Setting clear goals and making use of both newly-diagnosed and expert patients from a variety of backgrounds are key to involving users in developing health information, according to expert speakers at PIF’s event on the topic, which took place on Thursday 27 June 2019.
Common themes on meaningful user engagement emerged from projects across the UK, from those working to increase health literacy, embed shared decision making and produce disease specific information.
Key messages from presentations and the event’s practical session included:
- Find out what your users need right from the start of development
- Don’t assume – ask
- Give users more than one way to engage in testing and feedback
- Consider how to reach recently-diagnosed patients or those with no knowledge of the condition, as well as making use of ‘expert patients’
- Allow users time to consider what questions they might want to ask
- Let users know the value of the tasks they have completed
- Ensure everyone in the organisation understands the importance of shared decision making
- Avoid lengthy text by using visuals or interactive content
- Make use of tools which assess the ‘readability’ of information
- Involve users throughout the development process – don’t just present them with a final draft