New Offline App – coming soon

Posted on 16th April 2024 by Emily Lamont

When you’re out and about in the community it’s not always easy or possible to connect to the internet. This can make it challenging for those using the Live Completion feature to complete a Star on-screen using the Star Online. We know from feedback that Live Completion is a great way to help practitioners avoid data entry duplication, cut down on paperwork and reduce printing.

That’s why we’re excited to let you know that we’re working on a brand-new Offline App – which allows practitioners to complete Stars collaboratively on screen with the people they support, without needing an internet connection. The new app will be even more user-friendly and accessible, supporting practitioners to have more helpful and collaborative conversations with the people they support.

We’ve been developing the Offline App with Usertopia and QES, drawing on their expertise in research driven user experience and software development. We plan to launch the Offline App later this year.

What will the Offline App look like?

This new functionality will give organisations the option of ‘Enabling Offline Mode’. Once enabled, practitioners linked to the account will be able to download the Offline App to their device and save engagements for use offline.

Using the Offline App, practitioners will be able to start a ‘Collaborative Completion’ session where they can complete the Star, create Action Plans and view and compare previous Stars with the people that they support.

The new screens will also be used to replace the current ‘Live Completion’ function, allowing the Star to be completed using the Star Online in a more accessible and user-friendly way.

A few thoughts from our research and designer partner, Usertopia:

We would like to thank everyone who took part in our research sessions and workshops over the past 12 months. It has been a delightful experience acquainting ourselves with Triangle’s expert team and engaging with a number of practitioners to learn how they are currently using the Live Completion feature of the Outcomes Star to help change lives.

We’ve woven the invaluable insights garnered from our research into the fabric of every design decision we’ve made. This has included getting under the skin of how practitioners engage with the people they support, understanding current limitations and difficulties with the current Outcomes Star, and outlining sensitive use cases with various ethical considerations leading to refinements such as one-tap screen locking.

Our latest updates enhance collaboration, interactivity and engagement, aiming to guide best practice, make the Star easier to use, and ensure safer, more productive sessions for service users. We truly believe these updates will unlock new potential for the Outcomes Star and lay a foundation for continuous improvement long into the future.

– Usertopia

We are really excited about this development and plan to launch it later this year.

First Look: Register to Try the New Offline App!

If you already use Star Online and would like to get a first look and the chance to feed back on the Offline App before launch, please register your interest below.

If you have any requests, or any questions about the Offline App or the Star Online, please contact us on info@triangleconsulting.co.uk.

Making integration work for organisations using Outcomes Stars™

Posted on 12th December 202319th December 2023 by Donna

With our Integration Pilot well underway, we’ve got some news about its future as well as some reflections on what we’ve learnt so far.

Extending Integration Pilot for Outcomes Star Online to December 2024

To ensure we can fully trial the API endpoints and put our design decisions to the test in as many different scenarios as possible, we are extending our Integration Pilot through 2024.

This will mean organisations using the Outcomes Star Online can access and use our Partner API free of charge through 2024, to integrate with any other primary software they use.

A recap on our Partner API for Outcomes Star Online

Outcomes Star Online’s Partner API went live in April 2023, and since then we’ve had conversations with around 50 different organisations about how it can work for their practitioners, other stakeholders and of course, the people they support.

The design of our Partner API is based on these desired outcomes:

Any and all primary software that can use APIs can use our API.
Outcomes Stars are completed on our platform using our visual and engaging interface aligned with best Star practice.
Data-entry and login duplication is reduced as much as possible to make life easier for practitioners.
We support a single point of truth and easy access to key Outcomes Star data within the primary software.

We plan to continue to develop and expand our Partner API – in this initial stage, we have 3 key features available, plus Single Sign On for both Microsoft and Google (NB SSO will be launched separately for all Outcomes Star organisations in January 2024 – watch this space!):

Summary of progress so far

With many early-stage conversations underway, we have made some exciting progress including:

A sandbox build with a person-centred care planning software provider and a dynamic Northern Ireland-based charity
A sandbox build with a team of developers making a custom solution for an innovative education charity
Analysis and planning projects with a number of leading UK national charities, mostly working with their own custom software or Microsoft Dynamics platforms

We are hoping to onboard more organisations into the sandbox and link up to the Live environment in early 2024.

What’s next for Outcomes Star Online integration

Interoperability is a completely new area for our organisation, and we’re still learning about its challenges and opportunities!

