erik more - user solutions

Client: Merck & Co. HealthMap Platform

Project Summary: Usability evaluations & tests of InterMap Systems' HealthMap platform were carried out for each of InterMap Systems' flagship clients.
  This featured deliverable highlights the first of three Merck & Co., HealthMap Platform implementation evaluations & tests. The results from this formal study elicited the most influential feedback of all three tests and it also provided the basis for one of the more dramatic post study feedback based redesigns. The primary purpose of this study was to formally test the usability of the HealthMap Platform in relation to the core tasks involved in finding healthcare-related information, and to determine the value of the product from a user's standpoint. Its secondary purpose was to confirm or dismiss the violations from the heuristic evaluation.

Services: The formal usability study was a two-phase project consisting of the following components: An internal heuristic evaluation, and: A small-sample usability test of representative users to confirm or dismiss the violations identified during the heuristic evaluation.
  The heuristic evaluation compared an industry-standard list of guidelines for usability against the HealthMap Platform implementation. The usability test consisted of four components. These components included: Demographic Questions, Task Questions, Interviews, and a Post-Test Questionnaire. The test was carried out with 15 average Internet users who represented the target user group for the HealthMap Platform. Each participant was tested one by one and each test took between 1 and 1½ hours. InterMap Systems' usability professionals, Kelly Parkinson, Julie Armin and myself (Erik More) rotated roles as Test Facilitator, Test Recorder and Camera Operator.

Results: The positive aspects of the usability test included the following:
· 2/3 of the respondents felt information was organized and displayed in a highly logical fashion.
· Virtually all of the respondents commented on the clean, professional look of the application and commented on its trustworthy appeal.

  The main areas for improvement which influenced the redesign included the following:
· All respondents mentioned that they did not understand the relationship between the HealthMap and the content sources.
· Most respondents did not feel that the placement of the HealthMap as a navigational element on the right hand side of the screen was intuitive.
· Also, multiple respondents mentioned that they did not see the resource bucket links change.
· In addition, respondents did not understand that the links represented their destination point.

Client: Curaxis

Project Summary: This initial heuristic evaluation focused on the alpha release of the Curaxis product. The alpha release consisted of static mockup pages with a functional prototype navigation widget. InterMap usability personnel including Scott Navarro and myself (Erik More) reviewed the Curaxis product for violations of established usability heuristics. The Curaxis product was explored in its entirety, however known point release issues that were obvious and repeated system related violations were excluded from the findings.

Services: Any and all usability violations were identified and analyzed for their severity and extent during the course of the evaluation. This included independently identifying and documenting our specific discoveries during the evaluation. Once the evaluation had concluded we discussed, compiled, and ranked the varying heuristic violations for the application. These findings were then worked into the new design specification for second iteration of the product.

Results: This initial evaluation of the Curaxis alpha release yielded important information design heuristic violations. For instance:
· The primary navigation widget for the site was found to contain inaccurate or unclear links.
· The application did not clearly illustrate where the user's current position was within the information structure.
· Icons conveyed multiple meanings while unnecessary aesthetic graphics conveyed no meaning and therefore cluttered the information display.
· There were not enough visual warnings that would empower a user to understand where they had been within the application.

Client: Dartmouth-Hitchcock HealthMap Platform

Project Summary: InterMap Systems usability team simultaneously ran the same test as the Dartmouth-Hitchcock UI team. Eight representative users were tested whose familiarity with the healthcare information retrieval ran from novice to intermediate. Our use case called for testing the lowest common denominator of healthcare information Internet user. All participants had a briefing the day before the test to notify them about the conditions that we were going to test.

Services: At the beginning of the test, InterMap Systems' usability team, including Kelly Parkinson and myself (Erik More) read an orientation script. We then asked background questions relating to prior experience with healthcare searches, healthcare information sites and average Internet usage. We then described two different scenarios and asked the participants to perform tasks related to each scenario. After the completion and documentation of the tasks we then allowed participants a period of free exploration in which they were permitted to explore topics of their choosing. During the tasks and free exploration we asked participants to think aloud. At the end of the testing we had a debriefing session during which we solicited feedback on the general experience relating to the use of the application as well as specific questions regarding different interface options.

Results: We asked participants for their preferences on a number of specific interface related items, and these were the highlights of the results:
· The majority of respondents preferred the two column, one-page version of the application to the two column, two-page version.
· All of the respondents preferred to have links open in the same window and use the Back button to navigate back.
· ¾ of the respondents preferred the traditional CSS outline view of the information navigation as opposed to the flash HealthMap version.

Client: HealthMap Menu

Project Summary: The InterMap Systems' usability team: Erik Gibb, Eimile Robertson, and myself (Erik More) conducted a usability study on InterMap Systems disease and condition upper-level taxonomy Flash Menu. We tested the functionality for ease of use and goal oriented success for specific user tasks.

Services: The test was composed of 3 sections:
· Section 1- Participants were given a starting point and asked to navigate to a particular end-point.
· Section 2 - they were asked to rank (Poor - 1 to 5 - Very good) aspects of the menu based on the tasks they had performed in Section 1. (A space for additional comments was also included in the design of the form to capture opinions.)
· Section 3 - they listed the 3 things they liked and the 3 things they disliked about their experience.

Results: Generally, the respondents liked the layout, functionality and organization. They gave very positive comments on the navigation, the ability to refer back to the previous level, the highlighting of the user's selection, and the organization and presentation of the topics.
  Eleven respondents, however, made comments regarding the terminology utilized in labeling and felt it was confusing, not intuitive, and that it made it difficult to find things for a non-medical user.

  The majority of the Flash Menu's original objectives did seem to have been met, however, the following feedback areas had to be addressed:
· 1/3 of the respondents could not complete tasks 2 and 3
· 2/3 of the respondents said that there were too many clicks.

  The major improvements to the menu in order to address the issues were:
·Develop a plan for a condensed version of the menu that only includes the most common diseases and conditions - This cut down on the number of clicks, which was an issue, and made it easier for users to find what they were looking for.
·Create an alternate Menu system with non-physician labeling.