Turning Site voices into action
“It’s incredibly frustrating […] we want technology that actually improves their job”. This was shared in a recent Site Listening Session, but it’s a sentiment I’m sure many can relate to. When tools that are intended to support and accelerate are delivered without their users in mind, it’s a recipe for failure. For sites, every redundant training, missed integration opportunity, and feature that doesn’t quite work as it should, ticks away at the time that could be better spent with patients.
As AI becomes ubiquitous and companies rush to launch, it further adds to the risk of the technology becoming “the point” rather than the solution. In this environment, it’s more essential than ever to center around the human voice to deliver true value.
At Medidata, we continuously seek out and embrace opportunities to hear from our site users (present, past, & future) to inform strategy, inspire innovation, and improve our offerings. In this article, I’ll share how this is realized through our iterative process of deep listening, co-creation, and continuous refinement, which ultimately brings the site voice into everything we do.
We listen, with a focus on diversity of thought
True innovation, not just disruption, requires deep listening to ensure we’re focusing on the right things and course correcting as we go. One way we do this is with our Site Insights Program, which brings diverse perspectives to the table to drive meaningful change. We recently wrapped our 3rd Insights Summit, where patient advocates and representatives of over 25 sites from across the globe came together to discuss topics spanning the study lifecycle—from site selection to study closeout. Over the years, sessions like these have had an impact from copy and interaction optimizations to holistic rethinking of our approach. As was the case with our eConsent capabilities, which recently launched with a stronger focus on enabling clinician flexibility.
Beyond this, we find opportunities for immersion into the day-to-day work of site staff by visiting individual sites, attending investigator meetings, and participating in industry events like the SCRS summits. Triangulating insights from these sessions highlights pain points and themes across the study process that can then be shaped into opportunities to ease the burden on both sites and patients.
We partner to define high-value solutions
Once we’ve identified opportunities from our listening sessions, we make space for co-creation and ideation. This is often done through insight studios and workshops with our expert Site Tech Board and industry partners like SCRS and DTRA—imagine the smell of Sharpie markers and walls of sticky notes. Rather than assuming we know best, we bring our panel of site advocates into the process. Our Site Tech Board helps ask the hard questions and ensures we’re accounting for the realities of the work, not just optimal situations, which may seem more like wishful thinking.
For particularly sticky and nuanced problems, we’ve also piloted embedding subject matter experts directly into our project teams, where they’re part of the full journey from idea to implementation.
We continuously learn, experiment, & refine
Before launching new capabilities, our teams employ a few techniques to validate that we’ve not only solved the right problem but solved it in a delightful, easy-to-use way. Automations are often used to confirm things are technically functioning correctly, but we employ a more human approach when it comes to evaluating the experience itself. This often happens in the form of prototype testing and live demos. These engagements allow users to be more hands-on, allowing us to target usability issues and better account for unexpected situations.
Though we aim to ensure every launch drives the best outcomes, delivering quality, high-value solutions requires a constant balance of site, patient, and sponsor needs, which means we don’t always get it perfect the first time. Our iterative process means that we continue to listen, refine, and try again, confident that this will ultimately lead us to the best solution. To capture this feedback after launch, Medidata engages with our Site User Community and employs in-product surveys, giving everyone a way to make their voice heard.
We stay curious
In a world that’s becoming increasingly automated, Medidata’s iterative process guarantees that our experiences remain human at the core. Our commitment to deep listening and co-creation ensures the experiences we deliver translate directly into real value and reduced burden for sites.
Like many of you, the User Experience Research & Design team at Medidata is regularly recruiting for research participants to ensure we continue hearing from new and diverse voices across the industry. If you’re interested in having your voice heard, please reach out or join our Site User Community.
We’d love to hear from you!
By Rebecca Van Singel, Principal Product Designer, Medidata
