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Appendix B 
ODPHP met with 30 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander intermediaries representing target populations (organized according to the context in which they might use the Internet to find health information).
The purpose of a persona is to create sample audiences that can be compared against each other in crafting electronic documents to suit many audience needs. User-experience research refers to persona development as a "necessary foundation of good interaction design."1 The purpose of the persona is not to provide information on a specific person; instead, personas serve as hypothetical archetypes of actual users. The personas developed in this study are defined based on the experiences of the interviewers. Executive Directors Typical executive directors access the Internet both at the office and at home, up to 5 hours per day. They spend the majority of their workweek answering e-mail, calling various partners, going to meetings and traveling. Usually, they do not spend a lot of time surfing the Internet. The top five tasks that executive directors try to accomplish on a health information Web site are:
The most rewarding aspect of executive directors' jobs are making a difference, empowering community members to do what they are capable of, teaching others as well as learning from mentors, and strengthening the capacity of the community. The most challenging aspects of their job are having limited resources, having limited data, handling administrative issues, and breaking down language and cultural barriers that prevent community members from getting the health care they need. Health Educators and Social
Workers Typical health educators and social workers access the Internet mostly at the office and sometimes at home. Because they are often seeing clients, they spend up to 1 hour a day on the Internet. Social workers have even less time than health educators to access the Internet because they are often visiting clients in their homes. Health educators have to develop translation standards and processes because they usually have to provide health education materials that are specific to a particular language and culture. The two professions share the job of assisting community members with accessing services. The top five tasks that health educators and social workers try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspect of health educators' and social workers' jobs are seeing how their health education materials have made a difference for non-English-speaking clients or community and helping clients access services. The most challenging aspect of their job is sustainability, limited data, and making sure the community voice is heard. Legislative
Analysts Typical legislative analysts access the Internet at the office and at home, up to 4 hours a day. Their workday can be up to 10 hours long. The top five tasks that legislative analysts try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspects of legislative analysts' jobs are the variety of people they meet and the intellectual stimulation. The most challenging aspects of their jobs are repeating the same thing over and over and setting their priorities. Librarians
Typical librarians access the Internet at the office and at home, up to 5 hours a day. Sometimes they staff a reference desk and answer consumer health questions and perform literature searches for physicians. Usually, they are in charge of collecting or creating translated materials in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander languages for paper or electronic kiosks or Internet sites. The top tasks that librarians try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspects of librarians' jobs are serving as a reference point for people and helping them with a health care issue. The most challenging aspect of their job is collecting or translating materials for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander populations. They have had to create their own translation standards or processes. The projects take much longer than they anticipate, and they face many language and cultural barriers because they are not Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander. Physicians
and Nurses Typical physicians and nurses access the Internet at the office and at home, up to 4 hours a day. If they are working at a community health center, few physicians and nurses have an Internet connection. They are busy seeing patients, coordinating meetings, teaching medical students, developing mentorship programs, and serving on various organization boards. The top five tasks that physicians and nurses try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspects of physicians' and nurses' jobs are being able to "educate our community and respect their voices" and bringing those voices into academic centers or government. Of course, they all enjoy the patient interaction. The most challenging aspect of their job is overcoming barriers like access to health care, limited resources, and language and cultural issues. Program Administrators Typical program administrators access the Internet at the office and at home, up to 10 hours a day. They are online frequently because they are usually tasked with locating information on behalf of the community or their organization. The top five tasks that program administrators try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspects of program administrators' jobs are "connecting with people" and delivering health information to the community. The most challenging aspects of their jobs are limited resources and learning new technologies. Researchers Typical researchers access the Internet at the office and at home, up to 4 hours a day. They spend a lot of time preparing for lectures or conducting research on behalf of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander communities. The top five tasks that researchers try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspect of researchers' jobs is making a difference for students or community members by providing them the information they need to be successful.
The most challenging aspect of their jobs is limited resources as well as social, political, and cultural barriers because of politics or discrimination. Traditional
Healing Practitioners Typical traditional healing practitioners access the Internet at home and at the office, up to 3 hours a day. They are more Internet-savvy than their American Indian and Alaska Native colleagues in the traditional healing arena. This could be due to the fact that most of them are trained in both traditional Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander and Western education. This allows them to operate in both worlds and facilitate partnerships. The top five tasks that traditional healing practitioners try to accomplish on a health Web site are:
The most rewarding aspects of traditional healing practitioners' jobs are helping patients feel better, especially when conventional medicine has failed, and helping people find their mission in life. The most challenging aspect of their job is "trying to come up with creative solutions to problems that have traditionally plagued humanity." |