Key refreshes of healthfinder.gov: Supporting the public in prevention and wellness

Background: healthfinder.gov is a user-tested federal Web site whose mission is to help the public make informed health decisions by providing accurate, timely, and actionable information. Created in 1997 as a portal site to trusted health information, healthfinder was redesigned in 2008 to focus on prevention and wellness information; the site redesign made it easier for the public to use, and provided more links to interactive tools and resources. However, the website's focus on prevention and wellness was not clear to users of the site. Methods: In 2012, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) initiated a website refresh of key elements of healthfinder.gov, based on previously completed formative research, expert reviews, and usability studies conducted on healthfinder.gov; review of ForeSee Results and American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey findings; and program priorities for the healthfinder website. The mission of the refresh was to make more apparent the overall disease prevention and healthy living brand, while ensuring that the site remained functional, visually appealing, and easy to use and understand by those with limited Web and health literacy skills. Results: healthfinder.gov's refresh was launched on December 27, 2012, with a renewed focus on prevention and wellness content. Usability testing on the new site ensured the prevention and wellness brand was more apparent. Conclusion: This website serves as an ongoing case study of offering users tailored, evidence-based prevention and wellness content that is easy to use and understand.