Web Platform Offers Tailored, Actionable Childhood Vaccination Content

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: Assess parents' web behaviors, identify their unmet information needs, determine if (child's) age-specific information will meet needs, and define/model web architecture that will improve usability of web-based information.

Methods: One-on-one usability testing and pre- and post-test questionnaires administered to 45 parents.

Results: Identified several difficulties in navigation; validated hypothesis that tailored information increases satisfaction. Found that information-seeking behavior was not significantly different among various audience segments. Heard that parents wanted balanced presentation of risk/benefit immunization information, including data.

Conclusions: Tailored information quickly meets rushed parents' needs. Layering information similarly meets needs of those who are rushed as well as those who want to dig deep and confirm the science behind the recommendations. Prototype parents' home page was refined and launched. Associated link pages incorporated tailoring by child's age, layering content,  and optimize parents' need for scannable content that includes links to details and supporting research.

Implications for research and/or practice: Tailored content continues to meet user needs -- and validates basic communication needs. Similarly, layering of information with clear links to details conforms to online communication basics. Assertions that parents want (and will not be put off by) statistical presentation of risk/benefit should be further tested.