This work follows on from our design of a report to help users check how candidates drop out of the application process.
We made changes to the report during a round of research.
What we changed
We made changes to the:
- report title
- column headings within the table
Report title
We had been concerned that the title ‘Candidate drop out rates’ could imply that candidates had done something wrong. It also does not clearly say what is in the report.
After a research participant also mentioned concerns about the title, we changed it to ‘Where candidates choose to leave the application process’.
Column headings
During research we changed the table’s column headings to make it clearer that:
- the ‘applications withdrawn’ column includes applications withdrawn at any time
- the ‘accepted offers with conditions not met’ column only includes offers which have ended, not those with conditions pending
We then checked how many applications end because conditions are not met. The number is very small, so for most users that column of the report would show only zeroes.
We decided to remove the ‘accepted offers where conditions were not met’ column. At the same time we made further changes, so that the columns now clearly show when the candidate left the application process.
There are now 2 columns, with the headings:
- applications withdrawn before offer made
- offers declined and applications withdrawn after offer made
Other considerations
We are considering splitting the second column of the report so that we separately show:
- offers declined
- applications withdrawn after an offer was made
We need to do analysis to find out at what stage in the process candidates withdraw their applications.
We want to know whether a significant number withdraw after an offer is made, since they cannot do this within the candidate service. They would need to ask a provider to withdraw on their behalf.
An ‘applications withdrawn after an offer was made’ column will be of little value to users if it almost always shows all zeroes.
Screenshots#
Reports landing page#
Reports landing page when the user belongs to multiple organisations#
Where candidates choose to leave the application process report#
