Make it clearer to users that we're asking them to classify their own requests

[RichardTaylor]

On WhatDoTheyKnow.com currently:

• 416 support mail threads (3%) are replies to the automated email telling users they've got a new response. In many of these cases users haven't understood they're being asked to classify their response, in others they are people replying to us rather than replying on the site.

• 232 support mail threads (1.6%) are replies to the chaser for those who haven't categorised their response, subject: "Please update the status of your request", I suspect most of these are people who don't understand we want them to categorise their own response.

Suggestions:

Both the text of the emails, and the design of the site could be improved to make clearer to users what they are being asked to do .

Many of the users may well be people who struggle to use the web, and email. We want to serve those users.

[RichardTaylor]

Having spoken to a couple of users of WhatDoTheyKnow, and in light of recent support mail, it appears there is a problem among some users, who are overwhelmed and/or confused by the emails which result from having used the service.

The "Please update the status of your request" email appears particularly problematic.

Current form:

Subject: Please update the status of your request

To let everyone know, follow this link and then select the appropriate box.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/profile/sign_in?r=%2Frequest%2FXXXXXX%23describe_state_form_1

Your request was called [Request Title] .. Letting everyone know whether you got the information will help us keep tabs on [Public Body Name]

-- the WhatDoTheyKnow team

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Help WDTK - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/volunteers

Ideas:

• Should we nag for classifications by email at all?
• Perhaps the subject should be more like "Have you read the response to your request [Request Title]?"
• We should give the user a personal reason for classification - so our system can keep track of deadlines properly and offer advice on what to do next.
• Should the link be the normal link to the request, or a better, less intimidating, link?

[RichardTaylor]

+1

so our system can keep track of deadlines properly and offer advice on what to do next

is far better than the current

help us keep tabs on

Also

Letting everyone know whether you got the information

isn't ideal when often we're asking people to classify auto-response acknowledgments; we need to make it clearer that we understand we're not always asking people to classify a substantive response, but rather just the current status of the correspondence.

[WilliamWDTK]

• Should the link be the normal link to the request, or a better, less intimidating, link?

I think a less intimidating link would be better. The ideal, for me, would be something like https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/classify/request/URL_NAME, which would then re-direct to sign-in.

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Or https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/URL_NAME/classify

[FOIMonkey]

I think I've figured out how to fix the email text and the subject line. If we can agree what we'd like it to say, I'll have a go...

I really dislike this email.

[FOIMonkey]

How about: "Letting everyone know what the response was helps us to keep track of deadlines and offer advice on what to do next".

As for the title, I guess one downside of "Have you read the response to your request - {{request_title}}" is that it doesn't mention the ask (classification).

[garethrees]

I think a less intimidating link would be better

At the moment the link needs to be as-is so that users are asked to sign in. I do like the suggestion of a /classify route that handles the sign in check and then redirects to the request with the form open. I think we should focus on the text changes here (easier) and make a new issue for the link (a programmer task).

I guess one downside of "Have you read the response…

I also like that the current version is more of a command. It's clear(er) that we're requesting that the user do something. I could easily imagine seeing "Have you read…" and just deleting/archiving it immediately thinking its some sort of incidental survey, not realising it's a core part of how the site works and helps me as a user.

Letting everyone know what the response was helps us to keep track of deadlines and offer advice on what to do next

Much better body text! I do wonder whether "what the response was" makes sense. I don't have a better suggestion, but maybe "progress" is a term we can use? IDK if people necessarily associate "classify" with what we're actually asking.

Also think we want to improve "To let everyone know, follow this link and then select the appropriate box."

Again don't have a suggestion off hand, but starting off with "To let everyone know" doesn't feel quite right.

[FOIMonkey]

+1 we had a user contact us today because they didn't understand what the email was asking them to do.