Evolution of the HTAi vortal: a user centered approach

Abstract

Background: The HTAi vortal was established in 2005 by the HTAi Interest Sub-Group on Information Resources (IRG). This Web directory lists selected online resources aimed at supporting the HTA doers’ day to day work; resources are categorized by topics and briefly described; HTAi members can rate the resources and suggest new links through an online form. A customized search engine is also provided. It limits the Web search to the websites listed by the vortal.

Objective: To evaluate the overall use and satisfaction of the vortal and to get suggestions for further enhancements.

Methods: A questionnaire aimed at users and non users of the vortal has been developed using an online facility. The questionnaire was first tested by the IRG members in December 2010 and their feedback helped to create an amended version aimed at all HTA doers and others interested in this field. Completion requires less than 10 minutes; results can be exported to a dedicated software for further analysis. Questions explore the content and functionalities of the vortal. Participants are also asked to rate proposals for new functionalities and suggest new ones. The survey was conducted in February 2011. The invitation to participate in this survey has been disseminated through the HTAi Newsletter. INAHTA and EUnetHTA were also requested to disseminate the invitation to their respective members.

Findings and Conclusion: Results of the online survey will be presented and the preliminary plans for further development of the vortal will be outlined. Based on the survey results, the HTAi vortal editorial group will design a new version of the vortal. Volunteers are invited to participate to the maintenance of (sub) sections of the vortal. The new, user centric, vortal will be released in 2012 and users’ satisfaction will be evaluated after one year.