On 11.23.20, Emily M., Emily W., Shawna, and Samara met to discuss concerns around VSA/VSP preparedness around research. Primarily, we agreed that there is room for improvement in how we are making sure members of both VSA and VSP are ready to conduct high quality research.
- To figure out the following:
- How to evaluate designers' research abilities on the contract.
- How to ensure people are ready to independently run research.
- To create documentation that clearly outlines:
- How to evaluate people.
- How to "train" people or ensure preparedness based on people's skill levels.
- What people need to know about conducting research at the VA regardless of skill level (eg. how we handle recordings, PII, etc.).
Evaluation
- How do we evaluate contractors' research abilities when they join the team?
- What does it means to be ready to independently conduct research?
Training
- How do we ensure people are prepared to run research (eg. observe sessions, training, etc)?
Team roles
- How do we ensure each team has the research capabilities they need (eg. do some people do more research than others?)?
- Should some people more dedicated researchers and some people be more dedicated designers?
General
- What do people need to know about conducting research at the VA regardless of skill level?
- How do we implement evaluation/guidelines without being too heavy-handed or creating unnecessary process/bureaucracy?