Need for usability and wish for mobility: Case study of client end applications for primary healthcare providers in Croatia

Abstract

In the Croatian e-Health system, client end applications for primary healthcare providers must undergo the process of official approval. This process is based on verifying both content and format of messages used in client software for data exchange with the central part of the integral information system. However, there are no formal specifications, nor design guidelines concerning usability and overall user experience. In this paper, we reveal a number of UI usability issues in existing client applications that represent the source of enlarged interaction burden and user displeasure when working with client software. Furthermore, we propose a UI lightweight prototype model, based on both conducted investigation and well known usability guidelines, adding the value of its potentiality for usage in the mobile domain. End users supported our model design, by emphasizing its simplicity and better usability, as well as by showing eagerness for prototype implementation for mobile devices such as smartphones and/or tablets. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin.