Target Website: https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/  

Figure 1. Original Homepage (Jeff Davis Hospital, 2022) 

The Healthcare Group user tested the Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH) website, shown in Figure 1, through a comprehensive scenario of an individual seeking healthcare services for their family member. Violating major heuristics issues around consistency, standards, error prevention, efficiency, and minimalist design, this site needed a major redesign in the content organization to merge its disjointed brand or legacy sites (Nielsen, 2020). In our group’s first redesign, we approached the site’s navigation by restructuring the site map, reimplementing search, and visualizing a native implementation of their Health Research Center. In our second redesign, we focused on redefining the categories for services, departments, and Health Research Center (HRC), and revisiting the homepage based on user feedback. Wireframes were assembled in Figma Design and FIGJAM using Estefanía Montaña’s (n.d.) Easy-Peasy Wireframe Kit and colors matching JDH’s theme.   

Unchanged Design Components   

In the second redesign effort, we decided to maintain the sitemap, blue tones, grey tones, white tones, and patient portal buttons of the original Jeff Davis Hospital site. The reasoning behind the maintenance of these features was rooted in our goal to make the site more compliant with the ten usability heuristic evaluation criteria without drastically changing the original visual idea of the JDH site.  

Figure 2. Sitemap 

Figure 3. Search Results 

Proposed Re-Design #1 – Homepage  

Figure 4. Homepage 

Our second iteration made substantive changes to JDH’s Homepage from its first one. Through user feedback and a second brief heuristics evaluation, we determined that there was too much “white space” on the homepage that was not being utilized well. Additionally, significant elements were missing on the homepage that would enhance its usability through having a stronger information scent. Given our selected scenario with our representative user, we propose additional changes including the re-design of the “News and Events” and “Partnerships” sections with the addition of action commands and a footer. By re-designing the two sections, user tasks that require searching for stroke-related information and elderly care services will improve users’ information-seeking behavior by having clearly defined sections with descriptions and graphics of each (higher fidelity). 

The second iteration of the JDH Homepage includes the addition of call and chat functions to better reflect the match between the system and the real-world expectations of our representative users (Nielsen’s second heuristic). These changes help users to feel more at ease with navigating through the JDH Homepage since such action commands allow relevant information to appear in an intuitive, actionable way. Graphics adjacent to the call and chat functions were included to clearly mark what the Call-to-Action buttons accomplish. 

Adding a footer to the JDH Homepage directly addresses Nielsen’s third heuristic concerning user control and freedom. A footer will provide additional direction and control for our representative users to navigate the JDH website to better satisfy their information needs. Standard procedure for website design requires using a header, body, and footer as well. Additionally, we changed the background color of the JDH Homepage to a darker grey since it better accentuated the existing colors on the page for improved readability. Such re-designs address Nielsen’s eighth heuristic for aesthetic and minimalist design. Through these changes, the JDH Homepage will have an improved aesthetic interface over its first iterative design. 

Proposed Re-Design #2 – Services Page

Figure 5. Services Page 

The second iteration of the redesign for the JDH Services page includes several changes, or improvements, from the first design. Aesthetically, some minor changes were made to the page to include a re-alignment of the header, page description subtext, the sorting options, and the search bar from a center position to a left-side position on the page. This shifting allowed for the inclusion of two floating/frozen information messages to present an option for a collapsible chatbot feature with a scripted directory and to display the telephone number where a JDH services coordinator can answer questions, human to human, about the services offered at the hospital. Additionally, an aesthetic change was made by widening the service information cards further into the margins to take full advantage of the screen space. As a higher fidelity iteration, the design also displays images in the page header and in the service cards that serve as supplemental visual descriptors.   

Another change featured in this design iteration is the removal of a confusing and unnecessary filter option “Special Services” from the first iteration. This filter option could contribute to a negative user experience by expecting the user to know the non-standard language and understand what the “Special” designation filter would and would not include in its service list. This second iteration only includes the “A-Z” sorting filter and the default “Departments” filter which lists the most used services based on user selections on the page. The search bar is still present from the first iteration, allowing users to search for services based on keywords.   

Proposed Re-Design # 3 – Sorting Health Topics 

Figure 6. Health Research Center 

Figure 7. Stroke Article 

In the second iterative design for the JDH Health Research Center page the aesthetic changes implemented follow in uniformity with the changes made on the Services page; the left-side shift of the header, page description subtext, the content list filter options, and search bar, as well as the wider content cards that have been expanded closer to margins. Also, following the consistency of the layout of the Services page, floating/frozen information messages are present in the top right of the page, displaying the available chatbot option and a telephone number to reach a Health Educator who can assist in research questions.  

On the health topic subpage design, only two changes were made. The first change was to include JDH-curated titles for external links with subtext descriptive text to inform the user of the legitimacy and authority of the linked external resource. The second change was to include a call to action for the user to seek medical attention if they believe they are experiencing a medical emergency. This call to action takes the form of a floating/frozen message displayed in an eye-catching red color, replacing the telephone number display message on previous pages. If JDH chooses to implement a virtual triage or urgent care platform in the future, a link to this could be easily added in a future iterative design.  

