Twelve evidence-based profiles of roles across the Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) workforce and two patient profiles were developed by CTS Personas collaborators in 2019 as part of the CTSA Program National Center for Data to Health (CD2H). Based on feedback received from the community, CTS Personas team members collaborated to produce five additional Personas to broaden representation of the CTS workforce and enhance the existing portfolio. This paper presents the rationale and methodology used in the latest CTS Personas initiative. This work also includes an implementation scenario incorporating multiple Personas. Using the new National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Data Management and Sharing Policy as an example, we demonstrate how administrators, researchers, support staff, and all CTS collaborators can use the Personas to respond to this new policy while considering the needs of service providers and users, CTS employees with short- and long-term needs, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Wearable robotic devices (WRD) are still struggling to fulfill their vast potential. Inadequate daily life usability is one of the main hindrances to increased technology acceptance. Improving usability evaluation practices during the development of WRD could help address these limitations. In this work, we present the design and validation of a novel online platform aiming to fill this gap, the Interactive Usability Toolbox (IUT). This platform consists of a public website that offers an interactive, context-specific search within a database of 154 user research methods and educational information about usability. In a dedicated study, the effect of this platform to support usability evaluation was investigated. Twelve WRD experts were asked to complete the task of defining usability evaluation protocols for two specific use cases. The platform was provided to support one of the use cases. The quality and composition of the proposed protocols were assessed by (i) two blinded reviewers, (ii) the participants themselves, and (iii) the study coordinators. We showed that using the IUT significantly affected the proposed evaluation focus, shifting protocols from mainly effectiveness-oriented to more user-focused studies. The protocol quality, as rated by the external reviewers, remained equivalent to those designed with conventional strategies. A mixed-method usability evaluation of the platform yielded an overall positive image, with detailed suggestions for further improvements. The IUT is expected to positively affect the evaluation and development of WRD through its educational value, the context-specific recommendations supporting ongoing benchmarking endeavors, and highlighting the value of qualitative user research.

In low-income countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—where data is scarce and national statistics offices often under-resourced—aggregated and anonymised mobile operators’ data can provide vital insights for decision-makers to promptly respond to both prevailing and new pandemics, such as COVID-19. Yet, while research on possible applications of mobile big data (MBD) analytics for COVID-19 is growing, there is still little evidence on how such use cases are actually being adopted by governmental authorities and how MBD insights can effectively be turned into informed public health actions in times of crises. This four-part commentary paper aims to bridge such literature gaps, by sharing lessons learnt from the DRC, whereby Congolese public health authorities, through a steep learning curve, have initiated a public–private sector dialogue with local mobile network operators (MNOs) and their ecosystem partners to leverage population mobility insights for COVID-19 policy-making. After having set the scene on the policy relevance of MBD analytics in the context of the DRC in the first section, the paper will then detail four key enablers that contributed, since March 2020, to accelerate Congolese authorities’ uptake of MBD, thus effectively increasing preparedness for future pandemics. Thirdly, we showcase concreate use-cases where “readiness-to-use” has actually translated into actual “usage” and “adoption” for decision-making, while introducing other use cases currently under development. Finally, we explore challenges when harnessing telco big data for decision-making with the ultimate aim to share lessons to replicate the successes and steer the development of MBD for social good in other low-income countries.

User-centered approaches to design can guide teams toward an understanding of users and aid teams in better posing design problems. This paper investigates the role of user-centered design approaches in design process and outcome within the context of design team projects. The value of interaction with users is examined at several stages throughout the design process. The influence of user-centered design on the performance of design teams is also explored. Results suggest that the quantity of interactions with users and time spent interacting with users alone is not linked with better design outcome, but that iterative evaluation of concepts by users may be of particular value to design prototypes. Suggestions are made based on the reflections from the authors after conducting this study.