The role of user input in shaping online information from the National Cancer Institute

Abstract

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) was among the first federal agencies to recognize the potential of the Internet for disseminating health-related information. The evolution and refinement of NCI's online cancer information has been substantially "user driven" - from the launch of CancerNet in 1995 to the recent redesign of its award-winning successor, the NCI website. This article presents an overview of NCI's multi-pronged approach to gathering input about its online information products, including stakeholder meetings, focus groups, standard and customized online user surveys, usability testing, heuristic reviews, and search log analysis. Also highlighted are some of the many enhancements that have been made to NCI's online cancer information products based on user input.