Developing User Personas to Aid in the Design of a User-Centered Natural Product-Drug Interaction Information Resource for Researchers.
Richard D. Boyce, Isabelle Ragueneau‐Majlessi, Jingjing Yu, Jessica Tay-Sontheimer, Chris Kinsella, Eric Chou, Mathias Brochhausen, John Judkins, Brandon T. Gufford, Bruce E. Pinkleton, Rebecca E. Cooney, Mary F. Paine, Jeannine S. McCune · PubMed · 2018
Pharmacokinetic interactions between natural products and conventional drugs can adversely impact patient outcomes. These complex interactions present unique challenges that require clear communication to researchers. We are creating a public information portal to facilitate researchers' access to credible evidence about these interactions. As part of a user-centered design process, three types of intended researchers were surveyed: drug-drug interaction scientists, clinical pharmacists, and drug compendium editors. Of the 23 invited researchers, 17 completed the survey. The researchers suggested a number of specific requirements for a natural product-drug interaction information resource, including specific information about a given interaction, the potential to cause adverse effects, and the clinical importance. Results were used to develop user personas that provided the development team with a concise and memorable way to represent information needs of the three main researcher types and a common basis for communicating the design's rationale.