Word count: 858

References  

Health Library. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health 

Jeff Davis Hospital. (2022). Jeff Davis Hospital. https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/  

Jeff Davis Hospital/fasthealth corporation (Hazlehurst, Georgia – jeff davis county). (2022). Jeff  

Davis Hospital/FastHealth Corporation. http://www.jeffdavisfasthealth.com/  

Montaña, E. (n.d.). Easy-Peasy Wireframe Kit. Figma. https://www.figma.com/community/file/989274600796773962  

Nielsen, J. (2020, November 15). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/  

Whitenton, K. (2015, November 29). Menu design: Checklist of 15 UX Guidelines to Help Users. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/menu-design/   

External Links  

Group Assignment 3A – First Iterative Design 

Group Assignment 2 – User Scenarios and Representative Tasks  

Group Assignment 1 – Group Topic Selection  

Target Website: https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/  

Figure 1. Original Homepage (Jeff Davis Hospital, 2022) 

The Healthcare Group user tested the Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH) website, shown in Figure 1, through a comprehensive scenario of an individual seeking healthcare services for their family member. Violating major heuristics issues around consistency, standards, error prevention, efficiency, and minimalist design, this site needed a major redesign in the content organization to merge its disjointed brand or legacy sites (Nielsen, 2020). In our group’s first redesign, we approached the site’s navigation by restructuring the site map, reimplementing search, and visualizing a native implementation of their Health Research Center. In our second redesign, we focused on redefining the categories for services, departments, and Health Research Center (HRC), and revisiting the homepage based on user feedback. Wireframes were assembled in Figma Design and FIGJAM using Estefanía Montaña’s (n.d.) Easy-Peasy Wireframe Kit and colors matching JDH’s theme.   

Unchanged Design Components   

In the second redesign effort, we decided to maintain the sitemap, blue tones, grey tones, white tones, and patient portal buttons of the original Jeff Davis Hospital site. The reasoning behind the maintenance of these features was rooted in our goal to make the site more compliant with the ten usability heuristic evaluation criteria without drastically changing the original visual idea of the JDH site.  

Figure 2. Sitemap 

Figure 3. Search Results 

Proposed Re-Design #1 – Homepage  

Figure 4. Homepage 

Our second iteration made substantive changes to JDH’s Homepage from its first one. Through user feedback and a second brief heuristics evaluation, we determined that there was too much “white space” on the homepage that was not being utilized well. Additionally, significant elements were missing on the homepage that would enhance its usability through having a stronger information scent. Given our selected scenario with our representative user, we propose additional changes including the re-design of the “News and Events” and “Partnerships” sections with the addition of action commands and a footer. By re-designing the two sections, user tasks that require searching for stroke-related information and elderly care services will improve users’ information-seeking behavior by having clearly defined sections with descriptions and graphics of each (higher fidelity). 

The second iteration of the JDH Homepage includes the addition of call and chat functions to better reflect the match between the system and the real-world expectations of our representative users (Nielsen’s second heuristic). These changes help users to feel more at ease with navigating through the JDH Homepage since such action commands allow relevant information to appear in an intuitive, actionable way. Graphics adjacent to the call and chat functions were included to clearly mark what the Call-to-Action buttons accomplish. 

Adding a footer to the JDH Homepage directly addresses Nielsen’s third heuristic concerning user control and freedom. A footer will provide additional direction and control for our representative users to navigate the JDH website to better satisfy their information needs. Standard procedure for website design requires using a header, body, and footer as well. Additionally, we changed the background color of the JDH Homepage to a darker grey since it better accentuated the existing colors on the page for improved readability. Such re-designs address Nielsen’s eighth heuristic for aesthetic and minimalist design. Through these changes, the JDH Homepage will have an improved aesthetic interface over its first iterative design. 

Proposed Re-Design #2 – Services Page

Figure 5. Services Page 

The second iteration of the redesign for the JDH Services page includes several changes, or improvements, from the first design. Aesthetically, some minor changes were made to the page to include a re-alignment of the header, page description subtext, the sorting options, and the search bar from a center position to a left-side position on the page. This shifting allowed for the inclusion of two floating/frozen information messages to present an option for a collapsible chatbot feature with a scripted directory and to display the telephone number where a JDH services coordinator can answer questions, human to human, about the services offered at the hospital. Additionally, an aesthetic change was made by widening the service information cards further into the margins to take full advantage of the screen space. As a higher fidelity iteration, the design also displays images in the page header and in the service cards that serve as supplemental visual descriptors.   

Another change featured in this design iteration is the removal of a confusing and unnecessary filter option “Special Services” from the first iteration. This filter option could contribute to a negative user experience by expecting the user to know the non-standard language and understand what the “Special” designation filter would and would not include in its service list. This second iteration only includes the “A-Z” sorting filter and the default “Departments” filter which lists the most used services based on user selections on the page. The search bar is still present from the first iteration, allowing users to search for services based on keywords.   

