Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MAY 11, 2011 FBO #3455
DOCUMENT

R -- CHIO 11-57 User Experience Program Support Services BPA - Attachment

Notice Date

5/9/2011
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Program Contract Activity Central;4141 Rockside Rd, Suite 110;Seven Hills OH 44131
 

ZIP Code

44131
 

Solicitation Number

VA70111RI0086
 

Response Due

3/7/2011
 

Archive Date

5/6/2011
 

Point of Contact

Stefanie Perry
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

CHIO 11-57 User Experience Program Support Services Request for Information VA-701-11-RI- 0086 I. Introduction: This sources sought notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA is currently conducting market research to locate qualified, experienced and interested potential sources. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be incurred by interested parties in responding to this sources sought announcement. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is seeking interested sources (contractors) for a near-future solicitation and procurement for user experience program support Services. At this time, no solicitation exists. Therefore, DO NOT REQUEST A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. II. Background: VHA desires to return the end user, both Veteran and clinician, to the center of application design activities and to ensure that all software, purchased or developed in-house, provides a highly satisfactory user experience. To this end, a User Experience (UX) Program is being established to develop and maintain tools, methods, resources and expertise needed to support human-centered design and usability testing of next generation health information technology (HIT) software and devices. For purposes of this market research, user experience is defined as " ¦ all the users' emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions, physical and psychological responses, behaviors and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use" (ISO FDIS 9241-210). The UX Program will optimize both clinician and Veteran user experience with HIT by designing system user interfaces (UI) that enhance effectiveness, minimize mental load, support clinician decision making, maximize clinical workflow efficiency, improve patient safety and enhance quality of care. Much of the user experience work will be conducted in the UX Lab, located near the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville, TN, and part of an Innovation, Research, and Design facility. The lab contains an 'Exploratorium' for simulating various clinical settings, workshop spaces with interactive whiteboards for conducting conceptual design and affinity diagram sessions, and classrooms suited for creating visual simulations of UI designs. A state of the art usability lab with dual participant rooms enables the observation of care team collaboration when testing home tele-health, virtual medicine, and collaborative care systems. VHA will leverage the UX Lab's human-centered design and usability testing capabilities to ensure that user experience, as opposed to technical features, serves as the basis of next-generation HIT systems design. The benefits associated with adopting these design principles include: "Improving the usability of the system design "Increasing clinician effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction "Increasing clinician acceptance and Veteran adoption of HIT "Assessing feasibility and impact of integrating information technologies into specific healthcare settings. "Decreasing user error rates "Ensuring inclusion of necessary product features and avoiding unnecessary product features "Simplifying design documentation and user-facing publications "Expediting design and development through properly conceived and applied best practices and guidelines "Reducing development time and costs due to unclear or inaccurate requirements "Decreasing training and support costs "Decreasing post-deployment redesign efforts III. Requirements: EHT seeks support for the full range of user experience activities. Deliverables produced under this contract will vary widely depending on the task but will include items such as, but not limited to, written reports, video clips, wireframes, affinity diagrams, visual models of user interface design, interactive multimedia demonstrations, functional prototypes, and presentations. The service categories for this project are: 1) Analysis support: Analysis will be conducted in both lab and field settings. A.Reviews of emerging HIT design research will facilitate the practical application of advanced design techniques and current best practices such as techniques used for the display and manipulation of large amounts of data. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Synthesize current research and design principles in areas such as clinical decision support, encouraging patient adoption and use of HIT, UIs that accommodate older populations). 2)Maintain repository of research articles and/or examples of good, bad, or emerging design practices 3)Create visual simulations (or mockups, descriptions, etc) of emerging design techniques for inclusion in a User Interface Design Pattern Library 4)Arrange topics of interest presentations from researchers and industry experts (talks, podcasts, design reviews) B.Reviews of emerging device technology and user input technology will ensure advanced technologies are considered in future HIT system designs. Tasks include, but are not limited to: 1)Maintain projections of when emerging technologies will be available in the marketplace. 