The hard facts of web site performance are grim.

In some recent benchmark testing of a large customer website we found that it reached an overall performance of just 47%. That is, participants in our testing could use the site to find only 72% of what they were looking for and use 64% of what they found. 72% x 64% = 47%. None of the participants were able to use the site at our target level of 81% or above. Individual scores ranged from a low of just 19% to a high of 71%.

This is an extremely poor result. But it is probably typical of many. The only difference in this case is that the organisation now knows just how bad its web site’s performance actually is. By the way, the finding came as a shock to the organisation.

But, judging by the methods currently used to design web sites in large organizations this performance level should come as no surprise and is unlikely to change any time soon.

This is sad because the methods for doing such work to a far higher standard exist.

Role up roll up!
All the way from MHRA to you!
Nothing up my sleave!
Right before your very eyes!
the new improved PILS!

To those of you not in the know, PIL in this instance stands for Patient Information Leaflets. And the new ‘improved’ leaflets can be downloaded from from the MHRA website

The difference between a snake oil merchant and someone with a genuine claim to our attention is independent evidence that the claimed for improvement is not only real but worth while.

Now I don’t know if the MHRA has such evidence from testing of these ‘three examples of improved patient information leaflets’. I haven’t seen it and nor has anyone else in the public domain. I know that MHRA have loosely cobbled together something that adapts our guidelines on diagnostic testing in Writing about medicines for people, and are requiring all manufacturers of medicine to test their leaflets with consumers. So one might suspect that these three examples did well in testing. But when I look at them… I wonder.

The central point is that there is nothing transparent in this approach. The public can neither celebrate nor criticise.

So, my advice to healthcare consumers and those who look after their interests:

Roll up! Roll up!
Enjoy the show!
But DON’T buy.