Proposed Re-Design # 3 – Sorting Health Topics 

Figure 6. Health Research Center 

Figure 7. Stroke Article 

In the second iterative design for the JDH Health Research Center page the aesthetic changes implemented follow in uniformity with the changes made on the Services page; the left-side shift of the header, page description subtext, the content list filter options, and search bar, as well as the wider content cards that have been expanded closer to margins. Also, following the consistency of the layout of the Services page, floating/frozen information messages are present in the top right of the page, displaying the available chatbot option and a telephone number to reach a Health Educator who can assist in research questions.  

On the health topic subpage design, only two changes were made. The first change was to include JDH-curated titles for external links with subtext descriptive text to inform the user of the legitimacy and authority of the linked external resource. The second change was to include a call to action for the user to seek medical attention if they believe they are experiencing a medical emergency. This call to action takes the form of a floating/frozen message displayed in an eye-catching red color, replacing the telephone number display message on previous pages. If JDH chooses to implement a virtual triage or urgent care platform in the future, a link to this could be easily added in a future iterative design.  

Word count: 858

References  

Health Library. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health 

Jeff Davis Hospital. (2022). Jeff Davis Hospital. https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/  

Jeff Davis Hospital/fasthealth corporation (Hazlehurst, Georgia – jeff davis county). (2022). Jeff  

Davis Hospital/FastHealth Corporation. http://www.jeffdavisfasthealth.com/  

Montaña, E. (n.d.). Easy-Peasy Wireframe Kit. Figma. https://www.figma.com/community/file/989274600796773962  

Nielsen, J. (2020, November 15). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/  

Whitenton, K. (2015, November 29). Menu design: Checklist of 15 UX Guidelines to Help Users. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/menu-design/   

External Links  

Group Assignment 3A – First Iterative Design 

Group Assignment 2 – User Scenarios and Representative Tasks  

Group Assignment 1 – Group Topic Selection  

by Mars A.

https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/

Website Description

The website selected is one for a small hospital located just over 160 miles out of Tallahassee, FL in Hazelhurst, Georgia that serves patients in the Hazelhurst area along with surrounding areas after opening its doors as Clyde Duncan Memorial Hospital in 1963 with only 26 beds. After multiple expansions and a name change, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH) now has a total of 50 beds and 25 critical access beds. The points of care access that JDH provides to patients near and far include Endoscopy, 24-hour Emergency Department, CT, 3D Mammography, Dexa, Ultrasound, Diagnostic Radiology, 24-hour Respiratory Care, Dietary Counseling, ICU, Blood Bank, 24-hour Laboratory coverage, Respite Care, Hospice Care, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health Care Unit, Wound Care Center. The medical staff is comprised of Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Cardiology, Pathology, Radiology, and Emergency Medicine physicians. More detailed information on all of these services is offered through the JDH website.

User Description

The user selected for this testing is a 78-year-old mother and wife named Magdalene. Magdalene is the mother of a 53-year-old resident of St. Augustine, FL named Tracy. Tracy is the adult child of Magdalene and 82-year-old Thomas. Thomas lived outside of a rural, small town in Georgia called Hazelhurst, however, he experienced a stroke while visiting Tracy and was transferred from a large hospital in Jacksonville, FL following emergency surgery to his local hospital, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH). Thomas requested to be transferred following his completed surgery to recover has at his local hospital and complete rehabilitation closer to Magdalene and his home. 

Magdalene is using the Jeff Davis Hospital website for the first time to gain more information on what they provide before having her husband transferred back to recover. Magdalene also wants to learn more about who to contact for care coordination, care pricing, and to see what elderly-specific outpatient care coordination is available after being discharged.  

Disclaimer: All names used are fictional and for simulation purposes only

User Testing Method

The method used for user testing is remote, observational, unmoderated, and explorative. The chosen methods were chosen for as followed:

• Remote: the user is not located in Tallahassee and is over 300 miles away to have completed the testing in person. To complete the user testing with this desired user the only option was to complete a remote simulation of the testing.
• Observational: The user was provided the scenario and allowed to behave freely for full observation of their full autonomy. If the user was restricted in any sense this would have made the testing less authentic and would be forced. the only purpose that the tester aimed to score in this testing was to fully observe the user. This UX experiment was to replicate actual user testing where designers are not present during the user testing of sites.
• Unmoderated: The user was informed that no guidance would be provided throughout the testing but once they successfully found the desired task they could stop the task, request feedback, and discuss their experience. This simulation was designed to imitate user testing where software engineers and designers had no full contact with the user whereas a volunteer and uninvolved moderator that is unbiased provided the user direction in completing the task at hand.
• Explorative: This was the first time that the user used the JeffDavisHospital.org site for any reason at all let alone a stressful emotionally distressing situation such as the one presented in the simulation. The user was allowed full autonomy to explore the site as they pleased so that they can make informed decisions and navigate freely throughout.

User Assigned Task

The user was assigned the task of locating resources of care coordination for the stroke victim while also reading up on the resources that the rehabilitation center would provide as the patient completes their recovery care with the program. The user was also assigned the task of locating care costs so that the choices and decisions made for the stroke victim could be well-detailed and made with all of the information needed. The user was informed that with this information the care of their husband, Thomas would alleviate lots of stress from him since he would be assured that his family is prepared and well-informed. The overall task goal is to find the care coordinators’ contact information but the user was not informed of this high-level goal.

