Bottom Line:
Users can post and read messages about prostate cancer
Publication details:
There is free registration to view or submit a message in this discussion area. There are FAQs to help new users
We assessed this page using an appraisal instrument developed by Minervation specifically for this project. This approach is still in development, so you should regard the assessments as a general guide. Click here to find out more, or to let us know how you think the approach could be improved.
Reliability comments:
- Messages are continually added
- References are not relevant for this site.
- It is clear who has developed this website.
- More details on how content is produced would be welcome. There is no detailed statement of this.
- The search engine delivers pages of duplicate content in different formats.
Usability comments:
- Free registration is required to view messages
- The FAQ section uses complex terminology
- The forum uses a different design to the rest of the website.
- The site is quite busy with many pages having too many options for the user to click on.
- The menu system is not complex enough to fit the information.
- For some common queries, our testers found that the information architecture was very confusing.
Scoring
Reliability
| Item |
Score |
| Is it clear who has developed the web site and what their objectives are? |
3 |
| The charity's logo appears on the homepage and there is a detailed About Us section. |
| Does the site report a robust quality control procedure? |
2 |
| The site policy lacks detail on how content is researched and produced. |
| Is the page content checked by an expert? |
1 |
| Cannot tell. |
| Is the page updated regularly? |
3 |
| Messages are continually added. |
| Does the page cite relevant sources where appropriate? |
1 |
| Not relevant for this site. |
Usability
| Item |
Score |
| Is the site accessible without a login? |
3 |
| No registration required. |
| Does the site conform to web Accessibility standards? |
2 |
| Lida score 93%. However, metadata is not used. |
| Is the site design clear and transparent? |
2 |
| The site is quite busy with many pages having many options for the user to choose from. There are also too many onward links to competing pages and competing design schemas. |
| Is the site design consistent from one page to another? |
3 |
| The forum uses a different design scheme rom the main site. |
| Can users find what they need on the site? |
1 |
| In testing the site, we found some information hard to find. This could be improved with a more detailed left-hand menu. |
| Is the format of information clear and appropriate for the audience? |
1 |
| Free registration is required to access any information. The FAQ section uses complex terminology |
| Weighted total (Usability + (Reliability x 2)): |
32 |
We score each question out of three where:
| 0 |
= Never or Can't tell |
| 1 |
= Sometimes or partly |
| 2 |
= Mostly |
| 3 |
= Always |
|
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