EDGE Usability Survey 2016

Positive results!

In May, we, the team at EDGE HQ, administered our first ever usability survey. We collected responses from an astounding 251 of our users, who each took the time to complete a wide series of questions relating to the functionality of EDGE. The survey aimed to examine the overall usability of EDGE, the extent to which users understood what EDGE is used for and why it was implemented by their institution, and, most crucially, users’ general satisfaction with EDGE.

The results from the survey were overwhelmingly positive. A staggering 80% of users (whom we quite appropriately labelled “Masters of the Universe”) agreed that they found EDGE intuitive and easy to use, 87% percent agreed that they felt confident using EDGE, and almost 80% were satisfied with the ease and the amount of time that it takes to complete tasks using EDGE. This provided us with reassurance regarding the things that we are doing well, including the specific functions of EDGE that our users find useful in their work.

There is, however, still some room for improvement, and your responses in the survey have helped us to identify what these niggles are and what we need to do about them. As a primary example, results from the survey revealed that almost 30% of respondents did not receive any formal training to use the system. We also received a number of comments regarding specific functions of EDGE that users could not work out or understand, some of which we categorised as training issues. Whilst it is likely that some of the untrained users were new staff members or researchers that were assigned to projects using EDGE, we truly rely on everybody using and understanding the EDGE system well. We aim for each and every one of you to experience the excellent benefits that the system offers, as this will ultimately impact positively on your work.

What are we doing about training?

Based on your responses and feedback, we have recently deployed a number of key changes to training, which we will implement over the course of the next few months. The Knowledge Team at EDGE have commenced work on some exciting new training modules, which we aim to provide online for users who may have missed out on formal training, or for users who would simply like to brush up on their EDGE skills. We also aim to create a batch of short 2-3 minute training "bite" videos. While we already have a number of training videos that you can find under the EDGE support tab, these shorter videos will quickly, yet effectively explain some of the quirky functions that EDGE provides. The training and expertise (“EDGEpertise”) of our users is of fundamental importance to us, and our immediate aim is to make training as effective and accessible as possible. We will keep you updated regarding our progress via this blog.

We wish to offer a huge thank you to those of you who completed the survey – your feedback is invaluable to us. We look forward to administering the survey again next year to pick your brains further regarding the overall usability of EDGE. We have no doubt that our next survey will lead to further excellent ideas regarding how to make the work of our users easier, satisfying, and more efficient (as it has done this year after just one survey). As always, we gratefully appreciate your input.

Meanwhile, if you identify as one of our EDGE Masters, or if you have any tales about how EDGE has made your research quicker and more efficient, we would be very interested in hearing all about them. Please get in contact with the EDGE researcher, Dr. Kenny Brackstone, at K.Brackstone@soton.ac.uk or tweet us at @edgeclinical.

Once again, thank you.

EDGE News

The past month has followed the standard school holidays trend, whereby the volume of calls received by the EDGE team drops which allows us to turn our attentions to the plethora of other tasks that we are working away on in the background.

One of our objectives over the past year has been to try and encourage our users to upgrade their browsers in order to see improved performance speeds on EDGE, especially when running large reports that return a lot of data.  Just a few of the benefits of browser upgrades can be found on the NHS Supply Chain website:

‘Why should you update your browser?

Old browsers are more prone to viruses, spyware, malware and other security issues. Whilst you will be protected by your trust’s firewalls there are other reasons why you should upgrade your Internet browser…

• Old browsers are slow - In comparison to newer browsers, old browsers such as IE 6, 7 and 8 can take longer to display the web page you want to view as browsers are trying to perform several complicated tasks at once.
• Old browsers are more likely to crash - When a web page downloads, your browser is performing several tasks and interpreting new programming information that was not available when the browser was originally launched.  
• You can’t view websites properly with old browsers - As web design and development becomes more sophisticated, you may not be able to view some websites as intended e.g. images may not be displayed, video may not play and content displayed may appear misaligned’

Supporting EDGE across multiple browsers also increases the time it takes for us to develop and test current and new functionality. The more redundant software we have to support, the more development time each feature requires, this in turn has an additional effect on testing each function within each browser. The overall effect being that new functionality is held up by the use of older browsers.

