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296 CHAPTER 10 Usability testing

RESEARCH DESIGN EXERCISE

Imagine that you are planning a user-based usability test to evaluate a new interface
that allows people to track online their medical information, such as blood tests,
diagnostics, annual check-ups, and patient visits. Since many governments have set
the goal to move to full electronic patient records in the next few years, this is an
important project. Doctors will also use this application but, for this exercise, we’re
focused on patients. Where might you want to recruit potential participants? Would
you utilize real patient data in the usability testing? What might five representative
tasks be? Since privacy and security of medical data is important, how would you
include tasks that assess how comfortable people are with the privacy and security of
their data? Where should these usability tests take place? What type of setting would
be most authentic and appropriate? How might you compare the usability of this
interface with other interfaces for similar tasks? What specific steps might you take
to make participants feel more at ease?

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