Task Summary

Once the user was provided the tasks to complete along with the URL of the hospital site she navigated to the home page of the site. Once the user arrived at the homepage of the site she was amazed at the site’s ability to move on its own with the navigation bar remaining at the top of the page. the user was very astonished at the moving graphics of the grass on the homepage, she requested information on why that was necessary or allowed on the site. The user described her lack of care for the moving graphics since the mobility of the homepage distracted her from the task at hand. It was a mystery as to how the moving graphics were a distraction to the task at hand because the user appeared to navigate the site effortlessly despite the moving graphics. Upon navigation, the user was curious about the “Swing Bed program” which caused her to click on the wording widget. Once the user clicked on the “Swing bed program” she read through the description and exclaimed, “Wow I have already located it, so I just have to call one of these people!” The contact information that the user found on the site was as follows: “For more information, please call Joni Powell (912) 375-7781 ext. 6240, Jennifer Wilkes (912) 375-7781 ext. 6196“. Once the user completed the task she asked about what else was needed, but the over task goal was to navigate the contact information of the care coordinators that could provide more information.

Design Recommendation

Improvements to this site are not many but the few needed include navigation, less moving graphics, and more detailed information on the about us section of the site. The about us section was reviewed prior to user testing to allow more background to be given to the user prior to testing. the “about us” section indicated JDH had a previous name before calling the hospital JDH but nowhere in the “about us” description is it indicated that the hospital had a name change or why the name was changed at all. The moving graphics of the site were a complaint of the user as it was a distraction for the user. The moving graphics on the homepage are a bit pointless in the analysis as they inhibit autonomous navigation of the site when the interface takes over to begin navigating to the bottom of the screen. This design could be altered by placing a warning that the page will begin moving prior to the movement of the page occurring. This design of automatic navigation violated numbers three and eight of the ten heuristic analysis because it limits user control and freedom while also not fulfilling the aesthetic and minimalist design standard. To fix these features the site could not only add a warning that the page will begin moving on its own but could also provide a text box asking “Yes or No” if the user is okay with the page moving freely or if they need help. An alternative to the “yes or No” text box is providing a chat box that the user can use to input their request if help is needed.

Word count: 1261

References

Carolyn A. Lin, Patricia J. Neafsey & Zoe Strickler (2009) Usability Testing by Older Adults of a Computer-Mediated Health Communication Program, Journal of Health Communication, 14:2, 102-118, DOI: 10.1080/10810730802659095

Nielsen, J. (2020, November 15). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

Swing bed program. (n.d.). Jeff Davis Hospital. https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/getpage.php?name=swing&sub=Our%20Services

by Mars A.

https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/

Website Description

The website selected is one for a small hospital located just over 160 miles out of Tallahassee, FL in Hazelhurst, Georgia that serves patients in the Hazelhurst area along with surrounding areas after opening its doors as Clyde Duncan Memorial Hospital in 1963 with only 26 beds. After multiple expansions and a name change, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH) now has a total of 50 beds and 25 critical access beds. The points of care access that JDH provides to patients near and far include Endoscopy, 24-hour Emergency Department, CT, 3D Mammography, Dexa, Ultrasound, Diagnostic Radiology, 24-hour Respiratory Care, Dietary Counseling, ICU, Blood Bank, 24-hour Laboratory coverage, Respite Care, Hospice Care, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health Care Unit, Wound Care Center. The medical staff is comprised of Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Cardiology, Pathology, Radiology, and Emergency Medicine physicians. More detailed information on all of these services is offered through the JDH website.

User Description

The user selected for this testing is a 78-year-old mother and wife named Magdalene. Magdalene is the mother of a 53-year-old resident of St. Augustine, FL named Tracy. Tracy is the adult child of Magdalene and 82-year-old Thomas. Thomas lived outside of a rural, small town in Georgia called Hazelhurst, however, he experienced a stroke while visiting Tracy and was transferred from a large hospital in Jacksonville, FL following emergency surgery to his local hospital, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH). Thomas requested to be transferred following his completed surgery to recover has at his local hospital and complete rehabilitation closer to Magdalene and his home. 

Magdalene is using the Jeff Davis Hospital website for the first time to gain more information on what they provide before having her husband transferred back to recover. Magdalene also wants to learn more about who to contact for care coordination, care pricing, and to see what elderly-specific outpatient care coordination is available after being discharged.  

Disclaimer: All names used are fictional and for simulation purposes only

User Testing Method

The method used for user testing is remote, observational, unmoderated, and explorative. The chosen methods were chosen for as followed:

• Remote: the user is not located in Tallahassee and is over 300 miles away to have completed the testing in person. To complete the user testing with this desired user the only option was to complete a remote simulation of the testing.
• Observational: The user was provided the scenario and allowed to behave freely for full observation of their full autonomy. If the user was restricted in any sense this would have made the testing less authentic and would be forced. the only purpose that the tester aimed to score in this testing was to fully observe the user. This UX experiment was to replicate actual user testing where designers are not present during the user testing of sites.
• Unmoderated: The user was informed that no guidance would be provided throughout the testing but once they successfully found the desired task they could stop the task, request feedback, and discuss their experience. This simulation was designed to imitate user testing where software engineers and designers had no full contact with the user whereas a volunteer and uninvolved moderator that is unbiased provided the user direction in completing the task at hand.
• Explorative: This was the first time that the user used the JeffDavisHospital.org site for any reason at all let alone a stressful emotionally distressing situation such as the one presented in the simulation. The user was allowed full autonomy to explore the site as they pleased so that they can make informed decisions and navigate freely throughout.