Microsoft’s dominance in the web browsing market really started with Internet explorers inclusion in Windows 95, where it surpassed Netscape Navigator as the most used browser on the web back in 1998. Microsoft has held that position of dominance for almost two decades until April this year when statistics firm Netmarketshare said that Google Chrome had overtaken it with 41.7 per cent of desktop browsing, compared with Internet explorers 41.3 per cent.

A statement released from Microsoft at the end of last year notified Internet explorer users that ‘Starting from 12 January 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates. Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10’

This ties in with the recently released Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-Outs, published by Dame Fiona Caldicott https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-data-security-consent-and-opt-outs within which she highlights under the ‘Leadership Obligation 3: Technology: Ensure Technology is secure and up-to-date’, ‘Data Security Standard 8. No unsupported operating systems, software internet browsers are used within the IT estate’

This guidance is correct, browsers should be updated for security purposes. This is put in no uncertain terms by Ed Bott, an award winning technology writer:

“Any IT professional who is still allowing IE6 to be used in a corporate setting is guilty of malpractice. Think that judgment is too harsh? Ask the security experts at Google, Adobe, and dozens of other large corporations that are cleaning up the mess from a wave of targeted attacks that allowed source code and confidential data to fall into the hands of well-organized intruders. The entry point? According to Microsoft, it’s IE6”

Is this easier said than done though? Well it used to be the case that a number of core applications i.e Spine, and e-RS (formerly choose & book) used to be limited to access from IE 6 and IE 7 browsers, but recently that has changed and the Health & Social Care Information Centre (now NHS Digital) released their new Spine Warranted Environment Specification in 2015 which introduced components for MS Internet Explorer 11, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Therefore compatibility with current technology is improving but there are no doubt other applications still reliant on older technology.

We have been reviewing EDGE users browser access over the past six months and have seen a significant trend in users upgrading their existing legacy browser to more current versions of the software. These can be seen on the graph below. The only exception is IE7, which has increased from 3.1% of EDGE users to 5%. We believe this increase is probably down to new users introduced onto the system rather than users actually downgrading their browser.

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These statistics are positive, identifying a downward trend in use of IE8 and IE9, very little change in IE10 use, but a good increase in use of newer browsers such as IE11, Chrome and Firefox.

The below graph consolidates these statistics into simply ‘old browsers v new browsers’

After initial analysis of browser usage in September 2015, we implemented a formal browser policy for development and test in order to support our customers’ needs and maintain EDGE as a safe and reliable system, and is highlighted in the following points:

·         The new browser policy ceases any support for IE6 due to the lack of users

·         IE7 is now only offered reduced support*

·         IE8, 9, 10, 11 are fully supported however we are aiming to reduce support for IE8 by (date TBC)

·         Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and MS Edge are fully supported.

*reduced support means that functionality will be supported, but any cosmetic issues will not be fixed.

EDGE Team & CIRU Away day

On the 14th July we headed out to Brockenhurst for our away day to the grand and beautiful Rhinefield House Hotel. Using the hotel’s conference facilities our current team of 23 spent the day learning more about each other, developing team skills and building on working relationships. This was beneficial to all as our unit CIRU (Clinical Informatics Research Unit) keeps on expanding with more staff coming on board. 

The day started with presentations from all the team where we each talked about our individual departments and gave knowledge on topics which everyone at CIRU would benefit from. The Knowledge team talked about the Clinical Trials Process which included how R&D and Pharmacy work which of course relates to our customer base. From the development team we learnt about the development journey from when an idea is first initiated right through to when it becomes live on EDGE. We also got to hear from our team of Associate Software Developers who talked about new products they have been working on such as exciting new apps to help with research and patient visits to hospital. Other topics of the day included customer support and communications within the department including our brand and marketing strategy. We also got the chance to hear results from a recent staff and customer survey which gave us the opportunity to discuss as a team. We were also very lucky to have Professor Topher Woelk present to us, who talked about his work and Bioinformatics.

