Easy to use – what does it mean for the citizen user?

Digital services and mobile applications have stormed into our daily lives in various service sectors and the majority of citizens have experiences in using digital services. Many service providers have already dramatically cut down on in-person services and shifted their service offerings more towards digital services. This is easily understandable, as digital services are achievable to most citizens and implementing them cuts down on manual work. Digitalization challenges especially public service vendors to transform their ways of producing services (Rust & Kannan 2002, 3, 235).

Quite quickly after the user starts to use the digital service, they form an opinion if they like the service or not. In healthcare and social services the expectations for digitalization and digital services are extremely high. Digital services are taken rapidly into use, with the aim to achieve better cost-efficiency. Digital services are especially hoped to promote higher self-management in citizens so that they can better maintain health and wellbeing (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2023, 10-21). Citizens want to use digital services, but if they lack usability people tend to dismiss them.

What increases usability in digital healthcare and social services?

The narrative literature review that aimed to answer this question showed that the most important usability increasing factor (Table 1.) for the citizen was that the service offered basic information easily, in a non-medical understandable language and in different ways, such as in dynamic or interactive elements (Bondre et al. 2022, 11; Păsărelu et al. 2023, 10-11).

Citizens strongly correlated the digital services good usability to its utility and usefulness in offering relevant content in one service to match their needs. Increased usability was stated when the digital service included case management that guided the user to the appropriate service, solution or professional (Bondre et al. 2022; Brooks et al. 2023a, 13).

More common, typical, and not service segment -related usability increasing factors were the regularly given notifications and reminders and user-friendly design choices, such as aesthetic user interfaces that were easy to use (Raghunath et al. 2020, 426; Hentati et al. 2021, 7; Shi et al. 2021, 4.)

What reduces usability in digital healthcare and social services?

The research identified that usability reduced (Table 1.) most commonly due to the service being difficult to use, unappealing and repetitive. Findings also included technical usability reducing factors if the users experienced issues in using the service, acquiring it or if the correct use of the service required technical understanding from the user. (Shi et al 2021, 4; Bondre et al. 2022, 15.)

Citizen users also reported insufficient user guidance, lack of customization opportunities and lack of reminders and notifications to reduce usability. Citizens experienced feelings of exhaustion and being overwhelmed if the service offered too much information at once, in text form and including medicalized terms. (Hentati et al. 2021, 7; Brooks et al. 2023, 11)

Conclusions

Usability in digital healthcare and social services relates strongly to the services perceived usefulness and utility. Digital services can only achieve their goals if they bring value to the citizen and the service provider, and they are designed to match the user segments needs. The only way to truly know if the service meets these requirements is through usability evaluations and testing. Qualitative usability studies that focus on sample groups that contain real service users can offer valuable insights on what factors reduce usability and what are the needs of the user segment that the service is designed for. Special focus on digital healthcare and social services targeted for the citizens should be in offering clear and understandable information and in designing the service to guide the user to the correct service. The citizen does not need to know what structural processes and organization hierarchies lie behind the service that they need.

This article is based on Eveliina Hotanen’s Master’s Thesis. Read the whole thesis from Theseus

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202404106230

Authors:

Eveliina Hotanen, student in Master’s Degree Programme in Digital Health, Savonia University of Applied Sciences

Elisa Snicker, Lecturer, CBC, MSc (Econ and Bus Admin), MSc (Health Sci.), Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Unit of Continuous Learning, Master School, Kuopio

Liisa Klemola, Lecturer, PhD, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Unit of Continuous Learning, Master School, Kuopio, Finland

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