Usability of electronic death registration system: A case study of heuristic evaluation

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to identify gaps in the user interface design of Iran's Electronic Death Registration System (National Registry) using the heuristic method. Materials and Methods: Five independent evaluators assessed the user interface using the heuristic evaluation. Problems were reassessed in the presence of all evaluators, and similar cases were merged, and a single list of unique problems was eventually prepared. By re-evaluating the system, the evaluators determined and categorized the severity of the problem in five domains, including no problem (zero point), a cosmetic problem (1 point), a minor problem (2 points), a major problem (3 points), and a catastrophic problem (4 points). The data were then analyzed in an excel sheet using descriptive statistics. Findings: Forty-two unique problems were identified. The “recognition rather than recall” principle with ten problems (23.8% of all cases) had the most frequent problem, while the “help and documentation” principle with one problem (2.4% of all cases) had the least frequency but the highest mean severity (4). Conclusion: The results of the heuristic evaluation of the electronic death registration system indicated that a large portion of the problems in this system was classified under the minor category, which primarily indicates the good usability of this system. However, this system suffers from several usability problems. Therefore, it could be concluded that considering the national-level use of this system, it has problems that could be resolved through meeting system design principles and standards.