Healthy Living for the Soul

Analysis by Trinay Blake

Introduction

Health issues are on the rise in the U.S. and worldwide. Obesity, lack of physical fitness, poor diet choices, working long hours, lack of sleep—these problems and more have plagued the U.S. for quite some time. Many people are not covered by insurance and put off basic medical care. Doing so increases their healthcare costs and may cost them their lives.

There is information out there and people should be made aware where to access it. There are numerous magazines, newspaper reports, and the ever present and changing web that people can search to get a grip on their health realities.

Discovery Healthy Living has a wonderfully inviting site that provides very useful information to maximize and to live your best life. The site is a how-to for all things healthy living. Categories include male and female specific health sites, conditions such as stress and plastic surgery and more.

The site encourages participation and allows users to immediately know what they will see when they visit a site link. Navigation is clear, concise, and easily maneuverable.

I visited other sites and did not find any that could compare to Discovery’s. The CDC healthy living site offers a substantial amount of information, but the site lacks visual acuity. The links should be supplemental to the audio, video, and other interactivity components.

CNN.com/health   like the CDC has numerous offerings but does not have compelling visual presentation. One site that could be a close second to Discovery is WebMD . Although you have to click on the individual links, when you get to the individual site, there are other interactivity tools to enhance the user experience.

Content

The overall healthy living site has broad content specifically for men and women, in addition to broad content for alternative health, plastic surgery, stress management and more. It is easy to read, easy to understand, and provides users with a better way to improve their overall health.

Topics include features stories, ask the experts, top picks, and more. The content is well organized and in succinct with the answers people need to know to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Interactivity

The Discovery site is quite interactive with numerous options for the user to access. A video is prominently displayed on the opening page and clicking more, users will access a video gallery of various categories. loaded with helpful healthy living Podcasts , Users can take a health quiz, get recipes, and even get help on projects such as organizing a personal recycling system or designing and building a water system.

Additional interactivity tools include blogs, podcasts, news, RSS  feeds, discussion forums, and newsletters. No matter where the user is on the site, he or she can get to other Discovery Health categories by clicking the other tabs.

Interface

The site is easy to maneuver with clear headings and identifiable links. Shows nicely on the screen and the colors are complimentary. It is a well thought out site and inviting.