Member Article

Sport England improves evaluation of sport projects with new online framework

Sport England has made it easier for national and local sports groups to monitor their activities by creating an evaluation framework in response to a new government sport funding strategy.

The organisation’s strategy “Towards an Active Nation” seeks to increase the number of people who engage in sport and physical activity, not for its own sake but for the wider benefits it can bring, in terms of physical and mental wellbeing and individual, community and economic development. Good quality evaluation is needed to show where the impact on these wider outcomes is greatest.

As part of the project Sport England brought in the expertise of Macclesfield based user experience agency Sigma, to develop a microsite for the evaluation framework. It is designed to ensure all processes are completely accessible and user friendly.

Experts at Sigma helped with the creation of an interactive online guide and digital toolkit to allow for accurate measurement and evaluation of funding outcomes to improve future services.

It was vital that the new web-based framework was easy to use via a desktop or mobile device while meeting the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and remaining compliant with internationally recognised accessibility standards.

Hilary Stephenson, managing director at Sigma, said: “The overall aim of this project was to provide sports groups and organisations with a portal to access guidance on how to use the new evaluation framework in an engaging and interactive way.

“But it was vital that the information was provided in a way that was easily accessible for all users and that it was compliant with all regulations relating to online accessibility. Working closely with Sport England we were able to produce the kind of platform that will make it easier for groups receiving funding to monitor and evaluate investment outcomes.

“To make sure the new website hit the ground running we carried out comprehensive user engagement and worked with Sport England’s key partners and stakeholders to ensure it met the requirements of the project.”

Darcy Hare, head of research & evaluation at Sport England, added: “Ensuring that investment is being used efficiently and effectively is a vital aspect of what we do and this new platform will make the process of tracking and monitoring investment better and more transparent.

“Improving evaluation by providing easier and more accessible guidance is helping us focus funding better. Sigma’s team has done a brilliant job helping us make sure every penny spent is being used in the best possible way.”

For more information about Sigma’s work go to: http://www.wearesigma.com/work/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nicholas Thomson .