2)Assess the impact (e.g., affordances and adoption barriers) of introducing technology devices into the VA clinical environment 3)Assess how technology devices will be utilized in future HIT system designs. C.Assessment of user needs and context of use will inform HIT system designs that 'fit' into or improve the VA clinical environment. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Conduct Hierarchical Task Analyses, Workflow Analyses, Contextual Analyses. 2)Provide detailed description of user needs (e.g., functional and non-functional needs, information needs, performance needs,) 3)Identify workflow, environmental, and IT factors that will constrain system design. D.Analysis of user cognition will provide data needed to design HIT systems that augment user thinking and reduce mental load during clinical work. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Conduct Cognitive Task Analyses, Cognitive Modeling (KLM-GOMS) 2)Examine users' clinical decision-making process 3)Test various information visualization design options for enabling clinicians to efficiently access, visualize, and manipulate large amounts of data. 4)Assess user's conceptual model in order to design systems that are easier for users to learn and understand. E.Specification of UX requirements will inform system design and testing criteria. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Identify key use cases (frequent, complex, and critical) and create high-level task flows. Identify usage scenarios for design validation. 2)Use storyboards, wireframes, visual simulations, or other techniques to elicit stakeholder specification of user experience objectives, user performance criteria, and/or usability requirements for system design. 2) Design support A.Development and maintenance of User Experience Design Toolkit will expedite the design process and facilitate adoption of user interface (UI) design best practices. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Develop and maintain resources of standards for the design and development of health IT (such as published Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards) 2)Develop and maintain standards for accessible design of HIT for elderly populations and users with disabilities. 3)Develop and maintain a UI Design Pattern Library for software running on various device types. 4)Develop and maintain an Icon Design Library including designs and appropriate use rules. 5)Adopt, adapt, and maintain usability heuristics for design and assessment. Both general heuristics and heuristics tailored to specific HIT applications may be developed. 6)Establish and maintain a repository of use case scenarios and associated test data. B.Interaction Design models how users will interact with the HIT system. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Create storyboards to communicate design ideas to stakeholders, the design team, and the user community in order to foster a shard vision of system design direction. 2)Create affinity diagrams and wireframes to model the application structure 3)Create low-fidelity and/or high-fidelity mockups (from design pattern library) of various UI design options. Indicate how designs support UX criteria, design best practices, functional and non-functional requirements, and/or research. 4)Communicate design options to stakeholders for the purpose of making tradeoff decisions about the user experience (user performance, ease of use, error reduction, etc). C.Visual Simulations are interactive models of the system user interface. Creating low or high fidelity simulations (using tools such as iRise) permit assessments of feature completeness, usability, and user performance. Examples of tasks in this area include, but are not limited to: 1)Create visual simulations of key functionality (such as the presentation and manipulation of clinical data) and key usage scenarios (such as frequent tasks or complex tasks). 2)Conduct rapid application design sessions to quickly create interactive visual simulations based on user descriptions and expectations of system design. 3)Create visual simulations based on interaction designs (affinity diagrams, wireframes, design patterns). 4)Communicate design options to stakeholders for the purpose of making tradeoff decisions about the user experience (user performance, ease of use, error reduction, etc). 3) Assessment and Testing Support A.End User Testing (Usability Testing) evaluates the effectiveness of system design by systematically observing representative users carry out representative tasks on a real or simulated product. Activities associated with conducting a usability test include, but are not limited to: 1)Interview stakeholders to determine test objectives 2)Create a usability test plan and necessary test materials 3)Support and/or manage the technical setup of software or hardware to be evaluated in the test environment. Support and/or manage the audio/visual equipment setup for recording participant interactions with software or hardware being evaluated. 4)Conduct usability testing in a usability lab or remotely (using tools such as Morae). 5)Identify and record using handwritten notes, audio and/or video recording, relevant instances during the human-system interaction that impact overall user experience. 6)Record user performance (such as time on task, success rates, error rates) and assess user satisfaction (from user comments, with a satisfaction survey, and/or post-session interview). 7)Describe findings and provide design recommendations in a formal usability test report. Include video clips of key user interactions. 