Evidence Record

Evidence summary

NIST operationalizes effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction using measures including unassisted task success, time on task, errors, ease ratings, and observed issues.

Exact claim supported or contradicted

Supports the feasibility of a small controlled comparison of two procedural communication variants.

Source provenance

Official NIST interagency report. It applies human-factors methods in electronic health records and cites established usability measurement literature.

Relevant excerpt or data

For summative tests, the report recommends quantitative participant performance measures such as task success, time, and errors; formative work can add open-ended responses and issue counts.

Interpretation

The first vertical slice can produce a multi-metric outcome rather than collapsing quality into readability or preference.

Limitations

The domain is interactive health software, not standalone writing. Time can be misleading when careful deliberation is desirable.

Counterevidence

No single metric indicates overall communication quality; measures must be selected against the intended outcome.

Reproduction or verification notes

See NISTIR 7741, usability-testing measures section, especially page 50.