by Declan Sullivan

Created on: August 01, 2008   Last Updated: August 20, 2008

As the internet becomes more available to a greater variety of people, hospitals, like other businesses, need to upgrade their own technical abilities and repertoires, especially its internet face, a hospital's website. In order to stay ahead of the competition, a hospital's website needs to be more user-friendly, more informative and above all, more attractive than a rival's.

1: Photos and especially sideshows are great for attracting people. If a patient is perusing hospitals, they want to see a friendly face, but also one that is coupled nicely with information. The New York Presbyterian Hospital (http://www.nyp.org/) does this nicely, although it lacks how the services can be of use to the patient, including a "Making sure you receive the best treatment" after "we have the best doctors" would have been perfect. Remember, smiling faces of professional looking people.

2: Simplicity is VITAL! The people looking at your website are either patients or loved ones, and might not be in the best cognitive states. Simple, easy to use menus, with simple text is vital for quick and easy movement about the site. New York Hospital Queens (http://www.nyhq.org/) is a wonderful example.

3: Videos and information about the illness or treatment a patient might have or be undergoing. Again, the New York Presbyterian Hospital has excelled in this area, with its Interactive Media Library (http://www.nyp.org/media/index.html), upon discovering it, I found myself playing around with it for fun as it is a brilliant tool.

4: Colour. White is very bad, while off-white colours, such as light greens and blue-greys are perfect. White alone gives the wrong message to a person, as it lacks warmth or care. Colour is increasingly important in the Human psyche, and should be used as such, to convey warmth, happiness and care. The Barnes-Jewish Hospital (http://www.barnesjewish.org/) is a good example, also having a very nice menu.

5: Good news stories always work. They personalise treatment and help to show the hospital and its staff as considerate and caring. People also go by these stories as an indication of a hospital's abilities. I first encountered this technique at the Barts and The London website (http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/).

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