Surveys operators actually finish: UK Department for Transport
The Challenge
The Statistics Travel and Safety (STS) division of the Department for Transport (DfT) faced significant challenges in collecting and analysing personal travel data. The existing paper-based survey distribution process was error-prone, labour-intensive, and prone to delays due to mistakes. Manual data entry into spreadsheets further hindered efficiency. Outdated technology limited flexibility for modifications and additions to surveys. To address these issues, a solution was needed that would not only provide flexibility but also prioritise data security.
The Solution
We built the department a survey service rather than selling it a product. The foundation is open source and it runs in UK hosting, so the data stays in the country and the department is not dependent on a supplier holding either the code or the responses.
Robust Data Security and Compliance
A survey that asks every operator every question gets abandoned. Sections appear and disappear as answers come in, so a respondent sees only what applies to their operations — one survey serving very different stakeholders without making any of them wade through the rest.
Flexible and Agile Development
The validation these returns require is strict enough that few people finish in one sitting. Answers are saved even when they do not yet validate, so a respondent can leave, come back, and correct their figures before submitting — which is the difference between a return abandoned and a return completed.
Enhanced User Experience and Customisation
Questions and whole pages are hidden or shown based on earlier answers, so the journey adapts to the respondent instead of asking everyone everything. A scripting layer handles the calculations these returns need, and fields are pre-filled from what is already known, so respondents re-enter less.
Scalable Performance and Cost Savings
The service scales with the survey cycle rather than being sized for its peak, so the department is not paying for idle hardware between rounds.
The Outcome
The major outcomes include accessibility compliance, secure, Cost-Effective Data Collection and Analysis. The STS division of the DfT now effectively conducts complex e-surveys for data collection and analysis. The intuitive nature of the platform empowers non-technical staff to modify and create new surveys, reducing reliance on specialised resources. The secure cloud environment ensures the safety and integrity of collected data, providing peace of mind for the DfT and maintaining compliance with stringent government security standards.
Overall, the solution not only enhances data security but also enables cost savings and scalable performance, optimising resource utilisation while effectively serving the public interest.
What this involved
Sections appear and disappear as answers come in, so each operator sees only the questions that apply to them — one survey serving very different stakeholders
Answers are saved even when they do not yet validate, so a respondent can leave a long return and come back to correct figures before submitting
Strict validation on the returns themselves, because the data goes to ministers as evidence on how public transport is used and run
Built on open source and hosted in the UK, so responses stay in the country and the department depends on no supplier to hold them
Replaced a paper distribution process with manual spreadsheet entry