User Assigned Task

The user was assigned the task of locating resources of care coordination for the stroke victim while also reading up on the resources that the rehabilitation center would provide as the patient completes their recovery care with the program. The user was also assigned the task of locating care costs so that the choices and decisions made for the stroke victim could be well-detailed and made with all of the information needed. The user was informed that with this information the care of their husband, Thomas would alleviate lots of stress from him since he would be assured that his family is prepared and well-informed. The overall task goal is to find the care coordinators’ contact information but the user was not informed of this high-level goal.

Task Summary

Once the user was provided the tasks to complete along with the URL of the hospital site she navigated to the home page of the site. Once the user arrived at the homepage of the site she was amazed at the site’s ability to move on its own with the navigation bar remaining at the top of the page. the user was very astonished at the moving graphics of the grass on the homepage, she requested information on why that was necessary or allowed on the site. The user described her lack of care for the moving graphics since the mobility of the homepage distracted her from the task at hand. It was a mystery as to how the moving graphics were a distraction to the task at hand because the user appeared to navigate the site effortlessly despite the moving graphics. Upon navigation, the user was curious about the “Swing Bed program” which caused her to click on the wording widget. Once the user clicked on the “Swing bed program” she read through the description and exclaimed, “Wow I have already located it, so I just have to call one of these people!” The contact information that the user found on the site was as follows: “For more information, please call Joni Powell (912) 375-7781 ext. 6240, Jennifer Wilkes (912) 375-7781 ext. 6196“. Once the user completed the task she asked about what else was needed, but the over task goal was to navigate the contact information of the care coordinators that could provide more information.

Design Recommendation

Improvements to this site are not many but the few needed include navigation, less moving graphics, and more detailed information on the about us section of the site. The about us section was reviewed prior to user testing to allow more background to be given to the user prior to testing. the “about us” section indicated JDH had a previous name before calling the hospital JDH but nowhere in the “about us” description is it indicated that the hospital had a name change or why the name was changed at all. The moving graphics of the site were a complaint of the user as it was a distraction for the user. The moving graphics on the homepage are a bit pointless in the analysis as they inhibit autonomous navigation of the site when the interface takes over to begin navigating to the bottom of the screen. This design could be altered by placing a warning that the page will begin moving prior to the movement of the page occurring. This design of automatic navigation violated numbers three and eight of the ten heuristic analysis because it limits user control and freedom while also not fulfilling the aesthetic and minimalist design standard. To fix these features the site could not only add a warning that the page will begin moving on its own but could also provide a text box asking “Yes or No” if the user is okay with the page moving freely or if they need help. An alternative to the “yes or No” text box is providing a chat box that the user can use to input their request if help is needed.

Word count: 1261

References

Carolyn A. Lin, Patricia J. Neafsey & Zoe Strickler (2009) Usability Testing by Older Adults of a Computer-Mediated Health Communication Program, Journal of Health Communication, 14:2, 102-118, DOI: 10.1080/10810730802659095

Nielsen, J. (2020, November 15). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

Swing bed program. (n.d.). Jeff Davis Hospital. https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/getpage.php?name=swing&sub=Our%20Services

by Mars A.

https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/

Website Description

The website selected is one for a small hospital located just over 160 miles out of Tallahassee, FL in Hazelhurst, Georgia that serves patients in the Hazelhurst area along with surrounding areas after opening its doors as Clyde Duncan Memorial Hospital in 1963 with only 26 beds. After multiple expansions and a name change, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH) now has a total of 50 beds and 25 critical access beds. The points of care access that JDH provides to patients near and far include Endoscopy, 24-hour Emergency Department, CT, 3D Mammography, Dexa, Ultrasound, Diagnostic Radiology, 24-hour Respiratory Care, Dietary Counseling, ICU, Blood Bank, 24-hour Laboratory coverage, Respite Care, Hospice Care, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health Care Unit, Wound Care Center. The medical staff is comprised of Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Cardiology, Pathology, Radiology, and Emergency Medicine physicians. More detailed information on all of these services is offered through the JDH website.

User Description

The user selected for this testing is a 78-year-old mother and wife named Magdalene. Magdalene is the mother of a 53-year-old resident of St. Augustine, FL named Tracy. Tracy is the adult child of Magdalene and 82-year-old Thomas. Thomas lived outside of a rural, small town in Georgia called Hazelhurst, however, he experienced a stroke while visiting Tracy and was transferred from a large hospital in Jacksonville, FL following emergency surgery to his local hospital, Jeff Davis Hospital (JDH). Thomas requested to be transferred following his completed surgery to recover has at his local hospital and complete rehabilitation closer to Magdalene and his home. 

