HEAL Initiative®

Summary

• Challenge: Shortly after launch, the NIH HEAL Initiative website needed validation that it was effectively supporting the needs of its primary audiences—researchers, policy specialists, and advocacy organizations. NIH also sought to identify usability issues within the funding database and evaluate proposed features designed to increase engagement with research findings and funding information.

• Role: Lead User Researcher responsible for research planning, participant recruitment, moderation, analysis, synthesis, stakeholder presentations, and development of recommendations.

• Methods: Conducted two phases of qualitative usability research with researchers, policy specialists, and advocacy organizations using task-based usability testing, think-aloud protocols, and semi-structured interviews. Evaluated the funding database and tested concepts for an interactive project map and research impact stories.

• Outcome: Research informed a redesign of the funding database and the creation of a Research Spotlights content series. All recommended database usability enhancements were implemented, resulting in a 238% increase in database exports, while Research Spotlights became one of the site's most visited and shared content types.

Role and Activities

As the primary researcher on this project, I:

• Developed the user research plan, moderator’s guides, and managed participant outreach;

• Conducted usability testing and user interviews in two phases (in person and remote) with three participant groups;

• Analyzed data, identified insights, developed recommendations and presented to stakeholders.

Additional team members included another researcher who also conducted in-person testing and two notetakers.

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Background

The National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an effort to accelerate research to improve treatments for opioid misuse and addiction and enhance pain management. The HEAL Initiative® coordinates funding opportunities from across the National Institutes of Health and fosters data sharing among researchers, health care providers, community leaders, and policymakers.

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Shortly after the website launched, I was charged with conducting user research to assess the usability of the site’s funding database and to assess the importance of presumed top tasks among three main user audiences (researchers, advocacy groups and policy specialists).

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Research Questions

• What pain points do users experience with the funding database?

• Do participants’ interests and top tasks align with our assumptions? Would enhancements to the funding database and stories highlighting research impact support those top tasks?

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Presumed Top Tasks
Researchers

• Explore funded projects and opportunities (using database)

• review research programs 

• Find news/updates on research and grantees 

Advocacy Groups

• Learn about active research and funding

• Get updates on research progress and news

Policy Specialists

• Find state or regional funding information

• Find summaries, examples of research impact and talking points

  Find news/updates on research and grantees 

• Find program resources and guidance

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Methods

We used a hybrid qualitative usability testing format, including both interview questions and task-based testing. This hybrid format allowed for qualitative attitudinal feedback from users as well as testing the usability of specific website features.

 

In Phase One, we conducted in-person testing with nine participants representing the Researcher group at the HEAL Investigators Meeting. Participants were asked to complete tasks in the funding database.

 

During Phase Two, which was conducted remotely, policy and advocacy participants were asked to complete tasks in the funding database. All participants were asked open-ended interview questions and were asked to think aloud while performing tasks to solicit feedback about website usage, interests, opportunities, and pain points.

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Why this Approach?

Because NIH needed both usability feedback and insight into audience priorities, I combined task-based usability testing with semi-structured interviews. This approach allowed us to identify usability issues while also validating assumptions about audience goals and content needs.

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Analysis Process

Because NIH needed both usability feedback and insight into audience priorities, I combined task-based usability testing with semi-structured interviews. This approach allowed us to identify usability issues while also validating assumptions about audience goals and content needs.