The Sheep Genetics Search Tool is a responsive website designed for livestock farmers to view Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs); the central language used to estimate the genetic merit of sheep. The website leverages a database of 6.5 million animals, allowing users to make informed, data-led decisions regarding the genetic direction of their flocks. A user-centered approach was adopted to define the tool’s user experience. Traveling across Australia, workshops, interviews and on-farm visits were conducted with breeders, producers, and livestock consultants. The objective of the user research was to understand the context in which industry members used ASBV data to make on-farm decisions. Feedback from industry members informed design concepts that were tested with industry members and Sheep Genetics staff. The concepts were refined over several iterations before the feature set and visual identity were prepared for the tool’s initial MVP release. Delivered as an agile program, the website was launched in August 2020. The tool provides Australia’s sheep industry with a professional, intuitive tool that helps users feel more confident in understanding the benefits of ASBVs. The tool will be a valuable addition to livestock farmers and help maximize the growth and development of the Australian sheep industry which is worth $5 billion annually. The following key metrics have been tracked since the launch to measure success and return on investment of the tool in its ultimate goal of increasing the rate of genetic gain in the Australian red meat industry. Percentages have been calculated based on a snapshot of data taken from last year vs this year:
- Acquisition o Increased Adoption of the tool
- Uplift – +43% o Increase usage of the tool
- Avg. daily users – +12%
- Avg. session duration (mins) +33%
- Increase upload & views of sales catalogs
- Avg. Page Views – +86%
- Improve speed of website use
- Avg. Page Load Time (sec) – +49%
- Avg. Server Response Time (sec) – +90%
- Uplift – +43% o Increase usage of the tool
