Research Portal

I collaborated with a team of technical experts, architects, and healthcare professionals to develop an online repository of digital tools to support healthcare research. Our goal was to solve two main challenges: the time-consuming process of finding suitable tools for research, and the difficulty of verifying the usefulness and trustworthiness of those tools, especially when working with sensitive patient data.

For researchers, my priority was to create a comprehensive search and filtering experience that was simple to use. Details about a tool's maturity and security was critical, so I created a system of trust scores and maturity rankings, and added a peer review process for researchers to share and vet published tools. I designed a streamlined authoring process for tool publishers, and created analytics tools for them to get feedback on the usage of their tools within the research community. Lastly, I worked with the HDR team to ensure that administrators could maintain a level of quality for tools, moderate user-generated content and ensure a trustworthy research environment.

As the project neared completion, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to pivot our focus from a tool repository to a research hub. I designed a new platform which allowed researchers to curate information from various sources, including medical journals, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and news media. This information was then compiled into a personalised dashboard of up-to-date knowledge based on the researcher's interests and trusted sources. View the prototype.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this project was facilitating co-design workshops with healthcare professionals. Through these workshops, I gained valuable insights into their needs and challenges, and allowed me to challenge some of their conceptions and shape a platform that could make a significant difference in their research process.