In my last post, we discussed the best way to process and deliver reports to stakeholders. So now that that you have launched the portal and users are happily using it, the work doesn’t stop there.
Almost immediately, you need to start gathering feedback from users about how they are using the system and ways to improve it. For example, you’ll want to find out if you are delivering what people want, how reports and interfaces could be improved, and what’s not proven useful to them.
Because you have already kept stakeholders in the loop during the entire process by identifying and involving them early, knowing the data sources they need, the reports they need and you have managed their expectations proactively, it should be easy to solicit user feedback on the portal. This brings us to Best Practice #7: Collect User Feedback Continuously and Act on It.
Our SAS education customers collect user feedback through many channels. Some organize regular focus group sessions with all types of stakeholders, where they record all the comments and suggestions, prioritize recommendations and implement them, where possible. Others provide a “comments” button where users can provide feedback directly from the report portal. It’s also recommended that you set up a task force that allows you to meet with stakeholders regularly to discuss data and reports in detail.
For example, you may find that the reports you are providing are too high-level; users need to be able to drill down into detail, such as profiles for individual students, at the push of a button. You will find it helpful to create a prototype of reports so users can validate that any changes meet their expectations. All of these mechanisms allow you to capture valuable feedback and allow people to appreciate being heard, which in turn creates happy users.
If you missed the previous best practices blogs in this series, you can find them all here. Stay tuned in for more posts to come in this series. Or, if you are excited about learning all ten tips, read the full white paper now: 10 Tips from SAS Education customers.
