Researchers Suggest UK Crime Maps May Undermine Govt Goals
The research, done by Cimex, explored how well UK crime maps are serving the public identified obstacles to government goals. The findings suggest “the current crop of crime maps is in fact leaving us more bewildered and confused than before.” (I’ve got an e-mail in asking who funded the study. More on that when I get an answer.)
The problems found:
- Information overload and sites with too many details
- Color coded maps or graphs that did not match
- Overcomplicated navigation & highly inconsistent wording
- Lack of interactivity in maps (whether for area selection or crime rates)
- Insufficient filters for users to narrow down the information
- Unclear time periods or missing points of reference
- Lack of comparison options that put the data into a meaningful context
Suggestions for improvement:
- Maps need to be informative and should be colour coded in a meaningful way.
- Maps and data should be connected to allow users to verify data and build trust.
- Users like to compare and require points of reference such as national averages, neighbouring areas or previous time periods.
- Interactivity enhances the user experience and should help users filter the information according to their preferences.
