Mana‘olana Website: A Usability Study

Abstract

Caring for a child with a mental illness can be extremely time-consuming and challenging for parents, especially in Hawai‘i, where there is a shortage of mental health care providers. Parents may not feel comfortable speaking openly about their child’s mental illness, and they may not know where to find help for their child or support for themselves. Manaolana.info is a website that was designed for parents in Hawai‘i who care for children with mental illness. This website includes four main components: information about service providers for psychological evaluations, information about service providers for children with a mental health diagnosis, parental support, and informational resources. A usability study was implemented to evaluate the website’s ease of navigation and the ability of the user to readily locate information. The findings of the usability study indicated that the mana‘olana website contained pertinent and relevant information, and that it was a useful resource for the target population. The mana‘olana.info website is considered public domain and can be shared with parent support groups, school administrators and counselors, and mental health care providers throughout the state of Hawai‘i.