To design services that genuinely support the diverse needs of researchers, RESILIENCE develops and refines user archetypes: evidence based representations of distinct research roles and practices.
Researchers are far from a homogeneous user group. Their needs vary substantially depending on career stage, digital competencies, and disciplinary workflows. Archetypes provide a structured way to translate heterogeneous requirements into coherent service design. Instead of relying on abstract assumptions about how “a typical researcher” works, archetypes allow us to identify patterns, map workflows, and understand where researchers encounter friction or require support.
Importantly, these archetypes are not static profiles. They function as living concepts, continuously updated through interviews, workshops, and user‑testing activities across our research communities. This iterative approach ensures that archetypes reflect evolving scholarly practices and new methodological or digital challenges.
By grounding service development in real contexts, we are better positioned to create tools that match researchers’ working realities – whether that involves improving navigation, designing more intuitive processes, or aligning services with established academic workflows.
In short, a clearer understanding of user needs leads to better services. Through ongoing refinement of user archetypes, RESILIENCE builds services that respond to the actual diversity of research roles, skills, and methods, strengthening usability and supporting high‑quality scholarship.
Read more information in Deliverable D3.4, Documented Use Cases – 2nd Batch