Magdalene is using the Jeff Davis Hospital website for the first time to gain more information on what they provide before having her husband transferred back to recover. Magdalene also wants to learn more about who to contact for care coordination, care pricing, and to see what elderly-specific outpatient care coordination is available after being discharged.  

Disclaimer: All names used are fictional and for simulation purposes only

User Testing Method

The method used for user testing is remote, observational, unmoderated, and explorative. The chosen methods were chosen for as followed:

• Remote: the user is not located in Tallahassee and is over 300 miles away to have completed the testing in person. To complete the user testing with this desired user the only option was to complete a remote simulation of the testing.
• Observational: The user was provided the scenario and allowed to behave freely for full observation of their full autonomy. If the user was restricted in any sense this would have made the testing less authentic and would be forced. the only purpose that the tester aimed to score in this testing was to fully observe the user. This UX experiment was to replicate actual user testing where designers are not present during the user testing of sites.
• Unmoderated: The user was informed that no guidance would be provided throughout the testing but once they successfully found the desired task they could stop the task, request feedback, and discuss their experience. This simulation was designed to imitate user testing where software engineers and designers had no full contact with the user whereas a volunteer and uninvolved moderator that is unbiased provided the user direction in completing the task at hand.
• Explorative: This was the first time that the user used the JeffDavisHospital.org site for any reason at all let alone a stressful emotionally distressing situation such as the one presented in the simulation. The user was allowed full autonomy to explore the site as they pleased so that they can make informed decisions and navigate freely throughout.

User Assigned Task

The user was assigned the task of locating resources of care coordination for the stroke victim while also reading up on the resources that the rehabilitation center would provide as the patient completes their recovery care with the program. The user was also assigned the task of locating care costs so that the choices and decisions made for the stroke victim could be well-detailed and made with all of the information needed. The user was informed that with this information the care of their husband, Thomas would alleviate lots of stress from him since he would be assured that his family is prepared and well-informed. The overall task goal is to find the care coordinators’ contact information but the user was not informed of this high-level goal.

Task Summary

Once the user was provided the tasks to complete along with the URL of the hospital site she navigated to the home page of the site. Once the user arrived at the homepage of the site she was amazed at the site’s ability to move on its own with the navigation bar remaining at the top of the page. the user was very astonished at the moving graphics of the grass on the homepage, she requested information on why that was necessary or allowed on the site. The user described her lack of care for the moving graphics since the mobility of the homepage distracted her from the task at hand. It was a mystery as to how the moving graphics were a distraction to the task at hand because the user appeared to navigate the site effortlessly despite the moving graphics. Upon navigation, the user was curious about the “Swing Bed program” which caused her to click on the wording widget. Once the user clicked on the “Swing bed program” she read through the description and exclaimed, “Wow I have already located it, so I just have to call one of these people!” The contact information that the user found on the site was as follows: “For more information, please call Joni Powell (912) 375-7781 ext. 6240, Jennifer Wilkes (912) 375-7781 ext. 6196“. Once the user completed the task she asked about what else was needed, but the over task goal was to navigate the contact information of the care coordinators that could provide more information.

Design Recommendation

Improvements to this site are not many but the few needed include navigation, less moving graphics, and more detailed information on the about us section of the site. The about us section was reviewed prior to user testing to allow more background to be given to the user prior to testing. the “about us” section indicated JDH had a previous name before calling the hospital JDH but nowhere in the “about us” description is it indicated that the hospital had a name change or why the name was changed at all. The moving graphics of the site were a complaint of the user as it was a distraction for the user. The moving graphics on the homepage are a bit pointless in the analysis as they inhibit autonomous navigation of the site when the interface takes over to begin navigating to the bottom of the screen. This design could be altered by placing a warning that the page will begin moving prior to the movement of the page occurring. This design of automatic navigation violated numbers three and eight of the ten heuristic analysis because it limits user control and freedom while also not fulfilling the aesthetic and minimalist design standard. To fix these features the site could not only add a warning that the page will begin moving on its own but could also provide a text box asking “Yes or No” if the user is okay with the page moving freely or if they need help. An alternative to the “yes or No” text box is providing a chat box that the user can use to input their request if help is needed.

Word count: 1261

References

Carolyn A. Lin, Patricia J. Neafsey & Zoe Strickler (2009) Usability Testing by Older Adults of a Computer-Mediated Health Communication Program, Journal of Health Communication, 14:2, 102-118, DOI: 10.1080/10810730802659095

Nielsen, J. (2020, November 15). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

Swing bed program. (n.d.). Jeff Davis Hospital. https://www.jeffdavishospital.org/getpage.php?name=swing&sub=Our%20Services

Website Being Evaluated

Site Background

The site that I chose to complete my heuristic analysis assignment on is the health site used and operated by the state of Florida for up-to-date health information, floridahealth.gov. This site provides health information to Floridians that reside within the state and out of state so that they may obtain health information, statistics, and updates of the state of Florida to make informed health decisions.

Heuristic Analysis Simulation situation

The simulation chosen for the floridahealth.gov was one of a user seeking the most up to date information on the COVID-19 to make an informed decision on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine for protection against the virus. This simulation was based off a user that mostly seeks after information using social media mostly without verifying the information received from social media during every encounter of the posts that comes across to the user. This simulation was used in a manner of the user not being very advanced in information seeking, usability analysis, or information seeking practices; we can identify the user in this simulation as a beginner as they navigate the Florida Health site.

