How Online Family History Tool Design and Message Content Impact User Perceptions: An Examination of Family Health Link

Background: Family health history tools have the ability to improve health outcomes and promote patient-provider communication, but some research suggests their effectiveness is limited. Tool design features may heavily influence users' perceptions of the tools. Aims: This study provides a summative evaluation of the Family HealthLink tool, which assesses cancer and coronary heart disease risk based on personal and family health history, to better understand how tool design and message content impact user perceptions. Method: User observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted with breast cancer patients (n = 16) and support persons (n = 18) at an academic comprehensive breast center. Results: The users responded positively to many of Family HealthLink's features, but they noted that it lacked a modern design. The participants felt much of the risk information was too generic and did not account for lifestyle factors. The users also did not consistently interpret the qualitative risk assessments provided by Family HealthLink. Conclusion: Our data analysis suggests that certain aspects of the Family HealthLink tool could be executed more effectively to take fuller advantage of opportunities for online personalization.