Improving the Environmental Registry of Ontario

How we consulted

In addition to the comments we received through this notice, we also collected feedback through:

• an online survey
• hands-on sessions to test the user experience (in-person and remotely)

The user experience testing included hands-on sessions with internal and public users with varying degrees of experience using the old Environmental Registry.

We received very constructive and helpful feedback through all avenues of consultation.

Specific comments can be grouped into four general categories:

• site aesthetics – such as the font choices and sizes and how search results are displayed
• general usability and features – while mostly positive, key suggestions included adding email notifications for keywords and notice updates, being able to attach supporting documents to comments, adding a “next” button to the comment page and fixing a bug with the “follow a notice” feature
• search functions – many people reported that searching the beta site is a significantly better experience than searching the old registry; key suggestions included being able to use more than one filter at a time (e.g. searching for only policy proposals posted by a certain ministry) or more than one option within a filter (e.g. limiting a search to two ministries) and improving tools to search within a particular timeframe
• understanding what’s on the beta site – some users were confused about what is on the beta Environmental Registry of Ontario versus the old site and why we are running two sites simultaneously

Read the comments submitted through the registry or view a summary of the survey results.

Survey trends

For the most part, we heard that the new registry looks much better and is easier to use than the old site.

Feedback that was more critical tended to be from people who had more experience with the old registry. This is often a challenge when introducing significant changes to experienced users who are used to doing things a certain way. The transition is difficult.

We value feedback from all users and will continue to work closely with them to improve the site.

What we changed

We’ve been fine-tuning the site regularly since it was launched to address your feedback.

So far, we:

• fixed bugs so the “follow a notice” function works properly
• added email notifications for when:
  • you submit a comment
  • your comment is moderated
  • we post a decision or update on a notice you follow
• introduced a weekly digest email to let you know about new or changes to notices related to the keywords you follow
• improved several search features to allow you to find a notice faster through the keyword search and use multiple filters to search results
• tweaked the desktop and mobile design to make the site even more accessible
• added content to clarify what’s on the beta site and to explain the beta process and why we’re running two registries at the same time

What’s next

We’re continuing to address your feedback, including:

• adding a “next” button when viewing comment and adding search bars to several pages
• fixing and reintroducing the pop-up calendar to select a date range for searching
• researching and working on a solution for you to be able to attach files to comments

In the coming months, we also plan to:

• add notices for instruments (e.g. permits, approvals and orders)
• add a map, where you’ll be able to find notices about environmental initiatives in your community
• migrate the notices from the old site and decommission it

Your feedback

The beta site is a work in progress and we still want to hear your feedback.

You can still take this short survey to let us know your thoughts or send us your comments directly.