Heuristic Analysis 10 step checklist

Heuristic Analysis Steps |Not Met Achieved| Comments			
#1. Visibility of system status: The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time. 	X		The site does not give users much information what they are doing, there is a search both atop the site that indicates “I’m looking for” which can be frustrating to use since the text indicator of “I” does not show in the search box as the search box only shows the texts that are typed once typing begins but there is no indication to show that text input can be started.
#2. Match between system and the real world: The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.		X	The site uses the user’s language clearly but the updates are not in real time as shown on the yielded search results, the last updated article “The State of Florida Issues COVID-19 Updates” after being clicked shows as August 7, 2020 which is over two years ago.
#3. User control and freedom: Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process. 	X		The user control is limited to return to the previous page the back arrow in inactive so to allow going back the user must select the previous tab they were on shown to the left of the new tab that was opened. It is a very limited system.
#4. Consistency and standards: Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry conventions.	X		The articles presented upon search submission are not well organized at all.
#5. Error prevention: Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions, or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action. 		X	The opening of the new tab causing the back arrow to be disabled allows limit of error and error prevention because multiple tabs can be opened and navigated through which is helpful for information comparison by an expert of information seeking but not an information seeking beginner.
#6. Recognition rather than call: Minimize the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily retrievable when needed. 		X	The opening of the new tab causing the back arrow to be disabled allows limit of error and error prevention, and recognition rather than recall because multiple tabs can be opened and navigated through which is helpful for information comparison by an expert of information seeking but not an information seeking beginner.
#7. Flexibility and efficiency of use: Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.		X	The site is friendly for beginners with the search bar being easily found on the first page and topic widgets sectioning information can also be clearly seen. The sectioning of information is not easily found however by a beginner.
#8. Aesthetic and minimalist design: Interfaces should not contain information that is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. 		X	The design of the site is very simple and does meet the design metrics for older adults through navigation being easily accessible by means of all of the information being on one page that only requires scrolling down to see.
#9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.		X	This step is met because there is not an easily made method to invoke error during a search on this site.
#10. Help and documentation: It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.	X		The site does not provide documentation to help users complete their tasks it simply provides a question and answer from multiple article method.
			
			
			
			



LIS5765_MarsAlceus_HeuristicAnalysis1-1

Design Recommendations

The site has many features that could be improved however two recommendation that I could immediately consider for user experience are that the search results be yielded in a more organized manner to filter the topics prior to receiving the search results. The second recommendation is that the information yielded in the search results be filtered by most recent to later in date while providing a brief synopsis of what the article includes instead of just showing the article title.

Individual Assignment 2: Heuristic Evaluation

Website Being Evaluated

Site Background

The site that I chose to complete my heuristic analysis assignment on is the health site used and operated by the state of Florida for up-to-date health information, floridahealth.gov. This site provides health information to Floridians that reside within the state and out of state so that they may obtain health information, statistics, and updates of the state of Florida to make informed health decisions.

Heuristic Analysis Simulation situation

The simulation chosen for the floridahealth.gov was one of a user seeking the most up to date information on the COVID-19 to make an informed decision on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine for protection against the virus. This simulation was based off a user that mostly seeks after information using social media mostly without verifying the information received from social media during every encounter of the posts that comes across to the user. This simulation was used in a manner of the user not being very advanced in information seeking, usability analysis, or information seeking practices; we can identify the user in this simulation as a beginner as they navigate the Florida Health site.

Heuristic Analysis 10 step checklist

Heuristic Analysis Steps |Not Met Achieved| Comments			
#1. Visibility of system status: The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time. 	X		The site does not give users much information what they are doing, there is a search both atop the site that indicates “I’m looking for” which can be frustrating to use since the text indicator of “I” does not show in the search box as the search box only shows the texts that are typed once typing begins but there is no indication to show that text input can be started.
#2. Match between system and the real world: The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.		X	The site uses the user’s language clearly but the updates are not in real time as shown on the yielded search results, the last updated article “The State of Florida Issues COVID-19 Updates” after being clicked shows as August 7, 2020 which is over two years ago.
#3. User control and freedom: Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process. 	X		The user control is limited to return to the previous page the back arrow in inactive so to allow going back the user must select the previous tab they were on shown to the left of the new tab that was opened. It is a very limited system.
#4. Consistency and standards: Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry conventions.	X		The articles presented upon search submission are not well organized at all.
#5. Error prevention: Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions, or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action. 		X	The opening of the new tab causing the back arrow to be disabled allows limit of error and error prevention because multiple tabs can be opened and navigated through which is helpful for information comparison by an expert of information seeking but not an information seeking beginner.
#6. Recognition rather than call: Minimize the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily retrievable when needed. 		X	The opening of the new tab causing the back arrow to be disabled allows limit of error and error prevention, and recognition rather than recall because multiple tabs can be opened and navigated through which is helpful for information comparison by an expert of information seeking but not an information seeking beginner.
#7. Flexibility and efficiency of use: Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.		X	The site is friendly for beginners with the search bar being easily found on the first page and topic widgets sectioning information can also be clearly seen. The sectioning of information is not easily found however by a beginner.
#8. Aesthetic and minimalist design: Interfaces should not contain information that is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. 		X	The design of the site is very simple and does meet the design metrics for older adults through navigation being easily accessible by means of all of the information being on one page that only requires scrolling down to see.
#9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.		X	This step is met because there is not an easily made method to invoke error during a search on this site.
#10. Help and documentation: It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.	X		The site does not provide documentation to help users complete their tasks it simply provides a question and answer from multiple article method.
			
