Evaluating a User-centered Redesign of the NYC Environment and Health Data Portal Website

Public health agencies publish data so that data can influence public health policy and practice and improve the public health. But when these websites are difficult to use, they present barriers to this goal. Working to make data websites easier to use can add value to public health work.

In 2022, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene redesigned the Environment and Health Data Portal website to communicate data more effectively by improving usability. The redesigned website lets users browse datasets, visualize them, and includes companion explanatory material to communicate key public health findings.

We evaluated the usability as an outcome of the redesign and compared it to the usability of the prior website. Using a cross-over design, participants did simple tasks on both old and new websites, then filled out the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire, a standard usability instrument.

Participants scored the new site better than the old site, with statistically significant improvements in overall usability, system usefulness, and information. Additionally, web analytics show steadily increasing traffic to the new site, indicating that improved usability might have led to increased use.

This evaluation indicates a successful redesign: a measurable increase in usability and a substantial increase in web traffic. It suggests that designing data products for a wide range of users can be a successful strategy and demonstrate a viable method for evaluating public health data communication websites using a standard usability instrument.