Johns Hopkins and the Healthcare Content Conundrum: Aligning Business Strategy with User Goals

Ahava Leibtag and Aaron WatkinsWe believe in content.

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Hashtag

#jhtc= Johns Hopkins Testing Content

Thank you

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Objectives

1. The Story2. Testing content3. Lessons learned4. Recommendations

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JOHNS HOPKINS WEB STRATEGY

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Johns Hopkins Medicine

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Challenges of an AMC

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Academic Medical Center: Push and Pull in Content

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Digestive Weight Loss Center

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Players

Anthony Kalloo, MD: Chairman, GI at JH

Mimi Huizinga, MD: Internist, GI

Abbey Pulcinella, Marketing Manager, JH

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THE CONUNDRUM

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Academic Medical Center: Push and Pull in Content

Digestive Health WebsiteKalloo: wants crazy

research site Huizinga: wants to answer patients’ questions

WE THINK:1. Answer

questions2. Provide

contextPromote services = Make Money and Reinforce the Brand

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Developing quality content

Can we :1. Satisfy all the different

groups?2. Create content that is

valuable?

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The SOLUTION to ALL problems: The CREATIVE BRIEF

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Competitive Landscape Analysis

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Defining the Patients/Audience

1) Those that have a disease associated with obesity and are seeking treatment for it.

2) Those that came to the clinic (or other physician) to lose weight, but were told they have obesity-related health conditions.

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Creating Content

• Defined what we wanted the users to know about the diseases/conditions

• Articulated the treatment options• Subject matter experts reviewed sections• 6 month editorial process• Launched the site

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TESTING CONTENT

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Content Value

• Can users find the content they need?• Can they read the content?• Can they understand the content?• Will they act on the content?• Will they share the content?

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Clinic User Demographic DataInformation Clinic Our Study

Age •95% are 18-64 years old•5% were 65 years and older

Average age: 48.75

Male/Female Ratio •90% Women•10% Men

•89% Women•11% Men

Race •85% Caucasian•15% African American

•79% Caucasian•21% African American

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Tasks 1-2Task 1: Take a few moments to review the home page. Given your concern about your doctor’s advice that losing weight will decrease your risk of diabetes significantly, which information are you most likely to read first? Please identify a link.

Task 2: Find information about how Johns Hopkins can help you prevent diabetes, specifically medication, lifestyle changes, surgical procedures?

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Tasks 3-5

Task 3: If you have not already read about available endoscopic procedures, please find information about this weight-loss treatment option.Task 4: Show me how you would make an appointment.Task 5: Try to share this web site with aaron.watkins@jhmi.edu

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Questions 1-3Question 1: Is there a link between obesity and diabetes? Question 2: How much weight do you need to lose to decrease your risk of diabetes? Question 3: How does knowing these facts about diabetes change how you would act about your weight in the future?

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Questions 4-5

Question 4: Would you share this content with others? Who? Question 5: Based on this information, would you trust Johns Hopkins Medicine for your care and would you consider joining the concierge treatment program if you wanted to lose that amount of weight?

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Diabetes Page

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Round 1: UserTesting.comParticipants 6

Gender 100% Women

Ages 35-50

Race 4 Caucasian participants, 2 African-American participants

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Round 1: Scoring

Tasks

4.8/5

Comprehension

67%How much weight do you need to lose

to lower your risk of diabetes?

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Round 2: GI Clinic [Lutherville, MD]

Participants 6

Gender 5 Women, 1 Man

Ages 35-65

Race 4 Caucasian participants, 2 African-American participants

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Round 2: Scoring

Tasks

3.25/6

Comprehension

17%How much weight do you need to lose

to lower your risk of diabetes?

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Between Round 2 and 3

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Diabetes Page: Before and After

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Round 3: Curves [Towson, MD]Participants 8

Gender 100% Female

Ages 53-67

Race 100% Caucasian

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Round 3: Scoring

Tasks

3.9/6

Comprehension

63%How much weight do you need to lose

to lower your risk of diabetes?

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Between Round 3 and Round 4

• Added video where Dr. Kalloo says 3 things:– Diabetes is a disease that has risk– You need to lose 5-10% of your body weight to

lower your risk of diabetes by 53%– You can lose 20-30 lbs. by undergoing this new

endoscopic procedure• Changed name of link on home page to

Endoscopic Procedures Using Botox

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Diabetes Page with Video

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Round 4: GI and Weight Loss Clinic [Lutherville, MD]

Participants 8

Gender 6 Women, 2 Men

Ages 24-64

Race 6 Caucasian, 2 African American

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Round 4: Scoring

Tasks

3.75/6

Comprehension

33% [didn’t watch video]

20% [did watch video]

How much weight do you need to lose to lower your risk of diabetes?

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THE FINDINGS

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Summary of FindingsRound 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4

Participants 6 6 8 8

Scoring 4.8/5 3.2/6 3.9/6 3.75/6

Comprehension 67% 17% 63% 33% who didn’t watch video got it right20% of those who did watch video got it right

Changed actionable content and information flow

Added video

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Was the content findable?

• 80% of the users could find some information about medications, lifestyle changes, surgical procedures

• 67% of the users could find the diabetes page

• 57% could find information about the endoscopic weight loss program

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Was the content readable?

• Font size• Button size• Layout, location & readability

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Was the content understandable?

• 100% equated diabetes and obesity

• Users said that they’d prefer simpler language

• “If it wasn’t so complicated, it wouldn’t have taken me so long.”

• “Now wait, what does that mean?”

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Was the content actionable?

• 100% said they would change their diet, exercise, and try to watch their weight

• 100% claim they trust the JH brand

• 71% would consider joining the program after using the site

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Was the content shareable?

• 96% said they would share this content

• 41% used the share widget

• Others said they would copy and paste the link or tell friends about it

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Patient Findings

• When people have more time, they will probably spend more time, but they will not necessarily comprehend better

• Patients want things as simple as possible• Provide direct actions to solve their problems• Patients will share if the content valuable and

meaningful

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Video Findings

• Watching a video actually lowered users comprehension by half

• More research is needed, but video should not be used for actionable content. – If so, keep it very direct with only 1 message.

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THE RECOMMENDATIONS

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Recommendations

Find •Watch linguistic cues•Consider architecture and categorization

Read •Use font widgets on menu items as well as body copy•Consider changing your design to increase your button sizes

Recommendations (1)

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Recommendations

Understand •Keep the language as simple as possible•Give users direct solutions to problems

Act •Communicate “Need to Know” items up front•Provide directions for solving problems•Consider making headings actionable

Share •Make content shareable within the body copy•Consider adding sharing in other links besides the share widget

Recommendations (2)

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Recommendations: Testing Content (1)

• Use an iterative approach with small user numbers

• Choose when you test• Pick areas of the site that are business critical

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Recommendations: Testing Content (2)

• Clearly define your user groups

• Use moderated usability testing to test (test the content, not the site)

• Ask direct questions about the content and let users talk about their impressions from there

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Recommendations: Content Development

• Don’t be afraid to try new ways of looking at things

• Don’t expect every solution to solve every problem for every user

• Carefully align your content development with your intended promotion

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Questions/Comments/Concerns?

Aaron Watkins Ahava Leibtag@aaronwatkins @ahavaL

THANK YOU!