Assessing Usability in a Data Analysis Platform
Evaluating the usability and architectural complexity of an RWE data analysis platform using UX methodologies.
Picture above: Extract from Aetion's website. [Image].
Overview
Aetion is a healthcare analytics company that delivers real-world evidence software for biopharma companies, payers and regulators of medical treatments and technologies. Aetion's suite of real-world data analytics applications analyzes data from the real world to produce transparent, rapid, and scientifically validated answers on safety, effectiveness, and value.
In this project, I collaborated with Aetion’s product team to explore user interactions with one of Aetion’s flagship data anylitics platform, widely recognized for its impact and extensive use.
My role
UX Research collaborator
Company
Aetion
Duration
Aug-Sept 2024
Research Challenge
As part of enhancing the user experience, the challenge required us to gain a deeper understanding of the platform’s architectural complexity, user flow, and overall usability. The first step involved analyzing the experiences of internal users to identify key interactions and pain points, before broadening the scope to external users for a more comprehensive view of how different user groups engage with Aetion’s data analytics platform
Goals
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Collect in-depth insights from users to better understand their experiences and interactions with the platform
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Examine the complexity and usability of the platform's architecture
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Analyze pain points in the platform workflow
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Encourage open-ended feedback through flexible research methods
Approach
By employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews and surveys, we aimed to gain deeper insights into how different user types—superusers, casual users, and off-platform users —navigate its architecture.
Through in-depth interviews, we uncovered key pain points, user personas, and workflow challenges, providing valuable feedback on the overall user experience, from study protocol to results.
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Compare internal and external user experiences (Planned)
Research Process
Research Plan
For this project, our research plan outlined the purpose and objectives of the study, clearly defining our goals.
We specified the product areas and features we aimed to focus on, ensuring alignment with user needs.
Additionally, we identified and recruited diverse user profiles to participate in both interviews and surveys, enhancing the representativeness of our findings.
Lastly, we developed a comprehensive interview script to guide discussions and elicit detailed feedback from participants.
User Interviews
7
Interviewed users*
10
Prompt Questions
*Including senior, mid-senior and junior scientist
Questions scope
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Overall Workflow How do users navigate and complete tasks within the platform?
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Time-Consuming Tasks Which tasks or processes take the most time and why?
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Resource Accessibility How easily can users find and access necessary resources on the platform
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Cohort/Measurement Building vs. Reuse What are the challenges in building cohorts and measurements from scratch versus reusing existing ones?
User Survey
28
Survey participants
30
Survey questions
Questions scope
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Feature Ranking How do users prioritize and value different platform features?
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Study Implementation How effectively can users implement studies on the platform?
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Resource Discovery and Reuse How easily can users find and repurpose resources within the platform
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Pain Points and Gaps What specific challenges or gaps do users encounter while using the platform?
Outcome & Next steps
After completing the user interviews and gathering survey data, we compiled the findings into a comprehensive presentation that highlighted key insights about user interactions with the platform.
The outcomes provided a clear view of internal users' workflow, pain points, and areas for improvement.
As a next step, we planned to extend the research to external users to further understand how different user groups engage with the platform.
