementation process.
A key element of creating a tool that can help achieve the goals above is stakeholder buy-in and engagement in the design process itself. Without this, the end product won’t be fit for purpose and/or won’t be used by staff and decision-makers when eventually rolled out, as seen many times with many dashboards, trackers and databases.
In our work with BCC, the cross-organisation acceptance of — and agreement on — the plan is one measure of success of this work so far.
Furthermore, the quick formation of a steering group responsible for the ongoing development and deployment of the data tool, and the fact that the design brief has been translated into a practicable action plan, already demonstrate that the process served its intended purpose.
Beyond even the outcomes for the design of the data tool itself, just taking part in the design process brought immediate benefits for stakeholders. Anecdotally, those involved have expressed how valuable they have found it in terms of focusing on and prioritising their needs too. They were able to collectively agree priority datasets and features for the tool, a process for collating and storing the datasets and who was responsible for each stage of the process of the tools’ development and deployment, including who would build version 1 and how.
The final plan on which the design brief is based
It is clear that the design approach we used has landed well with all partners involved and has led to a clear plan for developing the data tool in the longer term beyond Nesta’s involvement. This has harnessed the momentum, enthusiasm and joint ways of working brought about by the project to date, and has resulted in an agreed plan for developing this data tool in the first instance, as visualised below.
Reflections
Why, then, might this design methodology have worked well in creating the platform for realising the objectives? Reflecting on this work has been eye-opening, and at a broad headline level, our sense is that there are three core components to this.
One: Understanding needs can bring people together
First and foremost, the work has all been done with people, not for them. Bringing people together for dedicated, protected time to explore ideas in the same space has forged stronger relationships between individuals and organisations because they have been able to find common ground. This has enabled ownership of ideas based on different needs and individual preferences whilst also accommodating practical constraints.
Two: A data tool is the start point not the end point
Secondly, the technical data work, including the analysis of available data and prototyping its presentation, has been done in tandem with the development of a specification of a data tool and its necessary processes. By treating the analysis as a conversation starter, not a standalone endpoint, has fostered a reflective, user-centred approach to making suggested changes that will benefit services in the longer term.
Three: Take time and take stakeholders on a journey
Finally, the time taken to steward people through a consistent and transparent journey, using a range of methods, has been essential. Again, this fosters ownership of the process and end product , but it also allows for everyone involved to get used to the ideas as they develop and be able to contribute in ways that make sense to them.
Alongside this, the focus on building a manageable first version of a data tool from the start, which can be developed further over time, has helped to contain the process, reduce overwhelm and avoid producing a confusing offer that tries to be all things to all people. This approach borrowed techniques from design thinking, user research, co-production, crude prototyping, appreciative enquiry and others.
But ultimately…relationships are what matters
At the heart of all of this, however, are the relationships that have been developed in this context. People are what make things happen, whether providing data, analysing data, communicating the data or responding to the data on-the-ground — operationally or strategically.
By understanding and sharing all of these skills and experiences together in an open way has elevated this project from a discrete product-based piece of work to one that promotes a sustainable, coherent system, culture and direction focused on improving people’s lives.
