heuristics

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HeuristicsHeather Mathieson Megan McKeeverEsther Sheppard

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Guidelines

+Heuristics/Guidelines

de Jong and van der Geest state that heuristics can be distinguished by their foundations Standards-Based - official agreed upon rules Theory-based – adapted from general well known accepted

theories Research-based – based on research that tests usability Practitioner-based – guidelines not supported by above but

reflect experience of professional web designers

Used for

Reasoning

Planning

Design

Computation

+Patient Activation Measure

The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) evaluates consumer knowledge, skill and confidence for self-managing health and health care.

Predicts behaviors ranging from diet and exercise to disease self-management and utilizing health information.

Four levels of activation:• Level 1—Does not yet grasp the need to play an active role

in personal health

• Level 2—Lacks knowledge and confidence to act

• Level 3—Is beginning to take action

• Level 4—Has adopted new behaviors but may not be able to maintain them under stress Hibbard, P. (2007)

+General Interaction Heuristics – Jakob Nielsen

“Heuristics are general rules of thumb rather than specific usability guidelines.” Visibility of system status Match between system and real world User control and freedom Consistency and standards Error prevention Recognition rather than recall Flexibility and efficiency of use Aesthetic and minimalist design Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Help and documentation

+General Interaction Heuristics -Bruce Tognazzini

Anticipation

Autonomy

Color Blindness

Consistency

Defaults

Efficiency of the User

Explorable Interfaces

Fitts' Law (time to move to target is function between distance and size of target)

Latency Reduction

Learnability

Metaphors, Use of

Protect Users' Work

Readability

Track State

Visible Navigation

+Health Sites

Health sites have similarities to learning/educational sites:

Overlapping goals: providing and/or learning informationthe environment

formscommunitylearning modules

+Healthcoach4Me.com

Includes audience of older adults Stress Management COPD Heart Disease Diabetes Medicine

+Health Sites

For Older Adults Use conventional interaction elements Make obvious what is clickable and what is not Make clickable items easy to target and hit Minimize vertical scrolling: eliminate horizontal scrolling Ensure that the Back button behaves predictably Let the user stay in control Provide clear feedback on actions Provide feedback in other modes in addition to visual

•

Chisnell,D, E., Redish, J, C., Lee, A. (2006)

+Hospital Websites

access

audience

accuracy

timeliness

content

authority

privacy

Randeree, E. and Rao, H.R. (2004)

+Health Sites – diabetes websites

Visibility of system status (progress indicators or messages)

Match between system and real world (words, phrases familiar, information presented in logical order)

User control and freedom (“undo” or “cancel”, “redo”, clearly marked exits)

Consistency and standards

Error prevention

Recognition rather than recall

Athavale, A., V., (2010)


Flexibility and efficiency of use (does system allow for range of of user expertise)

Aesthetic minimalist design ( intuitive, easy to learn)

Help users recover from errors

Help and documentation

Navigation (feedback, no new browser windows)

Structure of information (hierarchy from general to specific, clustering related information, facilitate scanning of information)



Physical constraints (proportional size to distance of targets)

Extraordinary users (equivalent alternatives provided for auditory and visual content


+Kennedy Krieger Institute

Accessibility Accessibility Page

+Accessibility- section 508

1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

+Accessibility- section 508


(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

+Accessibility – Section 508


(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.

(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

+Accessibility – Section 508


(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).

(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

+Accessibility – Usability.gov

Comply with section 508

Design forms for users using assistive devices

Do not use color alone to convey information

Enable users to skip repetitive navigation links

Provide text equivalents for non-text elements

Test plug-ins and applets for accessibility

Ensure that scripts allow accessibility

Provide equivalent pages

+Accessibility – Usability.gov

Provide client-side image maps

Synchronize multimedia elements

Do not require style sheets

Provide frame titles

Avoid screen flicker

+Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics

1. Provide meaningful and relevant alternatives to non-text elements

Images, graphs, video, sound, image maps, objects (applets, plug-ins, Portable Document Format (PDF) files)

If important information is being conveyed, provide a suitable alternative

Alternatives provide all users with the same relevant content



Always provide a home page link

Always provide a skip to main content link

Correctly tag headings

Meaningfully title frames, correctly tag table headers

2. Support consistent and correctly tagged navigation



Allows users to navigate by keyboard alone


3. Allow complete and efficient keyboard usage



Permit large font sizes

Ensure page layout adjusts itself to suit font size

Allow preferred color settings



4. Respect users’ browser settings


5. Ensure appropriate use of standard and proprietary controls

Text entry fields, drop-down menus, radio buttons, checkboxes, buttons

Ensure controls do not stop the completion of the task



Verify color alone is not used for information

Ensure contrast is sufficient in images

6. Do not rely on color alone to code and distinguish



Provide a means to stop blinking, flashing, flickering

Allow users to control speed of scrolling for example ticker tape


7. Allow users control of potential distractions



Notify user of time-out

Allow users to request more time



8. Allow users to understand and control time restraint



Make certain important and frequent tasks can be completed successfully using assistive technology tools for example screen reader, magnifier



8. Allow users to understand and control time restraint

9. Make certain the Web site is content compatible with assistive technologies

+Accessibility continued…

Provide semantics for structure. - This helps provide alternative ways for user navigation and

orientation. Semantics can be provided by using the elements of the language in a correct way and by describing the site and page navigation and the structured components with other available means.