After all of the presentations and after being fed and watered we began the afternoon activities which certainly tested our team work skills. This included team lego building on things related to CIRU and to EDGE, which meant we got to be kids again (it was great). We also took part in a dressing up video challenge which literally got us laughing out loud at the end result!

I would certainly say the day brought us more together as a team as we discovered more about each other and definitely shared some laughs!

Getting Fit at the Desk: Health Implications for Work Practices

With a large percentage of us working full-time, it seems remarkably difficult to envision ourselves fitting in 150 minutes of physical exercise per week as recommended by the Chief Medical Office (CMO). Researchers from Indiana University in the States, however, have recently published promising new findings that attempt to resolve this issue. Soon, after leaving the office at 4.30pm on Friday afternoon after a notoriously busy week, will our guilty consciences be cleaner? Kenny Brackstone at EDGE HQ reports.

First, it is notable that obesity rates in the UK are among the highest in Europe. According to the Health Survey for England (HSE), 61.7% of adults (16 years and over) are classified as overweight or obese. This problem is not exclusive to the UK; the World Health Organisation considers obesity to be a global concern, with 500 million adults over the age of 20 being categorised as obese (World Health Organization, n.d.). Despite the efforts of organisations to enact policies that emphasise healthy work environments, one major problem is that employees tend to be almost entirely desk bound. Many employees are immobile at their workstations 5 days a week, and very few calories are burned off throughout the day (Thompson, Foster, Eide, & Levine, 2008). With this in mind, organizations are beginning to endorse policies that emphasize healthy working environments. One exciting possibility for increasing employee physical activity is the “active workstation.”

Put quite simply, the active workstation allows employees to work at their desk whilst being active - normally either by walking or cycling. The general idea of the active workstation is to increase the amount of physical activity that a person does throughout the day and decrease the amount of sedentary activities while at work. And unlike other exercise interventions put in place by organizations, it does not even require individuals to leave their desks (well, apart from to make coffee or use the toilet, of course).

The studies that have been published so far are generally positive regarding the effects of active workstations and health. For example, employees who were equipped with walking workstations took on average of 2000 more steps per day, equivalent to 100 calories (Thompson, 2008). Further, workers who were equipped with pedalling workstations tended to use these around 60% of working days, pedalling on average about 25 minutes per workday used (Carr, Walaska, & Marcus, 2002). Overall, the research indicates that active workstations increase daily activity, and that employees are more than willing to use them – at least, in the short term.

In a more recent study, researchers from Indiana University set out to learn more about what active workstations do for people psychologically. In the study, 180 students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) seated, (2) standing, (3) cycling, and (4) walking. Participants spent 35 minutes completing computer tasks in their assigned condition. These consisted of web-based search tasks requiring participants to type out written responses. Upon completion of the tasks, participants completed post-study survey measures of mood and attitudes. The researchers expected that the use of active workstations would result in higher levels of psychological arousal (i.e., feelings of activation and reactivity), reduced feelings of boredom, and lower levels of self-reported task stress (and increased satisfaction). They also assessed performance levels of the designated task.

Their results demonstrated general support for the benefits of walking workstations, whereby participants reported higher satisfaction and arousal, and less boredom and task-related stress compared to the passive conditions (i.e., seated and standing). Most importantly, they found that participants in the walking workstation did not make any more errors than those in the passive conditions. Overall, it seemed that the walking workstation did not decrease task performance. Cycling workstations, however, was related to reduced satisfaction and task performance when compared to the other conditions. The researchers suggested that this may have been due to the fact that arms often have trouble remaining independent during leg-cycling movement (e.g., Balter & Zehr, 2007). This may have contributed to the participants’ commonly reported feelings of awkwardness whilst trying to complete the tasks.

