We have just presented the results of a new usability study to the team at Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) who are responsible for the Commissioning Zone website. The Commissioning Zone is a website aimed at clinical commissioners. It features links to a collection of information (reports, guidance, toolkits etc) to support clinical commissioning and is part of the suite of resources via NHS Networks.
How are you getting your vitamin D?
The Vitamin D Council is a charity based in California who are working to raise awareness of vitamin D and the potential consequences of vitamin D deficiency. We get vitamin D through sunlight exposure or supplementation and there is emerging research that shows links between a number of health problems and vitamin D deficiency.
The new Vitamin D Council website features lots of information about vitamin D, what it is, how to make sure you get enough and how to find out if you are deficient. It also contains 75 health condition summaries, which bring together the latest research on the subject in a patient friendly format.
User-centred design starts with an unbiased study of user needs and behaviour. In this case study, we show how it can be employed to ensure that a web site meets the needs of its users. For Cancer Research UK, we took the unusual (for usability design) step of comparing different site designs, to help maximise the incremental benefit gained from the re-designed site.
This detailed case study written by Jonathan Black (Director of the Oxford University Careers Service) explains how we rebuilt the Careers Service website in 2008-9.