Effects of presentation formats on consumers' performance and perceptions in the use of personal health records among older and young adults.

Objective: To examine the effects of presentation formats on consumers' performance and perceptions in the use of personal health records (PHRs) and to compare the effects between older and young adults.

Methods: A two-factor, mixed design experiment was conducted, where 36 older and 36 young participants were presented with hypothetical PHRs. The PHRs were randomly presented by six presentation formats: three tables and three line graphs, varying by visual cues. Participants' performance and perceptions in the use of PHRs were measured.

Results: Presentation formats affected participants' performance and perceptions. Visual cue-enhanced line graphs and tables yielded less time and fewer errors, were considered easier and more useful in information comprehension, and resulted in higher confidence in correct comprehension of PHRs (all p's < 0.01), compared with their basic counterparts. There were age-related differences in task performance (all p's < 0.05), while young and older adults had similar perceptions for the six formats. Line graph with colored background was most preferred by both groups.

Conclusion: Visual cue-enhanced presentation formats appear effective in facilitating comprehension and eliciting favorable perceptions of PHRs for both young and older adults.

Practice Implications: Consumer-facing displays of PHRs could use visual cue-enhanced presentation formats to facilitate comprehension.