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Table 3 Summary of qualitative analysis of think aloud process

From: Redesigning printed educational materials for primary care physicians: design improvements increase usability

 

Content

Format

Original PEM

Lots of Detail

 - Thorough

 - Good background information

 - Nice narrative

Too Much Information

 - Information that is not relevant to patient care

 - Too much information in tables

 - Overwhelming

 - Too much introductory/background information

Purpose Not Clear

 - Objective of PEM not specified

Vague Conclusions

 - Vague and not actionable in practice

Tables

 - Too much statistical data

 - Not clear

Hard to Read

 - Too much text

 - Dense prose

 - Difficult to skim

 - Difficult to pick out key points

 - No bullets

 - Requires concentration to read

 - Hard to use in practice

Unorganized Layout

 - Poorly formatted

 - Tables disrupt flow of text

 - Insufficient white space

Tables

 - Cluttered

 - Inconsistent formatting

Graphic on First Page

 - No legend, title, or explanation

 - Confusing

 - Childish

 - Distracting from the information

 - However,

 - Draws attention to the PEM

 - Artistic

Color

 - Colors do not match

 - Too many colors, too busy

Visual Appeal

 - Bright and colorful

 - Attracts attention

 - Larger font

 - Good use of headings

Redesigned PEM

Key Messages

 - Three easy to read bullets

 - Make purpose of PEM clear

 - Helpful for quick reference

Conclusion

 - Useful

 - Brief and clear

Not Specific Enough

 - More specific dosing information

 - No information on patient care

 - Key messages too vague

Tables

 - Tables difficult to understand

 - Statistical data difficult to interpret

Layout

 - Box on harms below conclusion was confusing

Useful in Practice

Tables

 - Rows not organized by magnitude of harms

 - Tables difficult to understand

 - Text too small

Layout

 - Lacking flow from section to section

Visually Appealing

 - Use of white space

 - Use of soft colors

 - Not visually overwhelming

 - Small graphics (stethoscope) used to highlight key areas

Easy to Read

 - Easy to identify key information

 - Easy to skim or scan PEM

 - Uses bullet points and point form

 - Layout is easy to follow

 - Color coding used to match text to tables

 - Not too much information, less complex

 - Tables have fewer, easier to interpret statistics

Layout

 - Use of boxes for additional information

 - Tables all on one page

 - Division of text by study type

Small Font

Useful in Practice