CHSRF Web Strategy Development
Situation
The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CSHRF) is an
independent, non-profit organization that funds management and policy
research in health services and nursing. The Foundation also supports
the synthesis, dissemination, and use of health services research
results by decision makers and policy analysts.
Recognizing the importance of the Internet to future organizational
growth, CHSRF wanted to examine opportunities to use this channel,
including its main web site, to better facilitate information exchange
between researchers and decision makers, thereby furthering the
organization's mandate of promoting linkages for decision making
and knowledge transfer.
The Foundation wanted to ensure that any initiative to be undertaken
was guided by a sound strategic plan that is consistent with organizational
objectives and based on end-user needs and current or emerging Internet
best practices related to information dissemination and the formation
of online communities related to research. To this end, they commissioned
Phase 5 to provide them with research, consulting and strategy services.
Our Approach
Our approach to providing CHSRF with Web strategy development services
consisted of three main stages:
- 30 executive interviews with external CHSRF
stakeholders across 5 main audience segments to understand the
context in which they interact with the Foundation and use their
information and resources, and to examine opportunities to better
address stakeholder needs through the online medium;
- Best practice research to profile web sites
of similar organizations, scope out best practices for relevant
Internet initiatives (across the Web, not just among similar organizations),
and outline the relevance / applicability of these best practices
to any future CHSFR endeavour; and,
- A strategic planning session with CHSRF senior
management to present results of the first two stages and determine
the specific objectives to be addressed by the Web strategy, the
priority audiences to be considered and the corresponding Web-based
initiatives to be undertaken. As part of this session, demonstrations
of the latest technology related to advanced search capabilities,
user-initiated page customization and site content management
were presented.
Results
Our recommendations, based on the user feedback, organizational
requirements and our extensive experience in the development of
online initiatives, focused on revamping the CHSRF web site information
architecture to make the site more user-centered, (e.g. offering
the ability to search the site by audience, topic or task directly
from the home page.), enhancing the site with specific additional
value-added content and a suite of tools aimed at supporting and
improving decision-making, and actively promoting the "decision-making"
areas on the site where relevant tools will be accessible to all.
At the conclusion of the research we prepared, on behalf of the
Foundation, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for web development services
related to implementing the decided-upon initiatives.
The Phase 5 Difference
We do more than simply provide you with research findings; we take
the extra step of identifying the strategies that will take you
forward.
Phase 5 has also conducted development and usability research for
other organizations such as Health Canada, Sick Kids Hospital and
more than 20 federal and provincial government departments and agencies.
This experience goes back more than a decade, making us recognized
leaders in research and usability testing for online initiatives.
For more information
To learn more about how we might help you with your e-Health initiative,
see our eHealth services
or contact:
Doug Church
(613) 241-7555 ext. 101.
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