Getting to know bioinformaticians : Results of an exploratory user study

Very few user analysis studies have been done in the bioinformatics domain. This paper presents the results of an exploratory user study as part of a domain and requirements analysis aimed at enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration. Contextual field observations, questionnaires and interviews with bioinformatics researchers of different levels of expertise and various backgrounds were performed in order to gain insight into their needs and working practices. The analysed results are presented as a user profile description and user requirements for designing user interfaces that support the collaboration of multidisciplinary research teams in scientific collaborative environments. Although the number of participants limits the generalisability of the findings, the combination of recurrent observations with other user analysis techniques in real-life settings makes the contribution of this user study novel.