Healthcare has gone through a major overhaul in recent years, and with the fate of the Affordable Care Act still very much up in the air, we should expect more changes to come in the coming months.
Along with this change to the actual workings of the healthcare system, it will also usher in a new way we handle and develop website design within the hospital.
If you want to see working proof of why usability and design are vital when it comes to website design, look no further than https://www.healthcare.gov/ when it was launched as well as the problems that still plague users today. Yes, the healthcare.gov website looks pretty; however, consumers who visit the site still struggle with the website’s difficulty.
This stands as proof that the days when users will accept a poor user experience (UX) are over. In the course of planning your medical practice (or hospital’s) website, the following are considerations you should make to ensure your current or prospective patients have a favorable UX.
Responsive Design
The majority of internet usage now occurs on either a smartphone or a tablet which is making the argument for a responsive design website stronger than ever. Responsive websites put the user’s viewing experience at the forefront of the page’s design, ensuring that visitors can have the same experience they would on a desktop web app as they have on their mobile device. This primarily includes navigation. This is how individuals move about the website and includes panning, scrolling, easy resizing and easy reading.
Real planning must go into launching a responsive design website, meaning an existing website cannot be converted into a responsive one. The user experience would be seriously degraded.
Simplicity Wins Over Complexity
We live in a society that wants something with as little effort on their part as possible. The same can be said of website visitors, especially when forms are involved. The more effort you expect your user to put forth, the greater the chance of them giving up. Make any registration you have as easy as possible.