Provide reusable components to limit confusion.Provide device independent interaction so for users with different

input and output devices.Provide user control for presentation by separating it from the rest of

the content. This benefits users with disabilities or devices with limited capability.

*For instance, a blind user may want to define that emphasized text is read in a louder voice, or a user with low vision can change the fonts to a larger size and use colors that have more contrast. This principle can be implemented by using style sheet technology.

Koivunen,M-R, McCathieNevile, C.(2001)

+Heuristics: Our list

Make clickable items easy to target and hit (fitt’s law)

Minimize vertical scrolling and eliminate horizontal scrolling

Provide clear feedback on actions

Provide user control for presentation (?)

Aesthetic and minimalist design (intuitive, easy to learn, displayed information at one time kept to minimum

Error prevention

Timeliness

Recognition rather than recall

+Heuristics: Our list

Provide equivalent text for all non text elements

Accuracy

Flexibility and efficiency of use (does system allow for range of of user expertise)

Match between system and real world (words, phrases familiar, information presented in logical order)

Error recovery

+Make clickable items easy to hit:Example: medicare.gov

Large text/buttons

This is also a good example of a site that easily shows what is clickable and what is not.

Defined tabs

+Provide user control for presentationExamples: medicare.gov and nihseniorhealth.gov

Many themes to pick from

Colors and fonts can be changed to visual preference

+Minimize vertical scrollingExample: UB Homepage

Limited vertical scrolling – not much content ‘below the fold’

+Provide clear feedback on actions Example: Amazon

Immediate confirmation of order on screen and via e-mail

Able to easily follow-up on purchases, take action

+Error PreventionExample: Itunes.com, onetavel.com

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Example: Technorati

Error messages describe problems sufficiently, assist in their diagnosis and suggest ways of recovery in a constructive way

A little humor doesn’t hurt

Good Error Recovery

+Minimalist DesignExample: Mayo Clinic

Clean, easy to read

Presents information without overwhelming user

+TimelinessExample: National Autism Society

Provides links to the most recently published autism articles on homepage

+Provide equivalent text for all non-text elementsExamples: nihseniorhealth.gov; healthcare.gov; US National Park Service

Tool Tipon Buttons

Descriptive Texton Pictures

Provide alternate ways to convey meaning from images and texts for visually impaired users

Allow for accessibility by those using assistive technologies

+Match between system and real world Example: Humana-medicare.com

Use of language; Information presented in logical order

Clarity of order

Familiar language

+Recognition rather than recall

Example: Healthcare.gov

The navigation is stable and consistent. Users know where they are.

Tabexpands with larger header

+References

Chisnell,D, E., Redish, J, C., Lee, A. (2006) New heuristics for understanding older adults as web users. Retrieved May 28,2011 from www.usabilityworks.net/resources/chisnell_redish_lee_heuristics.pdf

• DeJong, M., Van Der Geest, T., (2000) Characterizing web heuristics. TechnicalCommunication 47 pp 311-25. Retrieved May 28, 2011 from http://echo.iat.sfu.ca/library/jong_00_heuristics.pdf

• Hibbard, J. (2007) The elusive health care consumer: What will it take to activate patients? Retrieved May 28, 2011 from http://www.academyhealth.org/Publications/BriefList.cfm?navItemNumber=534

• Koivunen, Marja-Riitta and McCathieNevile, Charles (2009) Accesible graphics and multimedia on the web. Retreived on May 31, 2011 from http://www.w3.org/2001/05/hfweb/heuristics.htm

• Nielsen, J. Ten usability heuristics. Retrieved on May 28, 2011.

http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

Athavale, A., V., (2010) Usability evaluation of two websites providing information

on Diabetes. Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries. Vol.4 • No.2.P46Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://www.jhidc.org/index.php/jhidc/article/viewFile/48/82

http://echo.iat.sfu.ca/library/jong_00_heuristics.pdf

http://www.w3.org/2001/05/hfweb/heuristics.htm

http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

https://myub.ubalt.edu/exchweb/bin/,DanaInfo=mail2.ubalt.edu+redir.asp?URL=http://www.jhidc.org/index.php/jhidc/article/viewFile/48/82

+References

Paddison. C., Englefield, P., (2004) Applying heuristics to accessibility inspections. Interacting with Computers 16, pp. 507–521. Retrieved May 28,2011 from: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/intcom

Tognazzini, B. First principles of interaction design Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html

Section 508 standards guide Retrieved May 28, 2011 fromhttp://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsdoc#Web

Randeree, E. and Rao, H.R. (2004) ‘E-health and assurance: curing hospital websites’, Int. J. Electronic Healthcare, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp.33–46.

Research-based web design & usability guidelines Retrieved June 1, 2011 fromhttp://www.usability.gov/guidelines/

http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsdoc#Web

http://www.usability.gov/guidelines/

heuristics

Documents

health information

health care

personal health level

selfmanaging health

learningeducational

action level

disease selfmanagement

learnhelp users