Building a Shared Data Catalogue: User Research and Conceptual Considerations

This is the description of the Building a Shared Data Catalogue: User Research and Conceptual Considerations presentation for the DHBenelux conference of 2026. This presentation describes the steps taken at two Dutch institutes (Huygenshttps: //huygens. knaw. nl/ and Meertenshttps: //meertens. knaw. nl/ Institutes, KNAW) within the domains of the social sciences, humanities (SSH) and cultural heritage (CH) to develop a shared public-facing data catalogue. Nowadays, data-driven innovations and new digitization technologies make a deluge of complex and heterogeneous datasets available. We explore how we can make those more accessible for both our established and prospective audiences. We focus on a user-centric perspective and will discuss (1) types of intended users, their expectations and behaviour profiles, (2) links between these perspectives and the technical requirements needed to combine greatly deviating types of sources within one portal and (3) domain specific considerations that shape our work. Moreover, we discuss the role our data catalogue design plays in allowing the sources to tell their stories both on the platform to closely fit the needs of the users, as well as to facilitate reuse in new projects.