Evaluating the usability and utility of a spatial decision support system for pollinator ecology

Environmental spatial decision support systems (SDSS) can help users make ecological choices informed by geographic information system (GIS) data, often using interactive maps. However, these tools often serve diverse stakeholder groups, each with their own expectations and goals. Here, we present results from an iterative process of user-centered design and evaluation that shaped the full redesign and development of the map-based pollinator health decision support tool Beescape NexGen. This tool assists beekeepers, growers, researchers, and other groups assess the quality of their landscape to support pollinators such as bees. Building upon results from an earlier usability evaluation of a Beescape prototype and a follow-up needs assessment focus group with key stakeholders, we designed an all-new interface and implemented an improved version of the tool called Beescape NexGen. A usability study of Beescape NexGen conducted with hobbyist beekeepers found significant improvements in usability and utility compared to the previous version of this tool. This project serves as an example of an iterative, long-term user-centered design project in ecological informatics resulting in direct comparisons between two versions of a SDSS.