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19 December 2012

www.unisdr.org

Redesigning the next ‘PreventionWeb’

A presentation by:

IMU - Translating strategy into effective and usable tools

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Introduction

Introduction

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Introduction

PreventionWeb 5 years on

Time to evolve

Time for a strategic re-think

Introduction

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Introduction

UNISDR’s mandate – coordinate the “ISDR system”

What does this mean for PreventionWeb ?

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Presentation

1. Background 3. Research

4. Design

directions

5.Resource issues

2. Evaluation

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1. Background – first five years

1. Background – first five years 2

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Background to the website

1. Background – first five years

5 years ago… Develop a site to help make sense of the DRR domain

Objective: facilitate the work of DRR professionals

Success criteria: become the GO-TO place for DRR information

PW is a major part of the UNISDR digital strategy

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Don Norman

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First five years – what did we do?

1. Background – first five years

Collected and organised information by type, country, hazard and developed an accepted set of themes and issues

= mapping of the DRR domain

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DRR content published to date:

1. Background – first five years

Total published

21,000

Information from over 3000 sources

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1. Background – first five years 6

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Other PreventionWeb services include:

1. Background to PreventionWeb

The site is fully integrated with UNISDR and Intranet

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PreventionWeb usage in 2012:

1. Background – first five years

Visits: 900,000

Page views: 2.4 million

Unique visitors: 85,000 per month

45% year on year increase in usage - for the September-November period

Regular users: 25,000

Comparison ?

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Access to information via Email subscriptions:

1. Background – first five years

4500 subscribers

Over 250,000 emails per month

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The future is mobile and the world is changing but…

1. Background – first five years

Mobile traffic on PreventionWeb: 6%

Tablet (iPad) traffic to PreventionWeb: 2%

Compare with: London Olympics website

- 60% mobile users

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Recap:

1. Background – first five years

• In 5 years, PreventionWeb has aggregated over 21,000 items from over 3000 organisations.

• Mapped the current scope of the DRR domain

• Developed an accepted set of themes and issues

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

2. Evaluation

2. Evaluation

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2. Evaluation

Main recommendation:

Add more value through active knowledge brokering

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Recommendations

2. Evaluation

• Recommendation 1: Develop a PW theory of change

• Recommendation 2 – Develop PW results framework and M&E system

• Recommendation 3 – Rationalise and reduce PW services based on the prioritisation of services that ‘add value’

• Recommendation 4 – PW website re-design

• Recommendation 5 - Review IMU skills requirements and develop or recruit relevant skills and capacity in knowledge brokering

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2. Evaluation

• Recommendation 6 - Intensify PW’s relationship with UNISDR Regional Offices

• Recommendation 7 – Assess knowledge brokering funding resources

• Recommendation 8 – Enhance PW’s expertise and reputation as a knowledge broker for the DRR domain

• Recommendation 9 - Enhance PW’s language coverage

• Recommendation 10 - Establish strong working relationships with key DRR network partners

Recommendations

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

3. Research and findings

3. Research and findings

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IMU follow up to evaluation (Sept to Dec):

3. Research and findings

• Literature review and discussion with KM / KB experts

• Review of KB at the staff retreat

• Survey - over 800 replies

• Interviews - 30 staff and 30 external stakeholders

• Analytics review of site usage

• Strategy workshop on Enterprise Architecture

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3. Research and findings

Information intermediary

Knowledge translator

Knowledge broker

Innovation broker

… enabling access to DRRInformation (from multiple sources)? For whom? Why?

… helping people make sense of DRR issues? For whom? Why?

… improving knowledge use in DRR decision making? For whom? Why?

… changing the context to enable innovation in DRR? For whom? Why?

No part can stand alone

Knowledge Brokering in DRR: What are UNISDR’s most value-added activities to support…?

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Staff retreat – what KB activities are we doing now?

3. Research and findings

• PW is the information intermediary

• Staff feel we do more translation – but words we use reflect a broker role

Examples: fuel, facilitate, catalyze, connect and convene

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3. Research and findings

Findings of interviews and survey:

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30 staff interviews

3. Research and findings

Who are the top 3 most important target audiences for UNISDR?

National governments – 100%

UN system – 40%

NGOs – 36%

IGOs – 32%

Local govt - 24%

General public – 20%

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Survey – over 800 replies

3. Research and findings

What are your main sources of information on disaster risk reduction?

