Users to the rescue: The role of User-Generated Content (UGC) in the Minnesota Affordable Care Act (ACA) website launch

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper examines the potential of User-Generated Content (UGC) as a site of research for web usability. Specifically, this paper shares a case study of blog responses that detailed user experiences with the 2013 launch of MNsure.org, a high-stakes website created to facilitate the online purchase of health insurance in response to the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA). A content analysis of blog responses, informed by qualitative content analysis [1], revealed poor usability of the site, including a low effectiveness rate, several critical errors, and low satisfaction. User stories were remarkably detailed, offering valuable information for website repairs. Connections between UGC and traditional web usability methods such as usability testing were explored in terms of "community," "participation," and "metrics." Overall, the case demonstrated the potential value of UGC content analysis as a complement to traditional usability testing.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSIGDOC 2015 - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
ISBN (Electronic)9781450336482
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 16 2015
Event33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication, SIGDOC 2015 - Limerick, Ireland
Duration: Jul 16 2015Jul 17 2015

Publication series

NameSIGDOC 2015 - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication

Other

Other33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication, SIGDOC 2015
Country/TerritoryIreland
CityLimerick
Period7/16/157/17/15

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2015 ACM.

Keywords

  • Assertion development
  • Case study
  • Community
  • Content analysis
  • MNsure.org
  • Massively transactive website
  • Metrics
  • Participant
  • Technical communication
  • Usability testing
  • User
  • User-Generated Content
  • Web usability research

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