Google Health Search
Conducting a two-part study with users and physicians
Research Goals
At Google, I conducted research on multiple aspects of online search, including Google Search, Voice Search, Image Search, Google Translate, Google Now, and Material Design. I also studied how people use their Google accounts and how they maintain privacy and identity online.
One product I particularly liked testing was Health Search. The team found that one in 20 Google searches were for health-related information, so they designed a panel that displayed information about a multitude of health conditions. We had three main questions in mind for the research:
Do users even notice the health conditions panel?
Is the panel usable?
What do physicians think of the information presented in the panel?
Methodology
Usability Evaluation with eight participants
Expert Interviews with six physicians
Deliverables
Usability Test Plan and Script
Interview Script for physicians
Raw Notes
Google Slides Presentation
Impact
Several modifications were made to the design based on my research, from the color of the icons in the panel to the order of the tabs (i.e., Overview > Symptoms > Treatments). Additionally, I found that physicians trust the Mayo Clinic over several other online health sources.