About the Poll
On June 15, 2023, a poll was distributed to members of the JMP User Platform to receive feedback on the JMP User Community. The purpose of this poll was to receive feedback from visitors of the site on reasons for creating or not creating a profile, motives for visiting the site, methods of searching for content, homepage preferences, and page layout preferences. This article will discuss the results of the survey and data from the poll can be found in JMP Live.
Number of invitations sent: 3,121
Number of surveys received: 147 responses
Response Rate: 4.71%
Completion Rate: 92.52%
Insight into Member Profiles
While the content of this poll was not specifically directed towards visitors with or without a Community profile, it was asked whether the responder had a community profile and their motives for creating or not creating a profile. Of the respondents, 67% reported having a Community profile while 15% reported not having a profile and 18% reporting being unsure. Of those who reported having registered for the Community, among the top provided motives for registering include to post a question (25%), to join a Users Group (16%), and to add an item to the Wishlist (14%). Among the reasons for choosing not to register for a Community profile, no particular reason (32%), satisfied with my experience as an anonymous visitor of the site (23%), and not intending to contribute content (16%) were the most selected among responders.
Motives for Visiting the Community
As the frequency of visiting the Community is variable among responders, it is valuable to understand why visitors are motivated to go to the site. The majority of respondents reported visiting the Community either every few months (33%), a few times a month (31%), and a few times a year or less (30%) while only 5.7% visited a few times a week. The top three motives for visiting the Community were to search for an answer to a question (27%), access educational resources to learn how to use JMP (21%), and view or sign up for events (12%). If the respondents had not found what they were looking for in the Community, 39% would most likely contact tech support and 39% would visit another site while only 12% would ask a colleague.
Content and Search Behavior
Finding content in the Community is crucial so it is important to understand how visitors search for content across the site. Respondents reported typing directly into the search bar within the Community (42%) as the most likely method of searching for content. The next highest reported method (36%) was initially using a search engine such as Google to access Community pages.
Related to accessing content is the method of organizing content. Respondents most reported the analytic capabilities (33%) as a valuable method of organizing Community content followed by the type of content (24%), such as videos or text-base documents, and experience level (20%).
Feedback on the content displayed on the homepage was also sought to inform future design decisions. Respondents most reported educational content or resources for learning JMP (30%) as content they would be interested in viewing on the home page followed by upcoming events (22%) and tech support information (17%). Of the provided options, member spotlights (2.4%) were among the least desired types of content to include on the home page.
Page Layout Preferences
The optimal layout for a webpage is often debated in regard to spacing: some prefer a compact layout where there is less white space and more text per page, while others prefer a more relaxed layout where there is more white space and less text per page. When asked about their preferences, 38% of respondents were indifferent, 37% preferred a relaxed layout, and 25% preferred a compact layout. Those who preferred either a compact or relaxed layout were asked why they preferred their chosen layout. Among the provided options, more aesthetically pleasing and easier to view information had some of the most distinct disparities between the groups. Of those who selected that their preferred layout made the webpage more aesthetically pleasing, 82% preferred a relaxed layout while 16% preferred a compact layout. Of those who selected that their preferred layout made it easier to view information, 63% preferred a relaxed layout while 37% preferred a compact layout.
Takeaways
Based on the responses from this survey, the following takeaways were developed:
- Highlighting educational content should be a primary focus as many people who visit the Community are seeking resources for learning how to use JMP
- Using the analytic capabilities to label content would likely be well received by users
- Future designs for spaces in the Community, particularly the homepage, can be informed by visitor preferences for content and spacing
