ONS Digital

Working at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), our role is to provide data and insights on what matters most as we journey through life. 

We know lots of people are interested in understanding when the big milestones of adulthood happen, and it is a topic that feels like much more than just data. People often wonder if they are keeping pace with their peers or discuss how things are changing for younger generations, but it can be difficult to see the whole picture with such a wealth of information and data sources available. 

In 2019, our population statistics team brought together a range of data sources to explore markers of adulthood in the UK, and the first milestones article was formed.  

Five years on, we have updated our work with Milestones: Journeying through modern life article. We’ve made better use of graphics and data visualisations to help ensure the content is approachable for all kinds of users, not just data experts. 

Showcasing our findings 

It was important for us to update how we present the information in our milestones articles, so they are not just designed for people with a deep interest in statistics or demography. 

The milestones timeline spans from age 23 years, all the way to age 61 years. Each milestone is illustrated with an eye-catching banner image, with featured charts, and explanations written in plain language without any technical jargon. 

The visual cues aim to separate this style of article from some of the more formal bulletins on our website, appealing to users who might be intimidated by more detailed content. 

By making the information clear and engaging, we have been able to provide the public with a timeline of our journey through adulthood and how it is changing in the 2020s. 

How the project came together 

In the Digital Content team, we are always focused on making things more accessible, and after the first milestones article worked well, we knew there would be lots of interest in an updated article. Using new, rich data sources like Census 2021, we saw this as an opportunity to collaborate across teams and create something engaging and unique. 

It is always enjoyable to collaborate on a new style of article like this, and working on different formats is one of the most fun parts of what we do. We have developed many formats to help engagement, such as: graphics and narrative led content, voice-led storytelling using lots of quotes, or building our own interactive tools to explore data. 

We wanted to include supporting imagery for this piece, as it always works well with publications where there is a story to tell. We had previously used illustrations with great success in our Student voices: experiences of the rising cost of living article. 

We worked with the statistical team and began developing ideas for something more visual, with lots of original illustrations. Working with the graphic design team, we created illustrations for each milestone, figuring out the main messages we wanted to portray. 

Lots of ideas were shared to get the illustrations just right, and everyone was excited for the article to go live. We worked through some last-minute tweaks to our illustrations to ensure they were picture perfect for release day. 

What’s next?

We have big ambitions to keep developing our content to make it more approachable and engaging. Our graphic design team are currently working on a library of illustrations developed around the major themes and topics of our publications. 

Having more supporting imagery is a major goal for elevating our content, so pieces like the milestones article become less bespoke and more commonplace. The milestones article may have been one of the first of its kind, but now it is a template for future publications. 

We are also using our visual brand and style to build consistency in user journeys and increase trust. If someone clicks a link we have shared with an image on social media, they can expect to see the same styling and imagery on our website, so they know they are in the right place. You can read more about our visual brand and style on the ONS service manual. 

Widening what we publish so it is more than just numbers is so important. We do not just provide data to subject matter experts, but also to the public so they can better understand the society they are living in.