Philadelphia, November 8, 2007 -- Elsevier, the world's leading publisher of science and health information, has announced it is participating in a series of local events in support of World Usability Day, created by the Usability Professionals’ Association to ensure that the services and products important to life are easier to access and simpler to use. The 2007 theme is health care; an area in which Elsevier’s ‘User Centered Design’ (UCD) team has focused to improve clinical reference and decision support products for health care professionals.
“In this era of tremendous innovation, it’s important to step back and evaluate if the products we’re developing are truly usable from a customer’s perspective,” said Randy Charles, Executive Vice President, Clinical Solutions Group, Elsevier Health Sciences. “We’re particularly glad to see a focus on health care, where doctors and nurses are making better use of electronic tools to improve the quality of care.”
World Usability Day is celebrated via the coordination of special events across the globe beginning on Thursday, November 8th. In 2006, 40,000 people in 35 countries in 175 cities around the world participated.
Elsevier is proudly participating in four events in three cities, including:
Philadelphia:
Elsevier is hosting an event along with a number of other local companies in association with the local Computer Human Interaction and Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) chapters. Presenters include:
- Paul Nuschke, Human Factors Analyst, and Liza Potts, Director of Human Factors, both from Electronic Ink.
- Dean Karavite, Manager of Periop Information Systems and Decision Support with Temple University Hospital.
The free event is open to the public and begins at 6:30 pm on November 8, 2007. More information can be found at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/76339333/rest
Dayton:
On November 8, 2007, Elsevier, LexisNexis and their parent company, Reed Elsevier, along with the Southern Ohio and Tri-State Chapters of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society are sponsoring World Usability Day at the LexisNexis campus in Dayton. Presentations are scheduled on the topics of:
- UI Design Trends for Web Applications
- Usability and Security, and
- Personal Health Records, among others.
The event is open to the public. Visit: http://www.worldusabilityday.org/event/show/375 or contact Michelle Kish at michelle.kish@lexisnexis.com for more information.
In addition, on Saturday November 10th Elsevier and LexisNexis, along with The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, is hosting an event which features user experience consultants from the sponsors. Usability volunteers will guide museum guests through various hands-on activities that illustrate the issues and science of usability. For more information, call 937-275-7431 ext. 136.
St. Louis:
On Saturday November 10th Elsevier and other sponsors, along with The St. Louis Science Center, is hosting an event which features user experience consultants from the sponsors and other organizations in the St. Louis area. Usability volunteers will guide Saint Louis Science Center guests through various hands-on activities that illustrate the issues and science of usability in healthcare. In addition, brief presentations will be given throughout the day providing insight and real-world examples of usability in health care. All ages are welcome and encouraged. For more information, see http://worldusabilityday.org/event/show/310.
UCD at Elsevier
At Elsevier, user-centered design principles help the company create useful, easy-to-use electronic products that maximize user satisfaction and meet business needs. User centered design delivers products that: are easy to use and of high quality; provide competitive advantages; require fewer late and expensive design changes have fewer customer support calls and higher customer satisfaction generate higher profitability in a shorter time.
Some of the electronic workflow tools for health care that incorporated UCD principles include MDConsult, Radiology Consult, Procedures Consult, Mosby Nursing Consult and Pathology Consult.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier’s 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as Science Direct. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MDConsult (http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.
Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).