For example, there are lots of questions we are still asking ourselves and looking to learn more about:

Can we develop and maintain ‘middleware’ solutions that remove the burden of custom code on the primary software/client organisation side – for example, for ‘enterprise’ platforms like Salesforce and Dynamics, and for the bigger sector-specialist platforms that provide their own APIs?
For UK NHS settings, should we be focusing on direct integration with individual pieces of software used in a region, or should we be focusing on Shared Care Record integration?
Our current endpoints don’t include an individuals Star data in ‘raw data’ format (it is available in a user-friendly PDF or in aggregated data formats.) How can we provide this in a way that adds value and is usable by different primary software?

If you are working on your own interoperability opportunities and challenges, or if you have any insight or information you could share about the above, please do get in touch.

Continually evolving Outcomes Star Online

Posted on 3rd July 202312th December 2023 by Outcomes Star

When we launched the new and improved Outcomes Star Online platform in 2020, we were aware that what we were launching was a Minimum Viable Product.

We knew it was only the start of where we could use digital technology to help people get the most out of the Outcomes Star.

Following a year of migrating over 1000 organisations from the old platform to the new, we’ve been constantly moving forward with the platform, working closely with our technology partners QES, including:

Filling in gaps that we weren’t able to get to in the initial development (eg action plan PDF downloads)
Introducing features to support better management of data (eg configurable practitioner permissions and restricted access to records, and depersonalisation of dormant records)
Ensuring a strong foundation of compliance for information governance, cyber security and clinical safety (eg new IG statements for UK and Australia, and bringing in a Clinical Safety Officer to set up our Clinical Risk Management System).

We’ve also been working on 2 big projects – integration, and an overhaul of the ‘Live Completion’ feature. Here’s an update on those projects and some of the things we’ve learnt along the way.

Integration

We are clear that the role of Outcomes Star Online is not to be a fully customisable, comprehensive case management system or electronic patient record system. Although for some organisations it may be their central record system, our focus is purely on the Outcomes Star and supporting best practice use across our client organisations.

We have also learnt the hard way that although on the surface it seems simple to allow organisations to build their own digital versions of Stars, and in some cases works well, often it is very difficult to achieve a user experience that matches up to best practice and supports the values underpinning the Star.

Therefore, we knew when launching the new platform that we absolutely had to offer integration with other systems – but at the time, we didn’t really know how to do that. We didn’t know what kind of integration people wanted, or what technology the other systems needed to be ‘talked to’, or where to draw the lines around what should happen within Outcomes Star Online and what we should support in other systems. With over 1000 organisations using all sorts of software and managing that software in different ways, we had to decide where to start – with something that delivered a lot for one setting, or something that delivered something basic but for as many different circumstances as possible.

Following a period of research, design and development, we were delighted to launch our Partner API and our Integration Pilot in April 2023, delivering a ‘Phase 1’ of universally useful endpoints designed to reduce duplication of data entry for practitioners and support a ‘single point of truth’ in primary systems.

We’re in the early stages of working with around 10 different organisations in the Integration Pilot so far and looking forward to having some case studies to share soon. To find out more information about that have a look at our Integration page here.

“Live Completion” overhaul

Alongside the more technical side of the API development, we also knew we wanted to continue to improve the user experience around completing Stars.

For the last year we’ve been doing some exciting user research and design with Usertopia to look at the ‘Live Star Completion’ feature the pages designed to be shared with someone being supported to complete a Star collaboratively without paper. Here you can see an image of one of our potential alternative designs in action.

With a focus on accessibility, as well as on supporting best Star practice, we’ve uncovered some useful learnings, including:

Lack of wifi when out and about prevents people from using the feature, so an offline solution would be valuable
The lack of imagery and the volume of text on the screen all in one go makes it harder to digest
Rather than just completing a Star, people would like to be able to complete action plans collaboratively and look back over completed Stars to show the visual of change over time

We’re just starting to move from design into development, working closely with Usertopia and QES and planning to collaborate with our research community of Outcomes Star Online practitioners to test out our plans as we go. If you’re interested in finding out more or helping us with this important development, sign up here.

Onwards and upwards

As well as the big projects above we’re committed to continually improving the user experience and technology of Outcomes Star Online. If you have any feedback or requests, or any questions or issues with the platform, please contact us on support@staronline.org.uk.

New dates: Introductory Star Online sessions for managers and practitioners

Posted on 8th November 202128th January 2022 by Donna

Session 1: A practitioners guide to the Star Online

Wednesday 16th March 2022 at 14:00
Register in advance on Zoom here.
Tuesday 19th April 2022 at 11:00
Register in advance on Zoom here.

Session 2: Introduction to Star Online Reporting Dashboards.

Wednesday 9th March 2022 at 14:00
Register in advance on Zoom here.
Monday 25th April 2022 at 12:00
Register in advance on Zoom here

Suitable for managers, or other staff interested in learning how to create charts, using the dashboard to support data-driven reports.

