Construction and Ranking of Usability Indicators for Medical Websites Based on Website User Experience

Abstract

In the era of digitalization, medical websites have rapidly expanded their healthcare market share due to their convenience. However, with this user-base expansion, issues with poor user experience have surfaced. To address this, we developed and ranked usability indicators for medical websites, aiming to improve their design and development from a user experience perspective, thereby improving user satisfaction and the website’s usability. Initially, we reviewed the relevant literature and summarized 30 usability indicators. Subsequently, we formed a Delphi panel of 20 experts and preliminarily identified 24 usability indicators through the Delphi survey method. Using data from 300 valid user surveys, we applied the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) method to categorize these 24 indicators into four groups. Finally, we assessed the relative importance and priorities of these indicators using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results showed that, in terms of criterion layer weight priorities, Trust and Security (0.5494), Basic Performance (0.2710), and Features and Technology (0.1355) exhibited higher proportions. For the solution layer, Property Protection (0.1894), Credibility (0.1852), Privacy Protection (0.1194), Effectiveness (0.0932), and Findability (0.0579) exhibited higher weight proportions. The findings of this study will assist in future usability assessments and enhancements of medical websites. By optimizing the usability, we can both advance the digitalization of medical websites and improve the usability of medical websites, and enhance the service experience and satisfaction of your users.