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Provide Help and Documentation

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Consistency	Visiblity	Match	Minimalism	Memory	Feedback	Flexibility
Error Messages	Prevent Errors	Closure	Undo	Language	Control	Help
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Always provide help when needed.

Display. Display sufficient instructional information, such as recommended dose, in a directly usable format. Mitigate the potential for incorrect actions to be taken by presenting carefully selected information and explicit labels to clarify the display and the extent to which it is complete.

This is a bad example. As we can see the user fills the temperature with an extremely lager number. The “Save Form” button turns blue, which indicates the information cannot be saved. However, the system does not give any reminder of this. The user may feel confused about how to proceed.

Search function. Give users simple or advanced search functions according to context. First, simple searches should be provided on the homepage with an input box. Advanced search should be shown as a link on the home page with templates and search tips provided, unless advanced searches are the norm on the page. The search engine should be able to search for the entire site and provide usable results.

See Also:

Flexibility and efficiency

Guidelines Summary:

Display

Display Information in a Directly Usable Format [2] Usability.gov 2.8
Display the recommended dose range for the selected mg/kg dose. NIST7865 II-H p.18
Display sufficient instructional information to support data quality [4] CUI (Design Guidance - Email Input and Display) p.6
Where explanations refer to an item in a patient record, it must be possible to view that item in its original context [4] CUI (Design Guidance Exploration - Decision Support) p.5

Search function

Ensure Usable Search Results [2] Usability.gov 17:1
Design Search Engines to Search the Entire Site [2] Usability.gov 17.2
Design Search Around Users’ Terms [2] Usability.gov 17:5
Allow Simple Searches [2] Usability.gov 17:6
Include Hints to Improve Search Performance [2] Usability.gov 17:8
Provide Search Templates [2] Usability.gov 17:9
Give users an input box on the homepage to enter search queries, instead of just giving them a link to a search page Nielsen’s 47
Unless advanced searches are the norm on your site, provide simple search on the homepage, with a link to advanced search or search tips if you have them Nielsen’s 50

Please note:The content provided here are intended as guidelines (recommended, but not mandatory) for design and implementation, not as standards (mandatory, minimum requirements).

References:

[1] Nielsen J. 113 design guidelines for homepage usability. 2001; Available from:www.nngroup.com/articles/113-design-guidelines-homepage-usability.

[2] U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines, Enlarged/Expanded edition. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2006. Available from: https://www.usability.gov/.

[3] Microsoft. Microsoft Health Common User Interface design guidance. 2012; Available to download from: https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=mscui. (Design Guidance - Find a Patient PDF).

[4] Lowry SZ, Quinn MT, Ramaiah M, Brick D, Patterson ES, Zhang J, et al. A human factors guide to enhance EHR usability of critical user interactions when supporting pediatric patient care. The National Institute of Standards and Technology; 2012.

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