ONS website "rubbish" says National Statistician
In her first public utterance since her appointment, National Statistician Jil Matheson (pictured) has said that she thinks the ONS website is "rubbish" - adding hastily that that "might be a bit strong".
Most people would agree, but it was nice to hear it from her. So when will it get better, we were left wondering? Easier access to data would make it easier for journalists and all others to get the right end of the stick.
Simon Dickson (not verified) wrote,
Wed, 02/12/2009 - 11:37
She's absolutely right, of course. It's a subject I'm intimately acquainted with, having worked doggedly for two years to try and improve it. And in my dealings with Jil prior to her elevation, I felt she was one of the few who understood what we were trying to achieve. So I'm relatively optimistic; certainly more optimistic than I would have been under her predecessor.
But I would be very interested to get some context on these remarks. When and in what forum did she say them?
Nigel Hawkes (not verified) wrote,
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 12:08
Simon - it was said, as an offhand remark, at a meeting at the RSS on 2 November, I am told. I wasn't there but somebody reported it to me. Her talk was entitled The Future of National/Official Statistics. The opinion is pretty widely shared.
Nick (not verified) wrote,
Mon, 14/12/2009 - 18:20
Agreed. It's awful. Try downloading inflation data for a start.
Peter Grimes (not verified) wrote,
Sat, 02/01/2010 - 22:45
I don't know about downloading data, just finding it is a complete nightmare, with circuitous and misleading references. I'm sure it isn't done deliberately though!
Raf (not verified) wrote,
Thu, 24/03/2011 - 18:33
I've used most OECD websites (some in languages I didn't know - using google translate) and the ONS web site is certainly one of the worst statistics sites in the developed world. Just as soon as you think you've found the data, it's not actually there.
Steve (not verified) wrote,
Sat, 31/12/2011 - 02:46
It is absolutely and unremittingly awful. I gave up after an hour of trying to find data on disposable income.
Absolutely nothing works on the site, the search is broken, the categories are illogical, and worst of all many if not most of the links I clicked on to primary ONS publications were broken. This is coming from a Business librarian at a Russell Group university, it's my job to find information but I've never experienced a site as bad as this one. We have been forced to stop demonstrating it to our economics students because it is in such a poor state.
And what do others think of it I wondered? Here is the opinion of Smarta, a small business advice website:
"The ONS' website is a labyrinthine nightmare, the kind of site user experience consultants dream about after they've eaten too much cheese."
Reinstate the old website, at least with the old "Virtual bookshelf" you could access the publications.
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