Find out what Mumsnet testers thought of Healthily

[GraceEMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who tested Healthily and its Smart Symptom Checker.

Testers, you can now share your feedback! Please do so by responding to the questions below on this thread, as well as filling in the survey that we have emailed to you.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

All testers who leave the required feedback will receive a £5 Amazon voucher and an annual subscription to the Healthily app!

Here’s what Healthily has to say:

“Healthily is a health information website, an award-winning app and a sophisticated Smart Symptom Checker – one of the most accurate and advanced in the world. Healthily provides medically safe information that helps anyone, anywhere, decide on the best next steps and how to manage their health and wellbeing safely at home.”

Thanks!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

It was easy to use. I honestly can’t say I had a favourite feature, it was all simple enough to follow.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

They were useful and easy to understand. Being honest I did feel like they weren’t detailed enough, the information I found would be readily available on other websites with a quick Google. Still written by doctors and verified.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

It was fairly easy to navigate and find what I was searching for.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

It was relevant in some ways but in others not so much. I tried to follow the sleep content but it’s easier said than done when you’ve got a toddler. Maybe some family sleep ideas would be good or how to help when you aren’t able to get a good nights sleep with a young family.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

I didn’t enjoy using this feature at all. I input a condition I know about that’s nothing serious or dangerous but the checker flagged it as two really scary conditions and wanted me to seek immediate medical attention. I wanted to try the site as I’m a worrier and this just made me worry waayyy more!

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   It was easy to use however I felt the answers were unrealistic in asking me to get everything checked out by a GP. As we all know this is nigh on impossible. I would have liked some tips on how to manage this myself.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   I really liked the articles which were well written and easy to follow. I felt they were full of practical advise which is realistic to follow.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes the website is well organised and I was able to navigate easily - even with young children in the background distracting me.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   Yes full of practical advise on exercise/sleep/diet which is relevant.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   I found the symptom checker unhelpful and did not obtain any useful advise.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features? Yes, v easy to use and thorough

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand? Perfect length, useful, not too detailed, easy to understand.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes, no issues

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs? Yes, I enjoyed it and it was relevant

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next? Yes, I had two courses of action and they were v useful. I'll use again

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

I didn't find it that easy to use - it seemed to repeat questions and at one point stopped working completely so had to be refreshed.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

I liked the articles and thought they were clear and easy to understand. The article on building habits was actionable and had some good tips on how to overcome common obstacles.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes, easy to use and overall a good website.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

It was definitely relevant to women my age - all about building healthy habits (definitely need that!)

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

I thought the advice was very poor quality. I put in something I'd been previously diagnosed with (plantar fascitis) which has pretty clear symptoms. What actually came out was tendon pain and an achilles injury which seemed extremely unlikely based on the information I had put in. I was struggling to see how it was any better than NHS 111 online or the NHS website. Or even my GPs econsult service!

1) Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

Yes, it was easy to use. It was helpful that you could go back and edit your response if you had clicked the wrong thing. There were some questions where the wording was perhaps unclear, though.

2) What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
Actually they were very good, informative, helpful and clearly set out.

3) Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
Not necessarily, although I was able to find similar articles by clicking on headlines.

4) Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

I'm a fairly healthy person, can use the NHS information and a HCP, so on balance, not really no.

5) Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

Ye-es. First time round it told me to call 999 which was a little alarming. I think that's because I clicked yes for noisy breathing. Obviously an obstructed airway is an emergency, but I has a blocked nose causing me to breath loudly.

Pressed enter too soon.

I like a symptom checker, but always needs to be used with a good helping of common sense. It did reassure me that I didn't have cancer (hypochondriac!). I have seen similar symptom checkers and health information elsewhere; not sure what the USP of this app/website would be.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Easy to use, but a bit hit and miss I found. And only gave one diagnosis - not a could be this or that. With one set of symptoms it told me to seek urgent medical advice which was clearly not needed.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   The information on the website is useful and informative.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes, the website was easy to use

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   It has lots of information for lots of different ages, but does seem to be a bit of a general collection of health advice you can easily obtain elsewhere.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

It correctly diagnosed vertigo, but I felt it could have gone further with recommending exercises similar to those my doctor recommended. For other symptoms it seemed to mis-diagnose or just suggest contacting my GP, so not terribly useful. I don’t think I would trust it.

