Communicate the role of MICHR in catalyzing research and advancing the study of TS?

Discovery

Contextual Inquiry

In my role as Lead Designer for the website redesign project, I initiated preliminary interviews and engaged in discussions to gauge the overall sentiment among end users regarding the current website. These initial conversations provided valuable insights that informed the development of targeted interview questions.

Heuristic Evaluation based on 10 Usability Heuristics Principles by Nielsen Norman.

It was found that messaging was not clear for users, too many ways to navigate through the website that made it confusing, system was not matching the mental model of the user.

Gap Analysis

We analysed other websites in the consortium to identify the gaps in our website. This was to understand how other groups are presenting information and get some potential design inspiration.

Empathy Interviews

We conducted 20 interviews, 3 leadership, 12 program users, and 5 external users. Our recruitment process included tapping into existing programs within the organization and leveraging internal channels to recruit participants. in-depth participant interviews were conducted through 60-minute Zoom video calls.

These questions were designed to delve into various aspects of user experience, including website usability, navigation, educational content, visual enhancements, and overall user perception.

Empathy Maps

We used to synthesize the information. The empathy maps conveyed that all three user pools had different goals. Users wanted to find what they were looking for quickly, programs wanted visibility, leadership focused on effectively communicating the transition from CTR to TS.

Thematic Analysis

We conducted thematic analysis and came up with codes to categorize information. Additionally, we analysed each data point to recognize patterns and themes in the data we received. It was found that users needed to be educated about the transition from CTR to TS.

Analysis

Users need easy navigation, content clarity and easy access to information.

Educate users about the transition from CTR to CTS

Demonstrate the impact in the community as well as disseminate best practices to other institutions

User Personas + User Journeys

User personas were divided into primary and secondary personas. Primary personas consisted of ‘New users’ and ‘Regular users’, whereas secondary personas consisted of ‘ PI/Mentors’ and ‘MICHR programs’. Persona needs were easy navigation, content clarity, easy access to information.

Users will need to be educated about the transition from CTR to CTS.

All 3 user pools have different expectations from the website.

Information architecture refocused from a program-based approach to an offerings and resources-based framework. This highlights offerings related to roadblocks in the translational research pipeline, helping users find relevant content by categorizing information meaningfully within these key areas

User testing was conducted with 17 participants, including primary investigators, MICHR staff, community members, and patient partners. The results revealed that certain terms were confusing and required clarification. Compatibility across screen sizes needed improvement, and accessibility features needed enhancement. Additionally, the testing highlighted the diverse needs and goals of different audience groups, emphasizing the need for more tailored accommodations.