Author: Laraun Lindsey, B.S.
Primary Advisor: Hongbin Wang, PhD (co-author)
Committee Members:
Masters thesis, The University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics at Houston.
Abstract:
Within psychology and psychiatry, computers have been used to administer, store, and mathematically analyze experimental data [1]. In this study we evaluate the usability of a self-contained website for the collection, storage, and output of psychiatric questionnaire data. We use scenario-based task analysis to evaluate two different ways to retrieve data from a computer system. Using computer-based counting methods to determine times to task completion and paper-based questionnaires to assess user preference, we compare the current system’s methods for data output with a newly implemented system designed to meet specific needs of the users. Our results show that the new system not only facilitated faster times for task completion, but was also the more preferable system with participants reporting that it was easier to use and that they felt more in control of the new system compared to the old one.