How informative is informative? Benchmarks and optimal cut points for E-Health Websites

Abstract

Scores of different evaluation measures resulting from website tests are difficult to interpret without comparative data. Benchmarks and optimal cut points provide such interpretation aids. Benchmarks are usually built with test score means based on a tested pool of comparable websites. Optimal cut points are calculated with an external criterion using receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) based methods applied on website evaluations. Due to relevance and sensitivity of the topic, making the right decision based on evaluation data is of particular importance for creators and owners of websites presenting health-related information. Thus, we combined data of two studies, with a total of n = 2.614 participants, evaluating m=33 health-related websites. Established questionnaires were applied: Web-CLIC (website content), PWU-G and UMUX-Lite (usability), VisAWI-S (aesthetics), and trusting belief scales of McKnight et al. [7]. We calculated overall and specific values for four categories of e-health websites. Benchmarks were quite comparable among categories while optimal cut points differed more. Particularly, cut points were high for charity websites and partly lower for the category “Personal sites & support groups”. In general, user requirements for e-health websites appear to be significantly higher than available published benchmarks and cut points for websites in other areas.