Improving Usability of a Complex Household Travel Survey: An Evaluation of User Requirements

Abstract

Data quality does not only refer to statistical characteristics of the respective dataset, but also includes further dimensions that are closely related to user requirements in terms of content, convenience of access, comprehensibility, and usability. Especially with respect to datasets designated for multiple secondary analyses by heterogeneous users, particular attention must be given to data processing, data documentation and supplementary information. Within the context of a largescale national household travel survey, a two-stage evaluation approach was developed in order to get a better understanding of the dataset's usability for various users. The evaluation process consisted of two parts: First, a retrospective online user survey was carried out to get a general overview of the user community, the respective context of data usage and the users' overall satisfaction. Subsequently, a one-day user workshop was held. While the survey was mainly designed as exploratory instrument to reveal effectively the majority of relevant issues, the workshop was intended to discuss complex or controversial matters with highly qualified and committed stakeholders. Both the survey as well as the workshop revealed the crucial role of a user-centered approach when conducting a survey. In fact, quite a few adjustments can be accomplished with reasonable effort while ensuring comparability and keeping within a given budget. Mostly, these adjustments are related to data processing, documentation and information. Based on the findings, general recommendations were made with special emphasis on the essential consideration of different user requirements.