Health Literacy Online

What’s new?

About This Third Edition

The new edition of Health Literacy Online centers people-first design, accessibility across devices, and setting standards for content governance.

Ensure Accessibility

The third edition highlights the importance of building accessible digital tools — and offers strategies to integrate people-first design principles throughout the product development process.

Section 1 Barriers to Accessing, Understanding, and Using Digital Health Information

Understand common barriers to using digital health information and tools — like lack of access to reliable broadband internet, limited literacy skills, and challenges with navigating digital tools.

Section 1 Highlight

1.1 Internet, broadband, and technology access

19 million people in the United States lack access to reliable broadband internet service.

Section 2 Involve Your Audience in the Design Process

Learn about ways to involve your audience in the planning, development, and testing of your digital content and tools.

Section 3 Ensure Accessibility

Find strategies to make sure accessibility and people-first design principles inform all aspects of your work — from building your team to drafting content and designing digital tools.

Section 4 Create Actionable Content

Explore tips for writing clear, engaging content that encourages your readers to take meaningful action.

Section 4 Highlight

4.1 Consider people’s motivations and goals

Understanding your audience’s motivations will help you create actionable, tailored health content that meets their information needs and expectations.

Section 5 Design for Easy Scanning

Get simple, actionable strategies for designing digital content that’s easy to read and use — and learn how to apply them across devices.

Section 5 Highlight

5.6 Design for screens of all sizes

More and more, users are accessing the web from mobile devices. And for some — especially people with limited digital health literacy skills — mobile devices may be their only means of web access.

Section 6 Simplify Navigation and Search

Find out how to create an accessible, easy-to-use information architecture and navigation that supports understanding.

Section 7 Establish Content Governance

Discover best practices for documenting the policies and processes that govern your digital content.

About Health Literacy Online

Health Literacy Online is about broadening access to user-friendly digital health information and services. This research-based guide discusses the why and how to create health websites and other digital tools for a range of audiences, including people who don’t have strong literacy, health literacy, or digital literacy skills — as well as those who don’t have a lot of time (or patience) to find and process complex health information. 

Keep reading about this third edition