Usability Evaluation
Definitions of Usability
Usability is a general concept related to making products usable for users. Technology usability has been defined and studied in Management of Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction fields. Here, we apply definitions from general technology usability concepts, and focus on health IT usability as the main scope (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Scope
Health IT usability evaluation considers user, task, health IT, and environment, and assesses usability through the interaction aspects of these four components, such as satisfaction, effectiveness, learnability, etc (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Interaction Components and Aspects for Technology Usability Evaluation
Frameworks and Theories for Usability Evaluation
Theoretical frameworks/models are essential to research studies, suggesting rationales for hypothesized relationships and providing the basis for verification. However, the majority of publications lacked a theoretical framework/model to support their study (Rahimi & Vimarlund, 2007). We identified and categorized potential theoretical frameworks and models in Table 1.
Methods for Usability Specification and Evaluation
Usability evaluation ideally examines the relationship of users, tools, and tasks in a specific working environment. Table 2 lists potential methods for usability specification and evaluation, and cites study references and example studies for future use.
Questionnaires for Subjective Evaluation
A number of instruments have been developed to measure user perceptions related to system usability. The reliability and validity of several instruments have been assessed. These include: IBM Computer System Usability Questionnaire (Lewis, 1995), TAM Perceived Usefulness/Ease of Use (Davis, 1989), UTAUT (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003), Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS) (Norman & Shneiderman, 1997), Physician Order Entry User Satisfaction and Usage Survey (Lee, Teich, Spurr, & Bates, 1996), End-User Computing Satisfaction (Doll, Xia, & Torkzadeh, 1994). A list of validated questionnaires is listed in Table 3.
Health IT Usability Evaluation Model (Health-ITUEM) & Health IT Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES)
References
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 318-340.
Doll, W. J., Xia, W. D., & Torkzadeh, G. (1994). A Confirmatory Factor-Analysis of the End-User Computing Satisfaction Instrument. Mis Quarterly, 18(4), 453-461.
Lee, F., Teich, J. M., Spurr, C. D., & Bates, D. W. (1996). Implementation of physician order entry: user satisfaction and self-reported usage patterns. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 3(1), 42-55.
Lewis, J. R. (1995). IBM Computer Usability Satisfaction Questionnaires - Psychometric Evaluation and Instructions for Use. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 7(1), 57-78.
Norman, K., & Shneiderman, B. (1997). Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS), 2008, from http://lap.umd.edu/quis/
Rahimi, B., & Vimarlund, V. (2007). Methods to evaluate health information systems in healthcare settings: a literature review. Journal of Medical Systems, 31(5), 397-432.
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. Mis Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478.
