A Heuristic Evaluation of the CDC’s Social Media Information Dissemination Practices

Abstract

During the present COVID-19 global pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tasked with providing information and public guidance for appropriate COVID-19 prevention and management. However, public perception is varied and disseminated information must compete with sources of misinformation. Given usability’s impact on trust, usefulness, and attitudes towards systems, we conducted a usability heuristic assessment of the CDC’s COVID-19 information dissemination practices on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Results show a critical need for dissemination practices to include design elements which help reduce external influences. Additionally, the usability of the CDC health information is impacted by the medium through which the information is disseminated, especially when the information is released via social media.

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