Guiding Improvements in User Experience: Results of a Mental Health Patient Portal User Interface Assessment.

Patient portals provide patients with electronic access to their health records. Since there has been limited use of patient portals in mental health settings, there is a lack of research regarding the usability of the technology amongst this patient population. The purpose of this study was to assess the usability of a mental health patient portal, and to provide the study site with design recommendations. Ten (n=10) participants completed a guided user interface assessment on laptops and tablet devices, along with a structured questionnaire. Findings revealed a number of modifiable aspects of the portal design to improve the usability of the technology for the end user.