The Importance of User Involvement in the Development of the Norwegian Research Information Repository

Author(s)
Young, Hanne Hole
Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research
Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research
Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research
Keywords

research information ...

user engagement

NVA (Nasjonalt Vitena...

national CRIS

Norway

Issue Date
May 20, 2026
Publisher
euroCRIS
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
This paper examines how systematic user involvement helped shaping the design and development of the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA), a national infrastructure for open access and research information. The project was developed using an iterative and agile development approach. Due to a scope expansion, the project underestimated the functional diversity and the institutional heterogeneity and struggled with large volumes of feedback from the user community. To address this, a tighter collaboration with internal experts on CRIS was established, and different forms for user participation were introduced. This helped identify key functional requirements, improve the user interface, and align workflows with existing research administration practices. The paper list five recommendations for similar national projects: secure early but structured user representation, anchor work at both operational and strategic levels, involve CRIS experts from the outset, phase user involvement, and communicate clearly about development processes and the handling of user feedback.
Description
16 slides.-- Presentation delivered within CRIS2026 session "National CRIS: Evolution and Impact".-- Includes extended abstract
URI
https://dspacecris.eurocris.org/handle/11366/9137
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CRIS2026_paper-43_Sikt_NVA-User-Involvement_extended-abstract.pdf

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Extended abstract
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215.94 KB

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CRIS2026_slides_Young-Henningsen-Bråten_NVA-User-Involvement.pdf

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Presentation
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