New online census must be on good form

BBC Scotland recently reported that for the first time since the census began, people will have the opportunity to complete the questionnaire online. This sounds like a great idea for many reasons, most notably, that it will cut down the volume of paper required and remove the need for people to scan paper questionnaires by hand. However, I hope that this journey into the digital world does not cause more problems than it solves. When I think of the last time the nation was asked to adopt a new way of providing information, the Scottish election in 2007 springs to mind. Although this system was still paper based, it does demonstrate the severe consequences that can occur when people are not given appropriate advice.

If the form is not designed with the users in mind, the results could mean inaccurate or incomplete data. Insufficient help and advice in completing the form could be a major reason for this happening. Good practice suggests that any form should clearly provide format assistance to the left of the field and provide advice throughout the process.
A consequence of not doing this effectively could mean that many people revert back to the old paper method.

The fact that the next census is still 3 years away is encouraging because this is adequate time to design and test the forms with users to pre-empt any possible issues that could arise BEFORE the system is rolled out.

In the article, Registrar General Duncan Macniven stated that the benefits of using such a system were provided by studying the approach of other countries. I just hope that they also study the problems that they encountered in order to avoid any future disasters.