Web performance at the ONS

ONS.GOV.UK WHY PERFORMANCE MATTERS AT MATT JUKES   HEAD OF
PRODUCT @JUKESIE

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE
DID 4. QUESTIONS

@jukesie THE UK'S LARGEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCER OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS.

@jukesie APPROXIMATELY 500,000 VISITORS TO THE WEBSITE PER MONTH.

@jukesie 20% OF TRAFFIC COMES FROM MOBILE DEVICES.

@jukesie 65% OF TRAFFIC (AND RISING) COMES VIA GOOGLE.

@jukesie LIST OF MOST POPULAR BABY NAMES IS OUR MOST
VIEWED RELEASE.

@jukesie TERMS RELATED TO INFLATION MAKE UP EIGHT OF OUR
TOP TEN SEARCH TERMS.

@jukesie “..it [the ONS website] is a national embarrassment.” @timharford

DID 4. QUESTIONS

@jukesie TL;DL

@jukesie BECAUSE I SAID SO :)

@jukesie ALWAYS PUT OUR USERS FIRST We always start with
our users. We ask, observe, analyse and act based on their needs. We don’t make assumptions. We don’t listen to the loudest voices. We are not swayed by internal politics. We have empathy for our users. We are their voice internally.

@jukesie WE BELIEVED PERFORMANCE WOULD IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE.

@jukesie AUTOMATED TOOLS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY. WE NEEDED
TO SPEAK TO (AND OBSERVE) OUR USERS.

@jukesie BROWSERS WERE OFTEN ‘HARDENED’ OR IN ‘COMPATIBILITY’ MODE SO
DID NOT PERFORM AS EXPECTED.

@jukesie LOCAL NETWORKS WERE MUCH SLOWER THAN WE EXPECTED AT
MANY LOCATIONS.

@jukesie THE ONS WEBSITE WAS ONE STOP IN A LONGER
WORKFLOW FOR MANY USERS..

@jukesie ..IF IT WAS SLOW IT SLOWED DOWN THEIR ENTIRE
DAY.

@jukesie PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SOMETHING THEY COMPAINED ABOUT BUT IMPROVING
IT IMPROVED THEIR EXPERIENCE.

DID 4. QUESTIONS

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS.

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS. CHARTS,  DATA VISUALISATIONS.

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS. CHARTS, TABLES,   DATA VISUALISATIONS. STOCK PHOTOS.

@jukesie MINIMISED RELIANCE ON THIRD PARTY TOOLS (JUST GOOGLE ANALYTICS)

@jukesie FOCUSED ON THE   ‘PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE’ AS WELL AS
REALITY.

@jukesie DESIGNERS/ TYPOGRAPHERS TURN AWAY NOW…

@jukesie THE SITE LOADS NO WEB FONTS - IT USES
THE BROWSERS DEFAULT SANS-SERIF

@jukesie THIS WAS A MISTAKE BUT THE PERFORMANCE IMPROVED AND
(WHISPER IT) NOBODY NOTICED*.

@jukesie TECHNICAL ‘STUFF’.

DID 4. QUESTIONS

@jukesie THANKS.

Web performance at the ONS

Web performance at the ONS

Matt Jukes

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ONS.GOV.UK WHY PERFORMANCE MATTERS AT MATT JUKES   HEAD OF

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE

@jukesie THE UK'S LARGEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCER OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS.

@jukesie APPROXIMATELY 500,000 VISITORS TO THE WEBSITE PER MONTH.

@jukesie 20% OF TRAFFIC COMES FROM MOBILE DEVICES.

@jukesie 65% OF TRAFFIC (AND RISING) COMES VIA GOOGLE.

@jukesie LIST OF MOST POPULAR BABY NAMES IS OUR MOST

@jukesie TERMS RELATED TO INFLATION MAKE UP EIGHT OF OUR

@jukesie “..it [the ONS website] is a national embarrassment.” @timharford

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE

@jukesie TL;DL

@jukesie BECAUSE I SAID SO :)

@jukesie ALWAYS PUT OUR USERS FIRST We always start with

@jukesie WE BELIEVED PERFORMANCE WOULD IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE.

@jukesie AUTOMATED TOOLS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY. WE NEEDED

@jukesie BROWSERS WERE OFTEN ‘HARDENED’ OR IN ‘COMPATIBILITY’ MODE SO

@jukesie LOCAL NETWORKS WERE MUCH SLOWER THAN WE EXPECTED AT

@jukesie THE ONS WEBSITE WAS ONE STOP IN A LONGER

@jukesie ..IF IT WAS SLOW IT SLOWED DOWN THEIR ENTIRE

@jukesie PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SOMETHING THEY COMPAINED ABOUT BUT IMPROVING

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS.

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS. CHARTS,  DATA VISUALISATIONS.

@jukesie NO DECORATIONS. CHARTS, TABLES,   DATA VISUALISATIONS. STOCK PHOTOS.

@jukesie MINIMISED RELIANCE ON THIRD PARTY TOOLS (JUST GOOGLE ANALYTICS)

@jukesie FOCUSED ON THE   ‘PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE’ AS WELL AS

@jukesie DESIGNERS/ TYPOGRAPHERS TURN AWAY NOW…

@jukesie THE SITE LOADS NO WEB FONTS - IT USES

@jukesie THIS WAS A MISTAKE BUT THE PERFORMANCE IMPROVED AND

@jukesie TECHNICAL ‘STUFF’.

@jukesie 1. BACKGROUND 2. WHY WE CARED 3. WHAT WE

@jukesie THANKS.