The Design of the SaiteBooker: An Authoring Tool for E-books for Health Distance Learning Courses in Brazil

The demand for e-books for distance learning courses in the health field in Brazil has increased. Thus, it is necessary to accelerate the e-book production process. In this regard, this article reports the development and evaluation of saiteBooker, an authoring tool for e-books proposed by the Open University of the Unified Health System (UNA-SUS/UFMA) in Brazil. Within an information design approach, a qualitative evaluation was conducted, with 32 participants, through: (a) Expert assessment (n = 16) by technology and design experts, and information design researchers; followed by (b) Users’ assessment (n = 16). The results of the Expert assessment showed deficiencies in the visualization and consistency of components and functions of the tool. Based on these results, the saiteBooker tool was improved for the Users’ assessment (online questionnaire prior and post interaction). The results indicated that the improved tool was positively evaluated, meeting users’ expectations. To conclude, it is highlighted the importance of an evaluation method that combines technology and information design views with user testing.