1. I didn’t find helpful as it tended to dramatise the symptoms I put in.
2. Useful articles and lots of interesting ones to access.
3. Yes easy to navigate
4. Helpful in a generic way but not helpful to ,e with conditions I hav3 and the information I already know.
5. It overly expressed concerns in areas I looked at and jumped t wrong conclusions.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Yes it was easy to use. I liked that it seemed to be optimised to use on a phone and it was very easy to press the right buttons on each page. I also liked that you don't have to register or submit an email address to use it. I didn't like that you can't go back if you accidentally click the wrong thing - you have to start again.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   They were ok, very well written - I don't think there was anything there I haven't read before, but easy to understand no less.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Reasonably so, once I scrolled down the homepage past the bits at the top (featured topics etc). I didn't find it that easy to find specific things as each topic has a lot of content, but for general topics it was easy enough. I'd probably just google though rather than searching through one webpage.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   Yes, in a sense, though the majority of content was nothing new to me.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   No, not at all! I tried it with three conditions I've had - Obstetric choleostasis - it told me was scabies and didn't even ask if I was pregnant. Gall stones it told me was a kidney infection or pancreatitis. It did get tonsillitis correct but I don't need a symptom checker to tell me I have tonsillitis so all in all I'd say it wasn't very trust worthy to me.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

Yes easy to use
Favourite features were easy to read articles

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

Good varied choice of articles.
The information was easy to read and clearly set out making it easy to read.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes I was, all clearly set out and easy to understand

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Yes all relevant to a current health issue I am experiencing.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

It helped me understand more about my current issue and what I could look at doing to help this issue

Thank you for letting me test ☺️

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Yes, it was very easy to use. I like that it gave short lists to tick boxs for symtptoms.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   The articles and information are good - easy to read and simple to understand without being overly simple or alarming.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes it was very easy to find information, and very intuitive in terms of things being where I would expect them to be based on headings and topics.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   Yes, there was some good general information that I found useful

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   Yes, the symptom checker was great for some cold symptoms and advice on what I should do.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

I found it quite easy to use - I liked the speed at which you could select options about your health. I got confused at one point though as I pressed back and then had to start all over again.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

Yes they were quite easy to understand.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes I was but I was advised to go to the doctoirs within 48 hours which made me worry a bit.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Yes - all very relevant. I am going through the menopause and have trouble sleeping so there was plenty to read for me.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

Not really - the symptom checker advised me to make an urgent apointmenrt with my doctor but I wasnlt sure why.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Very easy to use, reminded me of the old NHS symptom checker which I used to use a lot.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   The articles were easy to read but didn’t contain any new information really.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes it was very easy to use & to find information.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   Yes there were articles about many issues I would seek advice on.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   Yes it gave me a good indication as to whether I can manage certain issues myself or whether I do need to seek further advice.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Yes really liked this. Had a wide range of reasons for symptoms and how to treat

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

Interesting and informative, found it written in easy to understand language

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly? Yes no problem at all
4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs? Yes lots of women's health relevant for my age
5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next? I actually entered symptoms for a condition I know I have and was pleased at the information given to me and it would signpost me to the correct places

) Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

Yes very. It asked detailed questions.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

I liked the articles. They were easy to read, short enough to keep my attention and very easy to understand without feeling patronising.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

The website was very easy to use. I didn't like that I was asked what sex I was assigned at birth, sex is observed not assigned.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Yes it was

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

It did. It gave some good advice and has helped.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

• yes, liked how clear the questions were

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

• they were fine, easy to digest. Layout was a little unclear at times and content was ok (nothing I couldn’t find elsewhere)

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

• yes, fairly basic

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

• it was ambiguous at times, would have recommended more if it has been more specific, it also recommended gp for a chronic issue

