Overwhelming data
The Crown Estate is a global leader in offshore wind and marine aggregate data. In 2013, it established the Marine Data Exchange, an open-source platform housing data to help manage seabed planning. But there was a problem: the sheer volume of data collected had far outgrown the original site. Functionality had moved on too. The site was the only source of comprehensive data on the UK’s seabed – data vital to a whole range of critical applications for both today and the future. It had to right.
Back to basics
Interviews with countless stakeholders and comprehensive user testing informed a new UX structure and improvements in user flows and wireframes. We developed an information hierarchy and surfaced top themes sorted by keyword and date. We also created a suggestive, keyword-driven search, and undertook multiple rounds of tagging exercises. All this and more was designed to make data more manageable, easy to connect with, and useful.
Better experiences, constant improvement
The new Marine Data Exchange site offers a simplified, engaging experience. It now invites people in and makes sure they understand the data, where it comes from and how it is collected. Crucially, users can quickly the data they’re looking for. With an eye on the future, we have set up Hot Jar to map user behaviours and generate the analytics that empowers us to constantly improve the service.
