Spontaneous user research

D. Keith Robinson has posted a blog entry on the spontaneous user research he has conducted on the policy and procedure information published for a hospital. To quote: “One of the largest and most diverse user groups for these policies and procedures are the nurses. It was arranged for me to head over to the hospital, in the company of one of the nurse coordinators, and meet some of the nurses face to face. I went from ward to ward, notebook in hand, and was able to sit down with the nurses for a few minutes, watch them interact with the site and gather feedback on what they found frustrating or useful. Turns out they often start off searching, rather than browsing. As well they often have different titles for the procedures than do the administrative people who organize and publish them. I quickly found that the nurses, the people who are expected to learn and use this site, don�t really use it much at all. Having also conducted an intranet project in a hospital, it is certainly very interesting to explore the needs of nursing staff, and the great challenges confronting them in their efforts to keep up to date with key information…” [Asterisk*]