The session will cover key functions, filters and how to create charts to support reports, funding bids. Participants will learn how to illustrate progress made by service users and and evidence how the Stars are being used across the service.

Need to know more?

More client sessions: Introduction to Star Online reporting and basic features for practitioners

Posted on 3rd September 20212nd September 2021 by Donna

Want to know how to create charts, and data driven reports to support funding and measure your impact? Or are you new to the Star Online system and would you like to have a quick run through of the system?

What will the sessions cover?

The reporting session is a quick demonstration of the reporting dashboard and capabilitiees of the Star Online – the session will also give participants a quick introduction on key functions, filters and how to create charts to support reports, funding bids, and clearly illustrate progress made by service users and also how the Stars are being used across the service.

The Practitioners Guide session is an introductory orientation session for all new Star Online users and is a more indepth demonstration of the system, key features and best practice.

Who is it for?

The reporting session is designed to support managers and other staff who use the Star Online. The practitioners session is suitable for all practitioners, managers or other staff who will need to use the Star Online system, or those who are already using it but would like a refresher.

When is it?

Practitioners guide

Tuesday 21st September 2021 @ 10:00, register in advance here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7016305812914/WN_CvWwVy1bSZ2MIWO6unV9YA

Wednesday 3rd November 2021 @ 14:00, register in advance here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3316305814954/WN_Hu4mVflBTqap8-yDLmEOIw

Reporting on the Star Online demo

Tuesday 14th September 2021 @ 10:00. Register in advance here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6516293703058/WN_HJ_MGmVbRZa0QkghHWLdeg

Monday 25th October 2021 @ 14:00. Register in advance here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5616305814118/WN_whe5AoHOQfShPackKuKBoQ

Need to know more?

The Star Online reporting dashboard: an introduction

Posted on 19th August 20212nd September 2021 by Donna

Want to know how to create charts, and data driven reports to support funding and measure your impact?

What will it cover?

This short session is an introduction to the main reports dashboards available on the Star Online. It will cover key functions including filters, engagements and how to create instant and engaging report charts to support funding bids, reports and clearly illustrate progress made by service users and also how the Stars are being used across the service.

Who is it for?

This short session is designed to support managers and other staff who use the Star Online.

When is it?

This session will be held online, via Zoom, on September 14, 2021 10:00am (London)

How do I book my place?

If you are a client, manager or interested in knowing more, book your place via Zoom here.

Need to know more?

*****

Please note: this session is not a substitute for official training and will only be relevant to those who are using the Star Online.

New demonstration dates for all clients in August

Posted on 8th July 20218th July 2021 by Donna

Triangle will be hosting two Zoom-based free foundation sessions for all clients wanting an introduction or refresher into the Star Online System.

These sessions are suitable for all clients, practitioners and managers who use the Star Online system.

Topic: How to Use Reporting Dashboards on Star Online

When: Aug 10, 2021 10:00 AM London
Register in advance for this webinar on zoom here.

This session is suitable for all clients but especially relevant for any managers or staff responsible for creating documents or reports using Outcomes Star information and data. The reporting introduction will cover three report dashboards used in implementation, snapshot and distance travelled reporting. It will also introduce participants to using the filters and thinking about engagements, using them to create instant and engaging charts that can be downloaded to add to any report or funding bid. The session will also highlight what reports can tell you about how Stars are being used in a service and the progress made by service users.

Topic: How to use Star Online (Practitioners Guide)

When: Aug 17, 2021 11:00 AM London
Register in advance for this webinar via Zoom here.

This session will give Star Online users a foundation understanding of the essential and primary tasks that practitioners frequently complete, and will aslo cover essential basics such as how to create a service user, how to add Stars and Action Plans, the Help center and how to navigate it. Also covered is where practitioners can find and download the key Outcomes Star resources that they need to support their work. The session will also cover general orientation, important features and how to set up engagements and manage notifications.

Please note: these sessions are not a substitute for official training and will only be relevant to those who are using the Star Online.

*****

If you have any questions about remote training, new Stars, or would like any information on the new Star Online, or anything else, please contact us on info@triangleconsulting.co.uk or +44 (0) 207 272 8765.

Free Star Online orientation session for clients this July

Posted on 16th June 2021 by Donna

In July Triangle is hosting a free orientation introduction session for all clients, practitioners and managers who use the Star Online system.

This session will be held online, and cover all the primary tasks practitioners do: including how to create a service user, how to add Stars and Action Plans, the Help center and how to navigate it and where practitioners can find and download the key Outcomes Star resources that they need to support their work. The session will also cover general orientation, important features and how to set up engagements and manage notifications.

Please note: this session is not a substitute for official training and will only be relevant to those who are using the Star Online.

