User Experience Treasure Map

User Experience Treasure Map
Originally uploaded by Peter Morville

I'd seen this cool map months ago, and had hunted all over the place trying to find it again.

It's a nice tool when you want to quickly, visually show someone that "usability is not just user satisfaction". It might even jog your own mind when doing a project and you're struggling a bit.

Making Lists of Diagnoses to Pick From

If I can't get a list with predictive search (where the search field starts guessing what I want from the few characters I've typed so far), then at least give me a heads-up list on one page. Make the list short and comprehensive enough.

I want to find about 80% of my commonly used diagnoses on one page, then multi-select all the diagnoses that I need, and then click "OK". If I can do that, I will be very happy. I've seen it done in at least one EMR.

See, I'm not hard to please.

How would you build the list?

1. Make a fairly comprehensive list first, sorted by how often I (or family physicians in general) select that diagnosis.
   
2. Then create the list on a page or two.
   
3. Then add columns (to allow more items) and shrink the font until it is still readable. Test readability with a few 50-60 year old users wearing bifocals.
   
4. Trim the list to one (or two, A-L and M-Z) pages.

What are the user-centered-design principles?

1. Get it on a single visual plane in plain sight. (expand to a second page, if needed, or if users wanted it).
2. List alphabetically. Avoid organ system grouping, which takes more cognitive effort and more visual scanning time.
3. Use simple, frequently-used-by-clinician word choice (e.g. “headache” instead of “cephalgia”).
4. Put most relevant words first (e.g. “diabetes mellitus, type 2”, not “type 2 diabetes”)
5. Make font big enough to read.
6. Eliminate words that don’t add benefit for user (e.g. for “250.41 Diabetes 1 w/ renal changes”, do include “w/ renal changes”. For “250.00 Diabetes 2 uncomplicated”, I’d argue that the “uncomplicated” is optional, and takes up space).

The single page has some advantages over the predictive search, which can only do one diagnosis at a time.

• I don't have to use the keyboard.
• I can select 6 diagnoses with only 6 clicks.
• I press OK once, and not 6 times.
• I can go a lot faster.
• I'll develop muscle memory finding the commonly picked items on the page (could pick them blindfolded!).

Go ahead. Make my day.

HIMSS Virtual Conference Keynote slides

I did a closing keynote presentation for HIMSS Virtual Conference today on EMR Usability. Here are the visuals, without my soothing voice.

EMR Usability - HIMSS Virtual Conf 09

View more presentations from University of Missouri Health Care.

New AHRQ-Funded Reports on Usability of EMRs

I'm excited!

I just browsed two new reports on EMR (EHR) Usability funded through AHRQ. They outline some high-priority research agenda and public policy items, and acknowledge the dearth of systematic evidence on EMR usability.

New AHRQ-Funded Reports on the Usability of Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems

To explore the opportunity to improve EHR system usability, AHRQ commissioned the creation of two reports that synthesize the existing research and evidence in this area and suggest common methods to evaluate EHR usability going forward.

• Electronic Health Record Usability: Evaluation and Use Case Framework synthesizes the literature and best practices regarding the usability of EHRs, and it provides a set of use cases to evaluate information design in primary care IT systems.
• Electronic Health Record Usability: Interface Design Considerations provides recommended actions to support the development of an objective EHR usability evidence base and formative policies to systematically improve the usability of EHR systems.

For a full list of reports, tools, and other resources on the usability of health IT systems and applications, search the Knowledge Library.