PW listed explicitly as the major online source of DRR information – confirmation of evaluation

No other DRR portals compare

PW is the GO-TO place

BUT: still low awareness of site and services among some key target audiences

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Can you recall instances when content or services of PreventionWeb have contributed to any of the following in your work?

3. Research and findings 22

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Survey: most important services

3. Research and findings 23

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What target audiences (really) want to know:

3. Research and findings

✔How to implement DRR - examples and guidance

✔Risk data

✔DRR in simple language

✔Translation to local languages

✔Contacts

✔Understanding international and regional processes

✔DRR policy and legislation

✔Cost benefit analysis

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Survey: Top tasks for governments:

3. Research and findings

Understand lessons learned from major disasters

Training in disaster risk reduction

Include DRR in sustainable development planning

Find jobs in DRR

Share lessons learned

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Bottom 25% of tasks selected is revealing:

3. Findings of interviews & surveys

Examples

Incorporate DRR in private sector business strategies

Monitor local DRR progress

Issue: Low priority on specific tasks suggest we are not reaching the audiences

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Survey: Recommendations for improvement of the PreventionWeb site:

3. Research and findings

Simplify the visual layout of the homepage

Improve language options (especially in search)

Combine all email profile options in a single email

Communicate and promote services better

More online discussions and networking opportunities

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3. Research and findings

Improve site navigation for specific user types

Access to personal profiles and expert lists

Add online training and webinars

More timely listings of training and events – more lead time

Validation of content quality by experts and community

Many replies said PreventionWeb is fine as is

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Survey: if PreventionWeb stopped tomorrow, what would still be needed?

713 responses - including many cries of incredulity at the question!

3. Research and findings

Everything

News and announcements

Event calendar

Jobs

Publications and documents

Country profiles

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3. Research and findings

Data and Risk profiles

Policy and legislation

Training

Contacts

Education materials

Email alerts

Nothing – 12 people out of 713

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Recap: research confirms the evaluation

3. Research and findings

PreventionWeb is a trusted source of information

Core services - collections of documents and data are in high demand

PreventionWeb is considered a service for professionals but there is a need to expand the audience

Need to improve service to orient users - navigation for specific user types

Need to improve – lighten – visual design

Need to improve access to risk data

Need to improve people to people connections

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions

4. Design directions

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Theory of change:

3. Research and findings

PW Phase 1: aggregating information to give shape - mapping and making sense of the DRR domain

PW Phase 2: orientation and guidance on how to do DRR - to accelerate action

PW Phase 3: Monitoring and analysis of DRR (but still need parts 1 and 2)

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Foresight report:

4. Design directions

Resistance, Persistence and Transformation

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Design principles:

4. Design directions

• Retain the sense of ownership & engagement of the DRR community

• UNISDR as the lead focal point in the UN system should be clearly seen as the project sponsor

• Site needs to help orient and attract, not intimidate newcomers to the DRR domain

• Improve searchability and discoverability of DRR content

• Should be seen as a useful and practical tool

• Must be relevant to both HQ and regions

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• Must be attractive to sponsors and donors

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions - Branding

1) Branding

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Feedback

4. Design directions - Branding

• Staff and management of UNISDR feel that UNISDR is not getting enough exposure or credit for the PW site

• Staff feel that it should be kept separate but clearly linked as a UNISDR brand

• Some survey respondents did not know PreventionWeb was a project of UNISDR…

• Sentiment analysis in survey indicates that a majority (60%) has no strong opposition to this association – some (10%) strongly opposed

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4. Design directions - Branding 35

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4. Design directions - Branding

A tough cognitive journey…

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Directions

4. Design directions - Branding

Clarify position of PreventionWeb as a UNISDR brand - ensure this is part of a visual redesign

Simplify the brand offering of UNISDR- improve coherence and connection between brands

Reconsider brand name to reflect chosen strategic direction

Issue: All UNISDR staff should own and identify with all UNISDR brands

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions - Orientation

2) Orientation

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Findings

4. Design directions - Orientation

Users want information packaged into manageable summaries with links to more detail

There is a high demand for basic guidance, and fact sheets

Users want information in simple language = knowledge translation

Issue: organisation of information by themes, hazards and countries does not facilitate the work of a mayor or private sector actor

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Directions

4. Design directions - Orientation

Develop specific guides to information and contacts for different user types e.g. ‘Mayors’ needs…’ ‘Private sector needs…’

Develop editorial packages: DRR in social media, guide to DRR networks, understanding risk data, top 10 most popular, etc.

