HealthCoach4Me : HEURISTICS

1. HealthCoach4Me.com: HEURISTICS Dave Maruszewski & Shirley Carvalhedo

2. Methodology • Analyze Lund’s list; • 8 among of 34 items were chosen. • Analysis of three health sites: • http://www.healthcoach4me.com/en/about.html; • http://www.webmd.com/; • http://www.healthfinder.gov/

3. Lund’s List Know thy user, and YOU are not thy user. Things that look the same should act the same. Everyone makes mistakes, so every mistake should be fixable. The information for the decision needs to be there when the decision is needed. Error messages should actually mean something to the user, and tell the user how to fix the problem. Every action should have a reaction. Don’t overload the user’s buffers. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Minimize the need for a mighty memory. Keep it simple. The more you do something, the easier it should be to do. The user should always know what is happening. The user should control the system. The system shouldn’t control the user. The user is the boss, and the system should show it. The idea is to empower the user, not speed up the system. Eliminate unnecessary decisions, and illuminate the rest. If I made an error, let me know about it before I get into REAL trouble. The best journey is the one with the fewest steps. Shorten the distance between the user and their goal. The user should be able to do what the user wants to do. Things that look different should act different. You should always know how to find out what to do next. Don’t let people accidentally shoot themselves. Even experts are novices at some point. Provide help. Design for regular people and the real world. Keep it neat. Keep it organized. Provide a way to bail out and start over. The fault is not in thyself, but in thy system. If it is not needed, it’s not needed. Color is information. Everything in its place, and a place for everything. The user should be in a good mood when done. If I made an error, at least let me finish my thought before I have to fix it. Cute is not a good adjective for systems. Let people shape the system to themselves, and paint it with their own personality. To know the system is to love it.

4. Rules Nine main categories: The more you do something, the easier it should be to do; The idea is to empower the user, not speed up the system; Don’t let people accidentally shoot themselves; If it is not needed, it’s not needed; The user should be in a good mood when done; Error messages should actually mean something to the user, and tell the user how to fix the problem; Keep it simple; Consistency, consistency, consistency; Even experts are novices at some point. Provide help.

5. Error messages should actually mean something to the user, and tell the user how to fix the problem. • Password and e-mail fields • Help users to fill out the form

6. Keep it simple. • Just four labels • Users will be able to find the information quickly

7. Consistency, consistency, consistency. • The Spanish version of the site is consistent with the main site • The information is accessible to a growing population (Latin America) • http://www.healthcoach4me.com/es/index.html • http://www.healthcoach4me.com/en/index.html

8. Even experts are novices at some point. Provide help. • Icons reflect the content • Helps non-native speakers connect to words and makes it easier to read and locate information

9. The more you do something, the easier it should be to do • This is a typical form that you would find in many places on the site • It is in .pdf form • Meant to be downloaded and then filled in

10. The idea is to empower the user, not speed up the system • From the coaching plan, you can fill out this questionnaire • You can make your own questions of certain type • A generic graph is created • Fill out and get this graph

11. The idea is to empower the user, not speed up the system • Easy buttons that help you find your topic • Not all on one page

12. Don’t let people accidentally shoot themselves • Register Now appears when logged in • Sometimes, it will let you register when you are logged in or it will log you out

13. Don’t let people accidentally shoot themselves • A simple and effective way to stop users from re-logging in • A convenient “Back” button is used

14. If it is not needed, it’s not needed • Reverse, Pause and Play Buttons • Skip from picture to picture with small differences in text blurbs • All pictures end with “REGISTER AT NO COST” and “TAKE SITE TOUR”

15. If it is not needed, it’s not needed • Similar concept but have buttons on the bottom for easier navigation • Slideshows go somewhere different for each picture

16. The user should be in a good mood when done • Most “Clicks” in the Health Library end in .pdf pop-ups • Click one of the links and you get a .pdf

17. Bibliography • GSK. A virtual health coaching site. 25-31 May 2011 <http://HealthCoach4Me.com>. • Hansen, W. J. "User Engineering Principles for Interactive Systems." Proceedings of the Joint Computer Conference. New York: ACM Press, 1971. 523-532. • Hix, D. & Hartson, H.R. Developing User Interfaces: Ensuring usability through product and process, NY: Wiley, 1993. • Laurel, B. (Ed.) The art of human-computer interface design. Menlo Park: Addison Wesley, 1991. • Lund, A. M. "Expert Ratings of Usability Maxims." Ergonomics in Design May 1997: 15-20. • Nielsen, Jakob. Usability Inspection Methods. New York: Wiley and Sones, 1994. • Shneiderman, Ben. Designing the User Interface. Boston: Addison Wesley, 1997. • Smith, Sid and Mosier, Jane. Guidelines for Designing User Interface Software. ESD-TR-86-278. Springfield: National Technical Information Service, 1986. • U. S. Department of Health and Human Services . Your Source for Reliable Health Information. 1 June 2011 <http://healthfinder.gov>. • WebMD. Better Information. Better Health. 1 June 2011 <http://www.webmd.com>