Test implementation of user-centered quality evaluation on selected services

This milestone report (MS10) presents the validation of the User-Centred Quality Framework (UCQ-FRAME) within the OPERAS-PLUS project. The framework has been applied to the GoTriple discovery platform, a core service within the OPERAS infrastructure. Developed in accordance with ISO 9241 standards and human-centred design principles, UCQ-FRAME was evaluated using a triangulated approach combining heuristic evaluation (HE), moderated usability testing (MUT) and unmoderated remote usability testing (URUT).

The evaluation process highlighted key strengths of the GoTriple platform, including its multilingual navigation, clear visual design and strong support for exploratory research. It also identified areas for improvement, such as the quality of metadata, the usability of filters and the clarity of domain-specific terminology.

A key contribution of this work lies in the methodological triangulation itself. By integrating expert review, user behaviour and perception-based insights, the approach revealed issues and opportunities that would likely have been missed using a single method. This highlights the value of combining methods in complex, multilingual and interdisciplinary contexts.

Importantly, the findings were structured to support actionable change. They enabled service teams to prioritise improvements based on both user needs and technical feasibility. While UCQ-FRAME was not formally revised, the evaluation informed targeted refinements to the heuristic criteria and prioritisation logic specifically tailored to the needs of the OPERAS services.

These findings are now being incorporated into the OPERAS Guide to Human-Centred Design - a living, evolving resource that translates the principles of the framework into practical guidance. As OPERAS services continue to grow and diversify, the Guide will adapt accordingly, providing teams with up-to-date practices, templates and examples based on human-centred UX and usability design.

Looking ahead, future UX work will explore areas such as real-time behavioural analysis through initiatives such as the LUMEN project, which aims to extend GoTriple into new scientific domains.