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

• Some yes, I’d use it as a reference tool, not a deciding factor

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features? Yes it was easy and straightforward to use. My only concern is taking medical advice from a computer rather than a human being.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand? They were easy to understand and useful. There were a decent range of topics but I still think there’s scope for me.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly? Very easily. It was straightforward to understand.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs? Yes it was however I felt it very generic and not specific enough. I guess this might be a starting point though.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next? Yes it did but I don’t think I would use it for reasons mentioned above.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features? Yes, I liked how easy it was to navigate the survey and that there was an open field to write down symptoms, rather than selecting from limited options.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand? They were very helpful and easy to understand. There was a nice mix of statistics, science and also helpful tips. The articles were laid out in sections therefore I did not get bored halfway through.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly? Very quickly, everything was titled and labelled in a clear manner.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs? Yes, I found the sleep section particularly helpful especially since I have regular bouts of insomnia.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next? Yes, I did not have any current symptoms so used my previous Gastroenteritis symptoms and it correctly diagnosed me and guided me on the next steps.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Yes , easy to used , I do t have a favourite

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   Nice range of articles , info easily found and worded simply

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   Yes

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   I put the symptoms in ( that I have already seen the Dr for ) and it came up with the same diagnosis ( blepharitis )

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   I found it pretty easy to use! I liked that it asked plenty questions to try and make an accurate diagnosis

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   I enjoyed them! Clear enough that you could skim read it and still benefit from the advice while also having plenty info and advice. Yes, very useful and simple

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes definitely.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?
   It was relevant

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   It did, felt like a more personal version of the NHS symptom checker. Yes I did

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?
   Yes I found it very easy to use. I'm not sure if it is very accurate though.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?
   I really liked the range of articles on the website and found them informative and easy to understand.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?
   Yes, very easy to use.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs? Yes

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?
   The content helped me to find information about something concerning me and the advice was very useful.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

It was easy to use, sort of like some of the NHS online symptom checkers. I guess ease of use was the best feature.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

The information was clear and informative, but quite bland and generic to read overall unless you're a complete beginner in terms of health knowledge. It didn't really motivate me to go back there in the future.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes it was fine.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Not as relevant for me.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

I thought this tool was useful and would refer to it again. Some of my questions were repeated, so maybe a few bugs to fix.

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

I really enjoyed how informative the articles were, I didn’t feel patronised and thought it was really well written!

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

Yes very easy to understand and navigate. I thought the ‘you might find this article relevant’ was sometimes not on point

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes it was easy to navigate and I could find the information clearly and easily

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

I did feel that a lot of the outcomes were ‘call 111 for advice” so maybe that could be an overall caveat of your app? Please call 111 or speak to your doctor if you have further worries etc

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

Yes I feel that it caught a couple of symptoms that I wouldn’t have linked together and gave me the confidence to sort it out

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

Yes very easy but not the most accurate information.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

Yes very easy to understand and not too much scientific jargon which was great

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes
4) Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Yes i would say so

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

No not really, i couldnt give an answer that i needed and was given information not relevant to me

1. Did you find the Healthily Smart Symptom checker easy to use? If so, what were your favourite features?

I used this twice. The first for lumpy breasts - I have had cystic breasts before and this feels the same. I was directed immediately to see my GP for breast cancer with no suggestion of polycystic breasts.

The second time I entered stomach discomfort. I was impressed by the volume of questions. I was assuming gastritis and this was the first diagnosis followed by two more serious complaints and a suggestion to ring 999.

I'm not sure that this can ever be a replacement for a real live HCP.

2. What did you think of the articles on the Healthily website? Was the information useful and easy to understand?

The articles were well written and easy to read but I didn't feel like they were telling me anything I didn't already know. The info is nothing that can't be found on 100s of other Web pages.

3. Were you able to navigate the website easily and find the information you wanted quickly?

Yes, fairly easy and well ordered. Nicely sectioned.

4. Was the health content relevant to you and your needs?

Yes, I guess so but I would still head to Mumsnet to get actual personal experiences and opinions rather than the opinion of an algorithm.

5. Did the content and Smart Symptom Checker address any health concerns you had? Did you feel confident about what to do next?

I had both the symptoms mentioned above. I am reassured that mild gastritis will clear up by itself but there is now a nagging fear I have severe liver disease. The breast thing - well, I'll make an appointment with the GP to have it checked out. Not sure what I have actually gained from using Healthily tbh.