Designing and evaluating a cancer education website

  • The problem

    Clinical studies are essential to advancing cancer treatment, but low enrollment in studies is a top reason for termination.

  • The opportunity

    The internet is a preferred information source for cancer patients and web-based decision aids positively increase patient knowledge.

  • The question

    Can a website aid in the decision to join a clinical study?

Stakeholders

  • Marketing

  • Regulators

  • Oncologists

  • Web developers

Audience

There are two main audiences to consider.

First, are the cancer patients.

Second, are the caregivers and loved ones of the patients. Previous cancer decision-making tools have focused primarily on patients and largely overlooked caregivers, despite their role in assisting patients with their treatment decisions.

Learn

We wanted to understand if a website with educational information on clinical studies can lead to an increase in enrollment and clinical study comprehension.

To do this, I conducted primary and secondary research, including:

  • Reviewing previous literature to determine what website features would help with decision-making

  • Transcribing and coding community forums

  • Conducting unstructured interviews with oncologist and research coordinators

Define

With initial insights, I created a user journey map and was able to properly define our users and the problems the website needed to solve.

Ideate

With an understanding of what users want and clear problems to solve, I came up with possible solutions and consulted with stakeholders. One of the first steps I took was creating a website menu that addressed all critical content areas revealed in the discovery phase.

I presented the menu at the local cancer center research day, where oncologists, patients, marketers and fellow researchers reviewed the poster presentation and provided feedback.

Design

With stakeholders and users confirming the website content, it was time to develop prototypes and content. All design and content decisions were backed by findings and user feedback.

Test

  • Participants

    Recruited via Qualtrics panel

    18 and older

    Group one: Self-reported diagnosis of cancer

    Group two: Family member or friend of cancer patient

  • Quantitative measurements

    Website credibility

    Website attractiveness

    Information effectiveness

    Information clarity

  • Qualitative measurements

    Allowed for open-ended responses

Evaluate

A total of 200 people filled out the survey from each group: 100 patients and 100 supporters (family/friend). The survey received 89 open-ended responses.

Impact

This study revealed that there is a misconception about cancer clinical trials, and this website, which was highly clear and easy to understand, will be a helpful tool to facilitate conversations about treatment. Findings from this study helped inform a proposal for a website redesign for the University of Florida health system’s research and clinical study website.