Users of FixMyStreet can now select an appropriate category for their report using a newly added search bar.
After locating the problem they want to report, either by typing in a location or locating themselves automatically using GPS and dropping a pin on the map, users can type in the search bar to find an available category.
The search functionality will begin to suggest available categories to the user, who can either select one, continue searching or choose from a list of all available categories, the latter of which was previously the only option.
It’s important to note that categories are set by each individual council or authority to reflect the issues they can deal with.
Improving accuracy and user experience
The category selected by a report-maker is responsible for the routing of the report and dictates any automated messaging sent to them, making it a very important thing to get right.
We carried out some independent user testing with members of the public to see if using a search bar to find a category made things easier and more accurate.
We found that searching for a category on FixMyStreet does in fact make it not only faster for users to find the category they’re looking for by narrowing down their options, but also assists them in finding the best one to help the responsible authority respond appropriately.
For example, should a member of the public type in the word ‘sign’, FixMyStreet will display a list of available subcategories relating to problems with and adjacent to signs, helping them choose the exact problem they have found.
Next steps: local language and controlled vocabularies
A challenge we’re currently exploring solutions to is how we teach the search functionality to accommodate the fact that there can be multiple words for the same thing. For example, what the council calls a drain, might not be the same as what a member of the public calls it.
There are also linguistic differences in terms of what something is called in one area of the UK versus another.
To mitigate the risk of confusion and improve accessibility we are prototyping the use of controlled vocabularies to organise search terms, including attaching variants and related terms to so-called ‘preferred’ or ‘standard’ terms.
Whatever we do, we need to make sure the search functionality doesn’t produce an unwieldy list of potential matches.
It’s a work in progress, and we’ll hopefully have more to share soon!
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For councils or other authorities using FixMyStreet Pro, the search functionality will be rolled out to your individual instance of the service soon. Please speak to your account manager if you have any questions.
For everyone else, here’s where you can find more information about:
- FixMyStreet – the national reporting service for local problems run by civic technology charity mySociety since 2007;
- FixMyStreet Pro – the fully integrated version of FixMyStreet, run by SocietyWorks (the wholly owned subsidiary of mySociety) and developed in collaboration with councils.