A Design + Product Leader
BioDiversity Web Application
Using design to lead a pivot, generating better outcomes for an important environmental government department.
Context
About the company
The Department of Environment and Science (DES) are the peak Australian body for providing biodiversity benchmarking which drive environmental policy in Australia. They had received significant funding to improve their flora and fauna data platforms to improve reporting speed, accuracy and depth of analysis.
Impact
I successfully redesigned DES's biodiversity data management systems, which then saw a 50% reduction in data entry time and improvement in reporting capability, which led to faster, higher quality reports for their funding bodies.
The problem
The Department of Environment and Science (DES) had legacy systems which were disparate, on outdated technology and weren't cloud based. They wanted to improve the efficiency and accuracy of biodiversity data collection and reporting. They initially hypothesised that a tablet app would streamline data collection in the field, leading to faster and higher quality reporting, ultimately increasing grant and revenue opportunities.
My role
I had two roles on this work, Design Lead and Client Engagement Lead for ThoughWorks.
As Design Lead I led the research, analysis, interaction and UI design, evaluative testing and delivery to roadmap and releases. I was embedded on client site for the duration of the work.
As Client Engagement Lead: I navigated the client leadership through key project milestones, tracked and reported the project status, managed our consultant team and built out additional resource plans as the work moved through milestones.
Example of the final UI screens
The challenge
DES had already decided to build a tablet app
DES were very wedded to a tablet app. ThoughtWorks had successfully delivered a tablet app for one of their other departments, and were excited by the outcomes. They were confident that a tablet app was the right approach.
Their hypothesis was that digitising the collection of field data through an app would eliminate the need for paper surveys and result in more efficient reporting outcomes.
They had so much confidence in this solution, that they had already created detailed wireframes and socialised them with the department’s leadership team. There was so much excitement about building an app, that the developers had already completed technical spikes to asses feasibility.
However with some cursory probing, it was clear, no research or customer insight was guiding them. The drive for a tablet app solution was coming from an internal team captivated by the potential of new technology, as opposed to falling in love with the problem.
This was tricky territory and I needed to move fast to find a way for them to be invested in the problem, not the solution.
My approach
Use data and insights to drive our solution
Leveraging my 'newness' to the team, I built a case for pausing further work on the solution, to conduct research. With the cross-functional team's commitment, I led two weeks of observational studies and contextual inquiries. This immersive approach allowed the team to witness firsthand the emerging insights, fostering alignment on the core issues and paving the way for an effective solution.
Initial hypothesis
We believe that...
a field tablet app, will remove manual data entry for our scientists, speeding up reporting, so we can get outcomes to our funding stakeholders quicker.
Map the current state data journey
Before we kicked off the research, I led the team through a journey mapping session by bringing some of the scientists in to help us understand the process of collecting data end to end. From the initial report request from the government, to the site visits, then to the final biodiversity report, I wanted us to visualise the process, which systems were involved, and identify all the stakeholders.
Key Insight
Mapping the end-to-end journey revealed that volunteers and data managers played a crucial role in collating, preparing, and analysing data for reports.
This insight was pivotal as it highlighted previously unconsidered stakeholders and their significant impact on the efficiency and accuracy of the reporting process.
User interviews
I then led the team through interviewing and observing over 20 participants, including ecologists, zoologists, botanists, volunteers, and administration staff (data managers).
Findings
This research revealed that data managers were in fact the primary users of the collected data, and their challenges in managing multiple, disparate databases significantly impacted reporting speed and accuracy.
Ethnographic research
To help validate the assumption that a tablet app would be beneficial, I organised site visits for the team to observe scientists' data collection processes in the field. The process of observing the scientists collect data out in the field, highlighted some important challenges to the effectiveness of a field tablet app.
Key Insight
The site visits were extremely illuminating, as we observed that paper and pen (even in rain) was a far more efficient way to collect data in the field.
Observing how scientists collect data out in the field.
Unexpected insights
A tablet app was less efficient than paper
Direct observation and scientist feedback confirmed that paper-based surveys were the most efficient method for data capture in the field. This method proved to be faster and more reliable than using a tablet app.
Poor network coverage risked data loss
The remote nature of the field sites, often located in areas with no network coverage, posed a significant risk to data loss if a tablet app was used. This could lead to corrupted or lost survey data, resulting in substantial financial costs and delays in project timelines.
Environmental factors hindered app interaction
Using a tablet in the field was cumbersome, especially when dealing with environmental challenges like gloves in cold weather, rain, glare and dust and the need to rapidly record observations of fast-moving wildlife.
Data management was significantly challenging
We found, once the data was collected, there were significant challenges with managing, collating and analysing the data for the reports. Disparate systems, poor usability and multiple desktop versions all contributed to incredible challenges for the data managers.
The research found that addressing challenges faced by data managers, not scientists, was the key to achieving DES's objectives.
Defining our users
The pivot
Redesigning the data management system
The pivot meant shifting the focus from developing a tablet app to improving the data management systems used by data managers in their Headquarters.
By immersing the team in the research process, they gained a firsthand understanding of the core challenges. This shared experience fostered collaborative problem-solving, enabling us to redefine our hypothesis and desired outcomes with confidence.
New hypothesis
We believe that...
by building a new data management system, we will improve the data entry process, data integrity and analysis speed for data managers, improving reporting speed, so we can get outcomes to funding stakeholders quicker.
Testing, iterating and building the hypothesis
Once we were all able to align on the problem, we began the process of test, learn and refine to get to the final solution. There were over 40 different types of surveys, so we analysed the most common components, to create a library that could be re-used to speed up design and delivery.
Example data sheet I needed to design for
Outcomes
The new web application provides significant improvement to the team's reporting workflow, reducing administration burden and volunteer hours.
Improved Reporting Capability
Data is now centralised and integrates both fauna and flora records, so can be sourced and collated for richer reporting and insights.
Improved Data Entry Efficiency
By implementing modern UI standards and improved usability, we achieved a 50% reduction in data entry time, speeding up reporting for funding bodies.
Optimising Funding For The RIGHT Problem
By aligning on the real problem, DES could strategically invest government funding to achieve the highest value outcome, ensuring impactful and sustainable results.