Assessment of the usability of a nutritional epidemiology computerized system

Epidemiological research has been adhering to new technologies, such as computer systems, and using the Internet as a tool. Usability is a characteristic of a specific product concerning the facility to use it, its speed and the facility to learn how to use it. It should also not present errors, or these must be easy to solve, in case they occur, thus providing high satisfaction to users.

To evaluate the usability of the "System of health and nutrition monitoring - nutrition of school children" (NUTRISIM).

A sample of 17 Information Technology professionals evaluated the system and answered the "Questionnaire for System Usability", which determines the level of usability of systems by the Fuzzy Logic. The questionnaire contains 30 questions, which are divided into six metrics. The usability of the system determines six usability criteria in a large Fuzzy scale.

With the exception of the metric "error control", all metrics were analyzed as "very good". The metrics "error control", "efficiency" and "satisfaction" presented medium amplitude, which is a better result in relation to the metrics "easy to learn", "easy to remember" and "effectiveness", which was assessed as "high".

The study showed that the system is easy to be learned and used, but the answers are scattered. The instrument proved to be a useful tool to monitor and evaluate health and dietary intake in epidemiologic studies.