Heuristic Evaluation Extended by User Analysis : A fast and efficient method to identify Potential Usability Problems in Health Information Systems

• Heuristic evaluation is a usability testing method for computer software that helps to identify usability problems in the user interface (UI) design. It specifically involves evaluators examining the interface and judging its compliance with recognised usability principles (the "heuristics"). Despite the benefits of this practice, to our knowledge formal heuristic evaluation is rarely performed for healthcare software applications, and particularly for those used in home care. In this paper we present a heuristic evaluation aimed at improving the usability of a virtual health record used by district nurses in home care. A user analysis was added to the conventional evaluation, defining specific characteristics of district nurses in home care, e.g. expertise, skills, knowledge, cognitive capacities and frequency of system use. The evaluation was performed by 6 people, half of which had both heuristic evaluation experience and medical domain knowledge. The evaluators used 10 heuristics to categorise heuristic violations and usability problems. Fifty-eight heuristic violations and 44 usability problems were identified. Based on a scale of 1 (cosmetic) to 4 (catastrophic) the average severity ratings of all heuristic violations identified was 1.78. The most frequently violated were "Consistency and Standards" for novice users and "Flexibility and efficiency of use" for Experienced users. The most severe violations were found in "Visibility of system status". The results of our study indicate that heuristic evaluation combined with user analysis provides a richer assessment than heuristic evaluation alone for the development of Health Information Systems where heterogeneous user groups are common.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy (hsv//eng)

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