Healthline and Mayo Clinic: Websites Comparison

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Table of Contents

Executive summary
Introduction
Background
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion

Executive summary

This paper is a comparison paper comparing two websites, healthline.com and mayoclinic.com, to identify the difference in their usability. The paper shows that several factors may cause a website easy to interact with. These factors include human aspects, the structural format of the site, and the design. The report gives a brief background of the two web sites as well as outlining the method of research used to identify the differences. The results of the research have been presented, and a detailed discussion is given in this paper to show how websites can be affected by certain aspects of humanity. Towards the end of the paper, some recommendations on how to mitigate the problem have been outlined as well.

Introduction

Website usability is one of the most important aspects of any portal or site where members of the public are expected to access information about a particular subject. Different sites use varied user interfaces, which makes the difference between a simple and complex site. Some sites are very simple and easy to use for a layman, while others are too complex for an ordinary user to understand. These are the major structural differences that determine the number of users visiting a particular site while overlooking some. In this paper, the websites that will be discussed are healthline.com and mayoclinic.com since they both offer professional advice and information on breast cancer.

While developing a website, it is very important for an organization to consider a number of factors in order to create an effective health information system. Several risks are expected while creating such a system, and this includes the probability that the system may not work, may partially work, or may work, but users may not like it. Such challenges are there, and they may affect the performance and effectiveness of a website. With such an understanding, it becomes apparent that while developing a website, it is imperative for an organization to consider human aspects. This includes beliefs, tastes and preferences, current trends, and personality disparities.

Background

The greatest determining factor of a website’s effectiveness is its accessibility. A website that is easily accessible and the information therein is readily available for users will definitely be the most visited site. Mayoclinic.com is one of the websites that offer information concerning breast cancer, and it is a very popular medical website. However, compared to healthline.com, the former is quite inaccessible. The mayoclinic.com website requires users to pay or purchase the information therein as opposed to the healthline.com website. The latter offers breast cancer patients free information on different topics such as living beyond cancer, dancing with cancer, among other breast cancer blogs.

The website offers testimonials from victims of the disease, including advice from experienced and renowned doctors and health practitioners. Barbara Jacoby is one of the women battling with the disease, and she offers lessons about letting life happen. She has devoted all her efforts to help and educate women suffering from breast cancer, and all the information is posted on the healthline.com website for free. On the other hand, the mayoclinic.com clinic offers a brief introduction about the essential guide to breast cancer. After capturing the user’s attention and creating suspense with the limited information, the user is required to make an order and purchase the entire breast cancer book at $22.95.

Methods

While developing a health care information system, developers forget to include the aspect of human factors in their design. This research has used observation as one of the methods for obtaining information on the differences between the two websites. There are structural characteristics of a website that can have either a negative or a positive impact on the user’s health care reasoning and cognition. Comparing the mayoclinic.com and the healthline.com websites, the two are different even by the look of their user interface. The mayoclinic.com website looks more like a commercial website where users have to request appointments, find a personal doctor as well as an order book. On the other hand, the healthline.com website is purely a health care information platform. As soon as a user gets into the website, the information requested is visible and available without a charge.

Results

Such a conspicuous difference can have varied implications on both sites in terms of accessibility of information and the physical impression created. Most of the target users in health care information systems are people who need health-related help. For instance, on the healthline.com website, information about breast cancer is dominant. Advice includes tests that can help guide a breast cancer patient, the most vulnerable groups, quality of life for cancer patients, breast cancer vaccines, among other helpful information. The site has an entire article tackling drugs for breast cancer comparing the quality of the recent drugs to the older ones hence providing victims with very useful information.

Discussion

On the other hand, the mayoclinic.com website has very little and limited information on the same subject tackling only prevention, treatment, taking care of victims, and living with cancer. In addition, the information is also not very broad hence giving just a basic insight on the topics. This is an intentional withholding of information so that the book can sell. The human perception that a health care organization is making money from patients who need help can spur negative publicity; hence few users would want to visit the website. Satisfying users’ expectations by providing enough information at first glance is a very important factor. Mayoclinic.com website lacks this advantage with its limited information and billing system.

The healthline.com website uses a simple Topics and Tools button to access information while leaving a search option where users can directly type in their questions and concerns. The mayoclinic.com, on the other hand, has a number of functions but lacks the most important Search option. The function buttons have a number of other functions within them hence making the site more complex for an average user. Using this site is quite difficult compared to the healthline.com website, which is direct and simple to use due to the lack of such intricate functional buttons.

Web site functionality is highly dependent on the ability of users to interact with the information system effectively. Human-computer interaction, HCI, is an important aspect of a website. Health care information systems have to be easy to execute and set up as well as be in conformity with the current rules and regulations set by law. Simplicity while developing a health care information system is very important. Such systems are best developed with simple procedures to access information faster and more conveniently. To achieve the most out of a system, it should be created in an easy language to facilitate easy learning and memorizing of the interface methods. User satisfaction must be the priority in a health care system as well as its efficiency. A good system must be error-free, providing legitimate and accurate information.

Conclusion

This research paper discusses the differences between two prominent websites that offer health care information to the public. The paper discusses the different characteristics that differentiate the two websites by looking into their usability. Efficiency and accessibility have both been identified as some of the factors that determine the usability of a website. The quality of information offered on a website is also considered to be a contributing factor to its usability. Other aspects, such as the design and user interface have also been identified as factors causative to an effective website usability.

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