Recognizing need: the analysis of qualitative data to inform Web site design

In some domains, user-centered design practitioners have little or no direct access to the users themselves. This project faced just such a challenge. Our goal was to develop a Web site to help engineering faculty respond effectively to teaching-related concerns, without having direct contact with this user group. In order to develop a relevant and useful Web site, we worked with a subject matter expert (SME) to obtain information about individual members of the target user group. This paper describes a four-stage approach to data collection and analysis, which is yielding design principles specific to the needs of the niche audience.