Clinical Data Warehouse Query and Learning Tool Using a Human-Centered Participatory Design Process

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Health Informatics
• Data Science

Background:

• Researchers need efficient tools to access and analyze diverse data types, including structured, unstructured, genomic, and image data.
• Existing data warehouses often present challenges in data accessibility and usability for a broad range of research stakeholders.
• The integration of a learning knowledge base can enhance the utility of data querying tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce BMI Investigator (BMII), an interactive web-based tool designed for querying complex research data.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of a human-centered participatory design process in developing a usable and learnable research interface.
• To highlight the benefits of involving diverse research stakeholders in the tool development lifecycle.

Main Methods:

• Development of an interactive, web-based tool named BMI Investigator (BMII).
• Integration of a learning knowledge base for enhanced data querying capabilities.
• Implementation of an iterative human-centered participatory design process.
• Collaboration between clinicians, students, programmers, and informatics experts.

Main Results:

• BMI Investigator (BMII) provides researchers with a unified platform to query structured, unstructured, genomic, and image data.
• The human-centered design approach resulted in an efficient, usable, and learnable web interface.
• The iterative process ensured the tool met the needs of a diverse group of research stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• BMI Investigator (BMII) offers a valuable solution for researchers seeking to query complex, multi-modal data.
• Human-centered participatory design is crucial for developing effective and user-friendly biomedical informatics tools.
• The collaborative development model fosters innovation and ensures the practical utility of research data tools.