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Publication name: Well Scotland; Mental Health Improvement. Website Usability Research
Date: 22 May 2012
Description: This report presents the findings from the usability study of the Well Scotland website, an online portal for accessing information on mental health improvement. The purpose of the usability study was to deliver insight to help inform the development of the Well Scotland website, ensuring it meets the needs of existing users and potential users.

The usability study used a multi-methodological approach; incorporating a desk based review of user personas, qualitative accompanied surfs and telephone interviews of task-based scenarios, and a heuristics review of the website.

The usability study found that the prominence of links for the general public coupled with the lack of a mission statement fostered confusion amongst most users as to who the site is aimed at. The news and events sections were considered really important and should be regularly updated. The six subject boxes were identified as one of the key points of entry from the homepage, however, these were ‘hidden’ beneath the fold and easily missed. Page length, in general, was an issue and often led to frustration.

Improvements were identified through testing mock-up designs, namely having a single navigation bar across the top of the page, and fitting the entire homepage into the browser window to eliminate scrolling. However, suggestions to reduce the prominence of the public signposting polarised respondents, although most agreed that doing so would help address who the site is for. This led the study to conclude that any design changes to the site must still provide some resource for the general public.
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18757-Well Scotland Website Usability Research - Final Report 11 May 2012.pdf   [1.03 MB]

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