Elevating Research Integrity Outreach and Education

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Research Integrity

Accessibility Graphic and Website Design Learning and Meeting Solutions Marketing and Communications Media and Communications

The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is a federal office that oversees and directs research integrity activities involving Public Health Service funds.

Challenge

ORI offers a wide range of resources for its national network of research integrity officers, those who train them, and the public. However, they needed resources to more quickly orient new federal staff to the regulations and the associated processes that govern their work. ORI also recognized that their audiences were often unaware of available resources or had difficulty locating them. They needed clearer outreach, stronger educational tools, and a more user-friendly website to better support their audiences.

Solution

Our team developed a strategic communications plan and delivered a suite of digital, educational, and multimedia products to help ORI strengthen its outreach and improve resource access. This included a comprehensive marketing strategy, website design mockups, e-learning orientation courses, and both live-acted and animated video content, all built with accessibility and user experience in mind.

Results

ORI now has a clear roadmap for communications, along with modernized digital tools to make its resources easier to find and understand. They also have a suite of engaging training materials to support understanding and implementation of policies and processes. These improved outreach strategies and new learning products strengthened ORI’s ability to inform, educate, and support its diverse audiences.

Strategic Marketing Plan

To strengthen ORI’s outreach and improve its audience’s ability to locate and use its resources, we developed a comprehensive strategic communications plan. The plan was grounded in focus groups with ORI’s core audiences and included stakeholder profiles, core messaging, website analysis, and recommendations for digital marketing, conference engagement, and staffing workflows.

Website Design Mockups

To improve navigation and usability on ORI’s website, we analyzed site performance using Google Analytics and combined those findings with qualitative insights from focus groups. Our team translated those insights into website mockups. We presented multiple versions for stakeholder review and refined the drafts into a final design concept to guide future website enhancements.

E-learning Courses

To expand awareness and understanding of ORI’s role, processes, and federal requirements, we developed two interactive e-learning orientation courses. One served as an onboarding tool for new ORI staff, and the other trained new research integrity officers across the country. Each course included clear explanations of federal regulations and engaging scenario-based interactions.

Live-acted and Animated Videos

To deliver easily digestible education on research misconduct and responsible research practices, we produced 52 live-acted video shorts and six animated videos for ORI’s YouTube channel. Our team handled every stage of production including scriptwriting, storyboarding, animation, live-action filming, and editing to create polished, accessible videos aligned with ORI’s communications goals.