Better guides to DRR processes, better issue oriented calendars

Need to promote services to stakeholders that are not currently engaged

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions - Data

3) Data

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Findings

4. Design directions - Data

Huge demand for risk data: GAR data should not be locked up

Data is needed for investment arguments and cost-benefit analysis

High bounce rate on data that is not visually attractive

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Directions

4. Design directions - Data

Expose GAR disaster and risk data in all appropriate contexts and formats

Leverage and expose academic and private sector alliances

Need for better visualisation and visually compelling landing pages

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions – Social interaction

4) Social interaction

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Feedback:

4. Design directions – Social interaction

Users and partners want increased participation and networking

Active knowledge brokering is a person to person – trust based - activity

Trust is placed in expert and community reviews of content

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Directions

4. Design directions – Social interaction

Allow users to build profiles and contact each other through the site services

Put real people in important touch points – call to get help if needed

Add social help solutions – people answer each other

Invite expert reviewers of content

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4. Design directions – Social interaction

Hold online events to generate community and trust

Integrate social media feeds wherever possible

Improve support to DRR communities of practice

Integrate a satisfaction survey as a regular ongoing activity

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

4. Design directions – Local level data

5) Local level data and information

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Feedback

4. Design directions – Local level data

Information and data has mostly been modeled at country level, need to incorporate city level

This target audience is largely outside our current reach

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Directions

4. Design directions – Local level data

Anticipate increasing demand for local level information and data

Further study of local information needs is required

Intuitively, this could be a major value add

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

5. Resourcing

5. Implications of changes on resourcing

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Main recommendation:

5. Resourcing

• Add more value through active knowledge brokering

• KB means more analysis and different skills

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How much to build - how much to maintain

5. Resourcing

• Current site value: $ 5 million (IPSAS)

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Redesign

5. Resourcing

• Design work (with a design agency) and programming estimate – USD xxx

• Comparison: ReliefWeb spent over USD xxx to redesign

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Maintenance = Staffing

5. Resourcing

Value added services require domain knowledge and specific skills

– KB implies intelligence, strategic packaging of information

– Need editors or contractors to produce guides and editorial packages

– Need TIME for partner dialogue, facilitation of relationships and QC

– Need ongoing visual and graphic design resources

– Estimate a minimum of two full time editors

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Maintenance = Staffing (2)

5. Resourcing

Core services will always be labour intensive

– Outsourcing data entry in Bhutan

– Discussing co-branding and maintenance with partners

– Transferring responsibility for jobs and org profiles to partners

– Improving relevance to UNISDR regional office- increased participation

– Estimate a minimum for two full time editors - plus 3 offshore

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Implications of design changes on resourcing

5. Resourcing

• Current model – maintenance – $ xxx per year

• Redesign – $ xxx (every 4 years)

• Maintenance of new design – $ xxx per year

• Is it worth x% ?

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Foresight report:

5. Resourcing

Resistance, Persistence and Transformation

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Transformative approach: changing the game

5. Resourcing

• How much can we leverage the work of the UNISDR to populate the system and directly reflect our coordination role?

• Eg GAR data out put in a format that is directly accessible on appropriate pages - not post processing

• Elina’s take on Post 2015 is a blog post supported by an online guide

Our strategy becomes our digital strategy

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Future of technology

5. Resourcing

• More automation of aggregation = artificial intelligence

• More effective use of Big Data

• Easier and deeper social integration

• Splinternet: multiplication of devices and channels

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Evaluation of PreventionWebEvaluation of PreventionWeb

Conclusions

Conclusions

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“PreventionWeb” HAS a niche

Conclusion

• Source of orientation, guidance and reliable information on the practical implementation of DRR

• Helps audiences understand and plan actions, as well as monitor progress

• Facilitates exposure to communities and helps monitor and benchmark their work against good practice.

Provides the digital support to the UNISDR value proposition

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Our goal:

develop a flagship product that is the

online manifestation of the value derived from

our coordination function

Conclusion 57

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ThanksIMU - translating strategy into effective and usable tools

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Questions to the SLG• Comments on findings or design directions?

• Ideas for fund raising?

• What business model: Sponsorship, secondments, academic partnerships – transformed UNISDR?

• How can we better promote our services?

• How to improve relevance for UNISDR regional offices?

• Should PreventionWeb develop a more formal governance model?

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