Heuristics

1. Heuristics Heather Mathieson Megan McKeever Esther Sheppard

2. Guidelines

3. Heuristics/Guidelines • de Jong and van derGeest 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. General Interaction Heuristics -Bruce Tognazzini • Latency Reduction • Learnability • Metaphors, Use of • Protect Users' Work • Readability • Track State • Visible Navigation • 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)

7. Health Sites • Health sites have similarities to learning/educational sites: • Overlapping goals: providing and/or learning informationthe environment forms community learning modules

8. Healthcoach4Me.com • Includes audience of older adults • Stress Management • COPD • Heart Disease • Diabetes • Medicine

9. 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)

10. Hospital Websites • access • audience • accuracy • timeliness • content • authority • privacy Randeree, E. and Rao, H.R. (2004)

11. 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)

12. Health Sites – diabetes websites • 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) Athavale, A., V., (2010)

13. Health Sites – diabetes websites • Physical constraints (proportional size to distance of targets) • Extraordinary users (equivalent alternatives provided for auditory and visual content Athavale, A., V., (2010)

14. Kennedy Krieger Institute Accessibility Page Accessibility

15. 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.

16. Accessibility- section 508 • 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications. • (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.

17. Accessibility – Section 508 • 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications. • (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.

18. Accessibility – Section 508 • 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications. • (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.

19. 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

20. Accessibility – Usability.gov • Provide client-side image maps • Synchronize multimedia elements • Do not require style sheets • Provide frame titles • Avoid screen flicker

21. 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

22. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 1. Provide meaningful and relevant alternatives to non-text elements • 2. Support consistent and correctly tagged navigation • Always provide a home page link • Always provide a skip to main content link • Correctly tag headings • Meaningfully title frames, correctly tag table headers

23. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 1. Provide meaningful and relevant alternatives to non-text elements • 2. Support consistent and correctly tagged navigation • 3. Allow complete and efficient keyboard usage • Allows users to navigate by keyboard alone

24. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 1. Provide meaningful and relevant alternatives to non-text elements • 2. Support consistent and correctly tagged navigation • 3. Allow complete and efficient keyboard usage • 4. Respect users’ browser settings • Permit large font sizes • Ensure page layout adjusts itself to suit font size • Allow preferred color settings

25. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 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

26. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 5. Ensure appropriate use of standard and proprietary controls • 6. Do not rely on color alone to code and distinguish • Verify color alone is not used for information • Ensure contrast is sufficient in images

27. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 5. Ensure appropriate use of standard and proprietary controls • 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

28. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 5. Ensure appropriate use of standard and proprietary controls • 6. Do not rely on color alone to code and distinguish • 7. Allow complete and efficient keyboard usage • 8. Allow users to understand and control time restraint • Notify user of time-out • Allow users to request more time

29. Accessibility – IBM Web accessibility heuristics • 5. Ensure appropriate use of standard and proprietary controls • 6. Do not rely on color alone to code and distinguish • 7. Allow complete and efficient keyboard usage • 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 • 9. Make certain the Web site is content compatible with assistive technologies

30. 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)

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. Provide user control for presentation Examples: medicare.gov and nihseniorhealth.gov Many themes to pick from Colors and fonts can be changed to visual preference

35. Minimize vertical scrolling Example: UB Homepage Limited vertical scrolling – not much content ‘below the fold’

36. 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

37. Error Prevention Example: Itunes.com, onetavel.com

38. Good Error Recovery 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

39. Minimalist Design Example: Mayo Clinic Clean, easy to read Presents information without overwhelming user

40. Timeliness Example: National Autism Society Provides links to the most recently published autism articles on homepage

41. Provide equivalent text for all non-text elements Examples: nihseniorhealth.gov; healthcare.gov; US National Park Service • Provide alternate ways to convey meaning from images and texts for visually impaired users • Allow for accessibility by those using assistive technologies Tool Tipon Buttons Descriptive Texton Pictures

42. Match between system and real world Example: Humana-medicare.com Use of language; Information presented in logical order Familiar language Clarity of order

43. Recognition rather than recall Example: Healthcare.gov The navigation is stable and consistent. Users know where they are. Tab expands with larger header

44. References • Athavale, A., V., (2010) Usability evaluation of two websites providing information • on Diabetes. Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries. Vol.4 • No.2.P46 • Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://www.jhidc.org/index.php/jhidc/article/viewFile/48/82 • 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

45. 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 • 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 from • http://www.usability.gov/guidelines/ • Section 508 standards guide Retrieved May 28, 2011 from • http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsdoc#Web • Tognazzini, B. First principles of interaction design Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html