8)Present findings to design team or project stakeholders. 9)Usability testing may be conducted on: i.Software or hardware devices ii.Conceptual designs iii.Visual models iv.Functional prototypes v.Functional systems in test environment vi.Systems deployed in the field 10)Types of usability testing may include, but are not limited to: i.Exploratory testing: carried out with simulations of early conceptual designs (low or high fidelity) or visual models in order to examine viability of and/or evaluate potential fitness in the clinical environment. ii.Rapid usability testing: carried out as part of a rapid, iterative process of test, design, and re-test. iii.Pluralistic walkthroughs: enable designers, developers, and stakeholders to observe a group of users stepping through key scenarios. Permits dialogue between end users and the project team. iv.Multi-participant studies: evaluate system capabilities for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration of multiple users. v.Experimental testing: used to decide if one conceptual design or visual simulation is better than another. vi.Formative usability testing: systematically evaluates the usability of a UI design and uncovers UI design flaws by observing representative users carrying out representative tasks using the system. vii.Summative usability testing: validates the system design with usability objectives and user experience criteria. User training and user documentation may be included in the testing. B.User Performance Optimization utilizes various assessment methods to refine the UI design and inform UI design choices. Examples of the methods that can be used for validation include, but are not limited to: 1)Keystroke assessment 2)Cognitive modeling 3)Eye-tracking studies C.Usability Assessments are carried out often in conjunction with End User Testing to evaluate UI design compliance to design best practices or UI design standards. Usability Assessments may be conducted with support of clinicians. 1)Conduct heuristic evaluations to ensure adherence to usability guidelines. 2)Determine compliance with UI design standards for HIT. 3)Conduct Patient Safety Risk Analysis to identify issues with system design that could compromise patient safety. 4) Prototyping A.Prototype development will produce proof-of-concept software applications that will be tested by end users in either lab or field conditions to assess functional and non-functional requirements as well as usability. Examples of tasks in this area include but are not limited to: 1) Develop key clinical functions from CPRS for testing on a mobile device such as a Smartphone or tablet personal computer 2)Develop key user functions from My HealtheVet for testing on a mobile device such as a Smartphone or tablet personal computer IV. Submittal Information: Contractors having the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirements should submit a response of no more than 10 pages in length, single spaced, 12 point font minimum. The Government will not review any other data, attachments that are in excess to the 10 pages. Companies should provide clear and unambiguous evidence to substantiate their capability to fulfill these requirements. Interested parties shall furnish the following minimum information: 1.Company name and address Company point of contact name, telephone number and email address 2.Company business size and status (i.e., Large Business, Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business, etc.), the number of years in business, affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potential teaming partners 3.If the company holds a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contract, list the GSA Contract Number and relevant SINS applicable to this requirement. 4.Capabilities/Qualifications: A written response providing clear and unambiguous evidence to substantiate the capacity to fulfill this requirement. Description of the capabilities/qualifications/skills your company possesses to perform services described in the scope of work. 5.Past Experience: Brief summary of the company history relative to similar requirements. Offer may provide the following information on a maximum of three similar projects for which the responder was a prime or subcontractor. a.The name, address, and value of each project b.The Prime Contract Type: Firm Fixed-Price, or Time and Material c.The name, telephone and address of the owner of each project d.A brief description of each project and why it is relevant to this requirement. Include difficulties and successes e.Your company's role and services provided for each project. It is requested that the above information be provided no later than May 16, 2011 at 1:00PM EST. Responses should be emailed to Stefanie Perry at Stefanie.Perry@va.gov. All Email Correspondence for this project must reference the RFI Number, Project Identifier and Project Title in the subject line of the email. Example: RFI VA-701-11-RI-0086, CHIO 11-57, User Experience Program Support Services DISCLAIMER This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/ISC/OISC/VA70111RI0086/listing.html)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA-701-11-RI-0086 VA-701-11-RI-0086_1.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=198690&FileName=VA-701-11-RI-0086-000.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=198690&FileName=VA-701-11-RI-0086-000.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN02443391-W 20110511/110509234721-ce322a492c763bc69fb8fa890e25fb17 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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