Situation:

Cloud Chamber undertook a combination of quantitative and qualitative research to better understand the digital experiences of older residents within a care setting.

The aim of Picture This was to support older people who were isolated and lonely due to Covid.  The project aimed to improve social connection through the provision of tablet devices and regular support groups.  Picture This sessions included conversations about culture, the arts and current affairs.

An online survey had been sent to residents to understand their opinions before (baseline) and after (endline) a digital skills training course.

The baseline survey covered topics including mobile device ownership, confidence of usage, frequency of communication, enjoyment, safety awareness and sharing content.  The endline survey covered the same topics as well as asking about experiences of device training and session involvement.

Tasks:

To analyse the quantitative survey data and report back on findings.  So, the results could be combined with the outputs of the qualitative research.  To tell a story of opinions of experiences at both baseline and endline as well as analysis of key trends.

Actions:

The first stage was to get the data in the right format for analysis in Tableau – data visualisation software.   Tableau Prep software was employed to create a visual workflow to clean, join and re-shape the data into a Tableau data source.  This saved considerable time for analysis and visualisation.

The number and percentage of respondents to each question response was calculated. Trends in opinion were analysed between the survey windows.  Cohort analysis was undertaken to see how opinions differed between different care settings.

Initial chart designs were shared with Cloud Chamber.  To gain early input into whether the visuals would provide the right insights for storytelling.  A chart template evolved iteratively through collaboration. Clear and insightful charts were built out for each question in each survey.

Our evaluation found that Picture This was successful in building social connections, especially supporting people in sheltered housing to get to know their neighbours better.

Each chart told a story through use of colour and text. A deck of Power Point slides presented the quantitative results, which could be combined with the qualitative research findings.  This told the overall picture of how residents felt about their usage and experience of digital devices and apps.  Both before and after the digital training had taken place.

The results were presented back to the end client so they could better understand the impact of the training sessions upon resident confidence and behaviours.

Results:

Preparing and analysing the quantitative survey data saved Cloud Chamber considerable time.

The quantitative analysis reinforced the qualitative research findings.  Combining the two sets of results together created a clear and concise story. Covering snapshots of resident behaviours, perceptions and experiences of digital devices and apps. Trend analysis showed how those opinions had changed between before and after digital training had taken place.

To evaluate and shape course content in terms of resident confidence, enjoyment and usage patterns.