Table 3.

Results of the heuristic analysis and resulting software solutions (professional users).

Heuristic categories	Professional interface issue	Professional interface solutions
Visibility of system status	Users cannot tell during pauses if the system is processing a task or is frozen	Create a spinning icon to show when the system is processing a task
Match between the system and the real worlda	Users cannot tell if the survey is ready for patients to complete; survey schedule presented as a list instead of the calendar	Add clear terms for functions (eg, “finalize” to finish a survey); add a graphical calendar to display or alter patient survey schedule
User control and freedom	No ability to customize interface	Provide ability for users to organize interface and modules that they use most often
Consistency and standards	Inconsistent labeling of PRO-CTCAEbsymptom terms; no ability to download collected data in a standardized format	Present labeling in consistent format; enable data to be downloaded for analysis in common formats
Error prevention	Dates difficult to read, interpret, or change in the survey schedule	Present information in a clear calendar format
Recognition rather than recall	Software does not remember study number or site for a user; the user has to frequently re-enter same data	Software defaults study number and site for users once entered; software auto-populates user preferences or data
Flexibility and efficiency of use	No “dashboard” of essential or time-sensitive data	Create dashboard displaying key information and upcoming surveys
Aesthetic and minimalist design	Menu buttons are difficult to use	Make more functions easily available on the dashboard
Help users recognize and recover from errors	No explanations provided to users to understand causes of errors	Provide popup messages to help correct and prevent future errors

^aDefined as functionality intuitively matching the intended function.

^bPRO-CTCAE: Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria.