Usability of state public health department websites for communication during a pandemic: A heuristic evaluation |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Engineering Management, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, USA;2. Industrial Engineering, Hofstra University, USA;3. Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Iowa, USA;1. School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China;2. School of Reliability and System Engineering, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics: Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China;3. Key Laboratory of Deep Geodrilling Technology, Ministry of Land and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China;1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA, USA;2. Department of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Deusto, Spain;3. Seoul National University, College of Human Ecology, Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul, South Korea;4. Kyung Hee University, College of Physical Education, Department of Sports Medicine, Yongin-si, South Korea;1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;2. Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;3. School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;1. Department of Bioscience and Engineering, College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, 337-8570 Saitama, Japan;2. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia;3. Alfa Persada Sdn. Bhd., 41050, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia;4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;5. Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom;1. Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 2-64 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G4, Canada;2. Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, 10230 111 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T5G 0B7, Canada;3. Biomedical Engineering Program, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Calle 63D # 24-31, 7 de Agosto, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia;4. School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Calle 63D # 24-31, 7 de Agosto, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia;5. Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, West Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada;1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacture for Vehicle Body, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China;2. Aviation Materials Research Center, The Second Research Institute of CAAC, Chengdu, 610041, China |
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| Abstract: | Study aims were to investigate how usable COVID-19 dedicated state public health websites in the US were, and whether case counts in different geographical regions in the US were related to website usability. 16 state websites representing the 2 highest and the 2 lowest case count states in each region were selected. Five experts used a heuristic evaluation procedure to independently rate all 16 websites on a severity scale of 0–4. Usability criteria published by the US Department of Health and Human Services and criteria on risk communication and data dashboards were used. Analyses involved cross tabulation of usability criteria with case counts, comparison of usability scores using Mood's median tests, test of differences in average usability scores using ANOVA and post-hoc tests, and identification of correlations between case counts and usability scores. Results from the Mood's median test showed that the median usability scores for the states were significantly different from each other at the 5% level of significance (df = 15, chi-square = 38.40; p = 0.001). ANOVA showed statistically significant differences between the mean usability scores for the states at the 5% level of significance (F = 6.33, p < 0.05). Although not statistically significant, results from a correlation analysis between case count and usability scores showed a negative correlation (r = -0.209, p = 0.437) indicating that the higher the case count, the better the usability score. Overall, the websites fared well on usability, but many websites were used as an information and data repository. These websites must communicate infection risk better.Relevance to industryThe study applies to public health agency websites that communicate essential information during a pandemic. |
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| Keywords: | Usability Pandemic Heuristic evaluation Public health websites COVID-19 Emergency communication |
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