			
			
			



LIS5765_MarsAlceus_HeuristicAnalysis1-1

Download

Design Recommendations

The site has many features that could be improved however two recommendation that I could immediately consider for user experience are that the search results be yielded in a more organized manner to filter the topics prior to receiving the search results. The second recommendation is that the information yielded in the search results be filtered by most recent to later in date while providing a brief synopsis of what the article includes instead of just showing the article title.

Website Being Evaluated

https://www.floridahealth.gov/

Site Background

The site that I chose to complete my heuristic analysis assignment on is the health site used and operated by the state of Florida for up-to-date health information, floridahealth.gov. This site provides health information to Floridians that reside within the state and out of state so that they may obtain health information, statistics, and updates of the state of Florida to make informed health decisions.

Heuristic Analysis Simulation situation

The simulation chosen for the floridahealth.gov was one of a user seeking the most up to date information on the COVID-19 to make an informed decision on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine for protection against the virus. This simulation was based off a user that mostly seeks after information using social media mostly without verifying the information received from social media during every encounter of the posts that comes across to the user. This simulation was used in a manner of the user not being very advanced in information seeking, usability analysis, or information seeking practices; we can identify the user in this simulation as a beginner as they navigate the Florida Health site.

Heuristic Analysis 10 step checklist

Design Recommendations

The site has many features that could be improved however two recommendation that I could immediately consider for user experience are that the search results be yielded in a more organized manner to filter the topics prior to receiving the search results. The second recommendation is that the information yielded in the search results be filtered by most recent to later in date while providing a brief synopsis of what the article includes instead of just showing the article title.

National Library of Medicine Website case Study by Marjani Alceus

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

key words “foodborne illnesses”

Overview: The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a scientific, research, medicine, and medical information source designed for access by the general public. The site was mostly created for use by medical professionals, scientists, researchers, and technologists to understand and study biological nomenclature to assist the general public in Biotechnology improvements. The site boasts of the mission to “Understand nature’s mute but elegant language of living cells is the quest of modern molecular biology” (National Library of Medicine, 2022). The site is offered by the National Institute of Health for access to medical and scientific research that is peer reviewed and credible without limited use restricted to the general public.

User Profile: The user requested for their point of view on this assignment was my best friend whom we shall anonymously name AS. My selected user, AS, is an educator of science and mathematics within the K- 12 pipeline and holds a Master’s of Science in Education with specialization in elementary education. She holds great knowledge on scientific literature for provision to her students but had never utilized the National Library of Medicine prior to assisting me with this individual assignment. The level of navigation knowledge that she held was truly exceptional for a user that had never utilized the NLM site before

User Actions: Upon learning of the chosen site for experiment, A.S was amazed by the home screen after entering the URL to her browser. After viewing the home screen, A.S immediately knew to type in her chosen key words to the search bar which conveniently appears at the top fore front of the page directly below center of the website name. Following the input of the key words “foodborne illnesses” a page showing limiting parameters ranging from Literature to PubChem appeared to range the selected topics of interest. A.S chose to look into “Literature” since she has experience in scientific literature, A.S expressed amazement in the number of articles ( a number of 27,728) that showed near Literature, following the navigation to the number of articles under literature A.S skimmed the article names under Literature but grew disinterested and navigated back to the select topics to choose Genes -> Geo DATAsets. The visual steps shown below

Visual steps of the user’s site navigation

User comparison: The NLM site is one that I frequent for research while gaining my health information technology certificate and while conducting research within the Center for Translational Behavior Science. The user, A.S, described her slight frustration with the site where she was unable to find the filters to apply to the search but stated that the search process was very similar to the sites that she often used/ uses through education research. She described this site as a different experience from what she is accustomed to. I was very impressed with the great knowledge and ease of navigation that A.S displayed while on the NLM library site, she experienced no difficulties in finding a resource on the site. My experience with the site consists of limiting my search paraments to many biological nomenclatures and setting different filters to restrict the database to particular organisms/ species and getting the search down to a minimum of 10-20 scholarly journals published within the last ten years of research. The only obstacle AS questioned in trying to overcome was the inability to find where to filter the search results. I guided AS where to find the filters during my demonstration of how I as an expert of the site would navigate the site for research. I believe that the site might better support novice users through navigation steps or an easily shown embedded link that shows how to navigate the site properly with the use of filters and such for a more user-friendly experience.

Word count: 620

References

National Library of Medicine. (2022). Foodborne illnesses – GEO datasets – NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gds/?term=foodborne%20illnesses