Minervation

Evidence based healthcare consultancy

New responsive web design for the Vitamin D Council

We have been working with the Vitamin D Council for a few years now.  In that time, we have helped them completely redevelop the way they produce health information and have supported them to become a self-funded membership organisation that generates significant revenue from membership subscriptions via their website.

This week sees the launch of a new responsive version of their website, which looks fantastic on desktops, tablets and mobiles.  The logo, web design and illustrations were created by our friends at Design By Day.

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If you produce health information for the general public, you should join PiF

PiF logoBack in 2005 we published our LIDA research saying that 98% of online health information was inaccessible, unusable and unreliable. Things have improved over the last 7 years, but information providers still need all the help they can get to make sure the information they produce is easy to use and understand and a reflection of best current knowledge.

We have been involved in the Patient Information Forum for nearly a decade; as members, supporters, conference speakers and website developers.  We are keen advocates of their hugely influential work and were delighted to be chosen to help redevelop the PiF website earlier this year.

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New responsive design for the Oxford Careers website

Student meeting Careers AdvisorWe have been working with the team at the University of Oxford Careers Service for a few years now; helping them ensure that their website meets the needs of the students, alumni and recruiters who use it.

Last year, the team noticed that more and more people were becoming interested in accessing the site on smartphones and tablet computers. They also felt that the site wasn’t really making the most of blogging or social media tools, and that the design and structure of the site could be improved.

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New website to help doctors provide better care for people with learning disabilities

Wood for the treesWe know that sometimes people with learning disabilities don’t receive adequate care from the NHS. Many high profile reports and documentaries have highlighted the failings across health and social care and it’s noticeable that the mistakes that happen are often around regularly occurring themes (e.g. poor communication, ignoring advice from families).

We have been heavily involved in a new website from the General Medical Council that aims to teach doctors how to do better. The site identifies the issues, highlights patient perspectives and shows how professionals can put guidance into practice. It’s a very interactive resource with lots of video and online learning tools.

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Network to Support Understanding of Health Research #NSUHR

Confused man scratching his headMuch of our work over the last decade has been around producing health information websites that are accessible, usable and reliable, but what does this mean if the audience are the UK general public?

Two key challenges are:

  1. Raising the level of knowledge that the general public have about health research and
  2. Teaching skills to help people become more discerning when they are presented with often exaggerated messages about the benefits of treatments.

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Healthy eating out in Scotland

We’re delighted to announce the launch of the healthy living award website.

The healthyliving award has been designed to make it easier for you to eat healthier food whenever you eat out. Many cafes, sandwich shops, workplace restaurants, colleges and other places where you buy meals and snacks across Scotland have made changes to the way they prepare food to ensure it’s done with your health in mind. These eateries will be displaying the healthyliving award logo and their certificate.

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