Using Google Analytics with Health Information-Seeking Model to Evaluate the Design of Health Information Websites

Health information websites can be useful for information seekers, and their design is crucial for the success of accessing the needed information. While web analytical tools (e.g. Google Analytics) used by such websites can provide descriptive measures of users, there is a disconnection between this data and the current understanding of health information-seeking behaviour. In this work, we leverage a theoretical model to interpret the Google Analytics data. Drawn on the visualisation of user behaviours based on this model, our research shows that better website design can be informed, and the evaluation of health websites can be performed on the basis of different user profiles.