The session will be held online via zoom on July 6, 2021 at 10:00am (GMT+1: London). To book your place please register today. Limited spaces are available.

*****

For more information on the sessions, how to book, or what clients need to do, please take a look at our previous posts, or find the links through the Star Online. Please note: We have limited spaces available, and we expect them to fill up quickly!

If you would like to be included in a mailing list for future webinars, demo’s or sessions, please sign up for our mailing list, and if you have suggestions or would like to request specific content and sessions on the Outcomes Star and the Star Online please email webinars@triangleconsulting.co.uk

LT resource update

Posted on 31st March 2021 by Donna

During 2020 we launched a new online system, and all training resources were moved over to that new site in November 2020. The ‘training library’ that some Licensed Trainers may remember has now gone and everything can be found in one place on the Star Online.

All Licensed Trainers should have been sent a new log-in and password to enable them to access the site even if their organisation doesn’t use the Star Online for recording service user Stars.

There is also a second site, the ‘training site’ which all Licensed Trainers can access. The single function of the training site is to enable new practitioners and colleagues to understand how the system works. Trainers can access this site and, if their organisation uses the Star Online system for completing and recording service user Stars, then they will find it a really helpful option.

What’s new?

There are some new resources in the main site and a useful discrete space for Licensed Trainers in the help section. By accessing the training site, all Licensed Trainers can set up self-directed learning opportunities for their colleagues to practice using the system or trainers can just use it to deliver demonstrations of how it works.

So how do Licensed Trainers access other versions of the Star?

This has been a question that has been asked by many Licensed Trainers, so here is the answer…

Licensed Trainers are only able to access training resources for Stars that are linked to their account (these will have been set up by the account lead for each organisation). If a decision is made to use a new Star version within an organisation or service, then the request for additional Star versions to be added to the account will need to be made by the manager of the service to the account lead. This request will need to be made before the training takes place or trainers will not be able to access training resources or other resources such as User Guides and Star Charts.

*****

Licensed Trainers are part of a community of trainers. For more information on the benefits and uses of becoming a Licensed Trainer or what the process entails, please contact laura@triangleconsulting.co.uk

Demo dates for April-June 2021

Posted on 30th March 20215th May 2021 by Donna

A series of free introductory sessions for clients and trainers/trainees introducing them to the Star Online System are planned for April, May and June.

Each webinar will consist of a short video presentation, which will be followed by a question and answer season and it is designed to support clients by sharing knowledge, ideas and information. Please note: these sessions are not a substitute for official training.

A Practitioners Guide to the Star Online

This session is only relevant to practitioners who use the SOL and is not a substitute for training. The session covers an orientation of the new Star Online and during the session we will introduce practitioners to the new Star Online features, such as setting up engagements and managing notifications. It will also explore many of the main tasks practitioners need to complete, including:

Creating a service user
Adding Stars and Action Plans
Navigating the Help Centre and
Locating the Star resources you need

Click on the links below to book your place.

Dates available:

How to use the Reports dashboard on Star Online

Hosted by two Star experts, this workshop is ideal for Managers and anyone responsible for producing reports on Outcomes Star data. This session will cover:

The three new report dashboards for implementation, snapshot and distance-travelled reporting
How to use the filters
How to think about engagements to create instant and engaging charts that can be downloaded to add to any report or funding bid.

We will also discuss what the reports can tell you about how Stars are being used in a service and the progress made by service users.

Click on the links below to book your place.

Dates available:

These webinars are not a substitute for core training.

*****

What will the Offline App look like?

First Look: Register to Try the New Offline App!​

With our Integration Pilot well underway, we’ve got some news about its future as well as some reflections on what we’ve learnt so far.

Extending Integration Pilot for Outcomes Star Online to December 2024

A recap on our Partner API for Outcomes Star Online

Summary of progress so far

What’s next for Outcomes Star Online integration

Integration

“Live Completion” overhaul

Onwards and upwards

Session 1: A practitioners guide to the Star Online

Session 2: Introduction to Star Online Reporting Dashboards.

Need to know more?

What will the sessions cover?

Who is it for?

When is it?

Practitioners guide

Reporting on the Star Online demo

Need to know more?

Want to know how to create charts, and data driven reports to support funding and measure your impact?

What will it cover?

Who is it for?

When is it?

How do I book my place?

Need to know more?

Topic: How to Use Reporting Dashboards on Star Online

Topic: How to use Star Online (Practitioners Guide)

During 2020 we launched a new online system, and all training resources were moved over to that new site in November 2020. The ‘training library’ that some Licensed Trainers may remember has now gone and everything can be found in one place on the Star Online.

What’s new?

So how do Licensed Trainers access other versions of the Star?

A Practitioners Guide to the Star Online

First Look: Register to Try the New Offline App!