Research Assistant - research methods tool for hospital researchers

While we we've been waiting for UPMC to align our research interests with projects that are currently underway, we've been given a 1-week assignment to make journals more accessible as research tools to hospitals researchers.

Justin & I developed Research Assistant, a software service that not only enables researchers to develop their own journals, but also takes them through the entire research process, from inquiry all the way to delivery.

We learned a lot from the Research Toolbox (pdf) developed by Daedalus Excel and Thoughtform, and used their 2x2 model to inform how Research Assistant determines appropriate research methods for different tasks.


The coolest part about Research Assistant is its accessibility. We established 5 very clear steps in the research process, and RA walks the researcher through each step, step by step. In a hospital environment where no one has any time to spare for mistakes, RA would enable researchers to sit down and develop an effective, appropriate research tool in very little time, and then come back and evaluate and deliver the research findings in a clear and straightforward manner.


To read more about Research Assistant and to see more of the awesome screens that Justin developed, please view our final presentation (pdf).