The study suggests that the active workstation – particularly walking workstations – holds benefits that go way beyond physical health. Rather, they also have short-term psychological benefits, and task-performance tends to be unaffected. The researchers dictated that walking workstations could be incorporated into organizations as a worker health intervention. However, they suggested that rather than providing a walking station for every employee, a “sharing” program might be a more efficient and cost-effective option, in which several community workstations are available for use and employees take it in turns to complete tasks throughout the day.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a walking workstation located in the corner of my office if it meant that I was able to burn off those four sneaky biscuits that I had with my tea at lunchtime… so I would be keen to find out if active workstations contain long-term benefits. What are your thoughts on active workstations? Send us your thoughts at @EDGEClinical

By Dr. Kenny Brackstone

Sliter, M., & Yuan, Z. Workout at work: Laboratory test of psychological and performance outcomes of active workstations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20, 259-271.

Celebrating Collaboration

Trying to summarise the changes that have occurred during the past 12 months within the Clinical Research Networks with which we work so closely is too big a task for one evenings work and I’d only be scratching the surface which wouldn’t really do it justice. Therefore I’m going to concentrate on an aspect that has almost come as an unintended side effect.

The procurement and implementation of LPMS systems across England has been challenging, time consuming and to some very frustrating. To others the provision of a system to manage their research portfolio on has been a blessing, allowing them to reduce the number of onerous spread sheets that contain silos of information and combine this all into one place.

This implementation of a single system across an entire network geography has created an opportunity for people to come together and discuss the issues they are having with their research management. R&D departments especially are sharing more and more advice and support with each other and through this are helping create new standards and ways of working that will drive forward research management. These communications networks that have formed amongst research staff haven’t been forced, they haven’t been the result of a new policy or countrywide attempt to make people communicate more. They have come as a result of people willing to share their hard work with others, and people willing to pick up the phone and ask how someone else has done it.

There is still a long way to go and we really have only skimmed the surface of what can be achieved via collaborative working like we have seen, but what we have seen so far has been more than anyone expected. Who’d have thought databases could have such a social effect on people!

By Dave Osler (EDGE Knowledge Officer)

EDGE users and the importance of ORCID identification

The launch of ORCID in 2012 has provided unique benefits to both individual researchers and their institutions worldwide. Millions of researchers and clinicians at various institutions around the world currently reap the benefits of having an ORCID ID. Here at EDGE HQ, we have fully embraced ORCID IDs in our line of work, and have recently begun a quest to urge all of our users to obtain one as soon as possible. In this blog post, we highlight what an ORCID ID is, and why it is crucial for our users.

 What is ORCID?

 ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a global, free-to-use registry that provides research staff with unique persistent identifiers (ORCID IDs). Most immediately, ORCID makes a fundamental difference to a researcher’s ability to gain full credit for their work as they track, evaluate, and publish research.

 What does ORCID do?

 With millions of researchers worldwide, it is inevitable that many of these will share the same name. Adding to this confusion, individuals may change their name at some point during their careers (for example, after one gets married), which may result in different variations of the same name. Therefore, it seems obvious that a researcher’s name is simply not enough to identify an author of a paper or a dataset uploaded to a research repository. However, a unique identifier – as provided by an ORCID ID – works to ensure that links can be made accurately and efficiently irrespective of repeated names and name variations. As a result, James Smith from a research facility in Wessex can be uniquely identified as the author of his recent research paper published in Nature.

 ORCID IDs are now embedded in most workflows, such as manuscript submission or grant application processes. As such, it has become a vital part of the metadata associated with research outputs, and ultimately reduces administrative burden for researchers. Universities and research facilities are encouraged to note the take-up of ORCID IDs due to their power to recognise researchers irrespective of who and where they are in the globe.

 How does ORCID ID relate to EDGE?

 As you know, an ORCID ID solves the name ambiguity problem in research and allows researchers to easily and uniquely attach their identity to research objects. In relation to EDGE, objects include experiments and uploaded datasets. As such, we have recently implemented ORCID IDs as part of our identification process, whereby we will now ask our users to provide their unique ORCID ID when consulting with our help team. Due to the volume of EDGE users in the UK (with hundreds of the same names being used across various institutions), we have found that asking users to provide an ORCID ID speeds up the identification process and helps us deliver the assistance that our users need quickly and more efficiently.

Please get your unique ORCID ID code by clicking the link below. It only takes 30 seconds! Then, assign it to your profile on the EDGE database.

http://orcid.org/