[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-239739-105":53,"doc-detail-239739-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":119,"head_meta":121,"extra_data":123,"updated_unix":125},105,"en","from-spreadsheets-to-interfaces-redesigning-clinical-variable-definition-via-interactive-workflows","From Spreadsheets to Interfaces - Redesigning Clinical Variable Definition via Interactive Workflows","","Spreadsheets remain a fragile foundation for clinical data management, where defining and collecting structured variables often causes errors, poor traceability, and low interoperability. The paper proposes a user-centered redesign of the variable definition workflow within a platform for structured clinical data and medical images. It replaces manual spreadsheet schema creation with an interactive web interface for defining, categorizing, and reusing variables. It also auto-generates validated spreadsheet templates from the platform schema to reduce formatting and semantic entry errors, supported by a revised workflow and heuristic usability evaluation.",{"@graph":63,"@context":118},[64,80,101],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":46,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/paper-templates/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/from-spreadsheets-to-interfaces-redesigning-clinical-variable-definition-via-interactive-workflows/239739/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/from-spreadsheets-to-interfaces-redesigning-clinical-variable-definition-via-interactive-workflows/239739.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Elsa","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-07","2026-09-11",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":47},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",{"@type":102,"mainEntity":103},"FAQPage",[104,110,114],{"name":105,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":107},"Why are spreadsheets still commonly used in clinical data management, and what are their drawbacks?","Question",{"text":108,"@type":109},"Spreadsheets are accessible and flexible, which makes them attractive for defining and exchanging structured data. Their drawbacks include data quality issues, poor traceability, and interoperability problems, often caused by weak structure and lack of built-in validation.","Answer",{"name":111,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":112},"How does the proposed system improve variable definition compared with spreadsheet-based workflows?",{"text":113,"@type":109},"It replaces manual spreadsheet schema creation with an interactive web interface that guides users step-by-step. The workflow supports defining, categorizing, and reusing variables while embedding validation rules and domain knowledge.",{"name":115,"@type":106,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What role does automated generation of validated spreadsheet templates play?",{"text":117,"@type":109},"The system generates templates based on the platform’s internal schema to reduce both formatting mistakes and semantic errors during data entry. This lowers the likelihood of failed uploads caused by misformatted identifiers, names, and date/value types.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":120,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":122,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":124,"site_id":56},239739,1790877837,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":127},{"doc_id":124,"user_id":128,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":9,"category_id":45,"category_name":46,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":47,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":76},137455077381,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","From spreadsheets to interfaces: redesigning clinical variable definition through interactive workflows  \nAndrea Vázquez-Ingelmo1, * , Islem Román Nieto-Campo1 , Alicia García-Holgado1 , Francisco José García-Peñalvo 1 , Antonio Sánchez-Puente2 and Pedro L. Sánchez2,‡  \n1 GRIAL Research Group, University of Salamanca, Paseo de Canalejas 169, 37008, Salamanca, Spain  \n2 Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, SACyL. IBSAL, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, and CIBERCV (ISCiii), Salamanca, Spain  \nAbstract  \nSpreadsheets remain a common but fragile foundation for clinical data management, often leading to errors and inefficiencies in defining and collecting structured variables. This paper presents a user-centered redesign of the variable definition workflow in a platform for managing structured clinical data and medical images. The proposed solution replaces manual spreadsheet-based schema creation with an interactive web interface that enables users to define, categorize, and reuse variables more effectively. It also introduces automated generation of validated spreadsheet templates based on the platform’s internal schema, reducing the likelihood of formatting and semantic errors during data entry. A revised workflow illustrates the improved process, and the system addresses key usability issues previously identified through heuristic evaluations. Remaining limitations, such as continued reliance on offline data entry, are discussed, along with future work directions that include usability validation and AI-assisted variable generation.  \nKeywords  \ndata management, variable definition, healthcare, interaction workflow, spreadsheets  \n1. Introduction  \nIn medical research and clinical workflows, spreadsheets remain the predominant tool for defining, managing, and exchanging structured data [1] . Their accessibility and flexibility make them appealing for quick data entry and local management. However, these same characteristics introduce substantial challenges in terms of data quality, traceability, and interoperability.  \nAs shown in [2], spreadsheets used in real healthcare environments frequently contain critical errors—more than 90% of audited files had at least one bottom-line error, with average cell error rates exceeding 13% . Such issues arise from poor structural design, inconsistent usage practices, and the absence of built-in validation mechanisms.  \nInsights gained from our previous development projects in the health domain—particularly those focused on managing structured clinical data alongside medical images—have revealed the limitations of spreadsheet-driven workflows [3, 4] . Defining variables through spreadsheet templates often required users to navigate a complex, multi-step process: manually encoding metadata across multiple sheets, conforming to strict naming and typing conventions, and aligning data definitions across patient, study, and file levels. These tasks were both time-consuming and highly error-prone, especially for users without technical backgrounds. Common issues such as unreserved or misformatted identifiers, inconsistent variable names, or incorrect date and value formats frequently resulted in failed uploads, requiring tedious revisions and interrupting the research workflow.  \nInteracción ‘25: XXV International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, September 03–05, 2025, Valladolid, Spain  \n* Corresponding author.  \n$ [andreavazquez@usal.es](andreavazquez@usal.es) (A. Vázquez-Ingelmo); [islemr@usal.es](islemr@usal.es) (I. R. Nieto-Campo); [aliciagh@usal.es](aliciagh@usal.es) (A. García-Holgado);  \n[fgarcia@usal.es](fgarcia@usal.es) (F. J. García-Peñalvo); [sanchezpu@saludcastillayleon.es](sanchezpu@saludcastillayleon.es) (A. Sánchez-Puente);  \n[plsanchez@saludcastillayleon.es](plsanchez@saludcastillayleon.es) (P. L. Sánchez)  \n􀀚 0000-0002-7284-5593 (A. Vázquez-Ingelmo); 0000-0001-9663-1103 (A. García-Holgado); 0000-0001-9987-5584  \n(F. J. García-Peñal","cbCaig6X63pnqMhe","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaig6X63pnqMhe","pdf",1222768,8,"English","# Introduction\n## Limitations of spreadsheet-driven clinical data workflows\n## Errors and usability challenges\n## Motivation from prior development\n# Proposed system and redesigned workflow\n## User-centered interactive variable definition\n## Automated validated spreadsheet template generation\n# Workflow implications and discussion\n## Usability issues and limitations\n## Future work directions","[{\"question\":\"Why are spreadsheets still commonly used in clinical data management, and what are their drawbacks?\",\"answer\":\"Spreadsheets are accessible and flexible, which makes them attractive for defining and exchanging structured data. Their drawbacks include data quality issues, poor traceability, and interoperability problems, often caused by weak structure and lack of built-in validation.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the proposed system improve variable definition compared with spreadsheet-based workflows?\",\"answer\":\"It replaces manual spreadsheet schema creation with an interactive web interface that guides users step-by-step. The workflow supports defining, categorizing, and reusing variables while embedding validation rules and domain knowledge.\"},{\"question\":\"What role does automated generation of validated spreadsheet templates play?\",\"answer\":\"The system generates templates based on the platform’s internal schema to reduce both formatting mistakes and semantic errors during data entry. This lowers the likelihood of failed uploads caused by misformatted identifiers, names, and date/value types.\"}]","From Spreadsheets to Interfaces - Redesigning Clinical Variable Definition via Interactive Workflows | PDF",1789152511]