Web Takes … August 2013 Picks

Hartford Hospital

www.harthosp.org
It has been a dozen years since this site was reviewed. The site for this Connecticut institution was out­standing back then, and with changes over the years, it is out­standing today.

Most hospital sites fail to identify the organization’s key service lines. Yes, many sites will highlight a few serv­ices in their banner area although, surprisingly, many of those featured aren’t necessary key services. At the Hartford Hospital site, a dozen service lines are prominently listed on the left side of the home page. The minimalist design of the home page – just six global links; a large, almost floating banner area; and pa­tient story and “meet our caregivers” sections – make the key service links stand out. Visitors can place a mouse point on the Our Services global link and view dozens of serv­ices offered, but the organization is making it clear where its emphasis, and I assume expertise, lies.

Supporting the focus on key services are fine sections on each service, with extensive information and op­portunities to contact Hartford Hospital.

Health information is extensive. Particularly noteworthy are the animations of procedures (called Procedures InMotion) and the long list of healthy living calculators and health risk assessments in the Inter­active Tools section.

In Classes & Events, visitors can search by all offerings or just peruse one of five specialty areas deemed especially important for visitors.

The home page misses some op­portunities. The banner doesn’t ro­tate messages; instead, users must refresh their browser to see another message. Also, patient story and “meet our caregivers” videos only show one at a time; visitors have to remember to click on the links to see another video.

Log in below to access this content: