Designing Web Usability - Case Study Example

Analytical Report Name: Institution: 1.0 Executive summary This paper is an analytical report of evaluation of the Ballarat university website: the report offers information related to the assessment of the site. To sum it up, it also offers a list of recommendations to the problems that have been identified in the aim of making the site more users friendly and more functional. Table of Contents 1.0 Executive summary 2 List of figures 5 2.0 Introduction 6 2.1 Aim 6 2.2 Methods applied in investigations 7 2.3 Scope 7 3.0 Evaluation of the campus website 7 3.1 Assessment of the website 7 3.2 Definition of the site 7 3.2.1 Classification of information 10 3.3 Definition of the site users 10 3.3.1 Users of the site 10 3.3.2 Time of visiting the site 10 3.3.3 Access of the site 11 3.3.4 Tasks that users will do in the site 11 3.3.5 Appropriateness of the links 11 3.3.6 Imperative features of the site 11 3.3.7 Visiting of the site 12 3.3.8 Compelling the users to return 12 3.4 Accessibility of the site 12 3.4.1 Use of spatial references 12 3.4.2 Visual attractiveness 12 3.4.3 Language 13 3.4.4 Search 13 4.0 Problems 13 5.0 Conclusion 13 6.0 Recommendations 14 References 15 Kurniawan, S. & Zaphiris, P. (2007). Human Computer interaction research in Web Design and Evaluation. United States: Idea Group Inc. 15 List of figures Figure 1: Ballarat Homepage Figure 2: Contact page Figure 3: Privacy policy Figure 4: Disclaimer information 2.0 Introduction The URL www.ballarat.edu.au directs someone to the home page of the University of Ballarat. The home page of the university is best described as shown in figure 1 below. The website is a campus website which was created with the aim if informing the general public, the students and lectures in relation to what they may find in the university. When one first visits the campus website one is able to get a lot of information and data related to the university. The sites offers information related to the courses offered, the website also have a section for various categories of people such as the current students, staff as well as future students. Fig 1: Ballarat Homepage 2.1 Aim The aim of this report is to evaluate a campus website. This will be done by an analysis of the website and lastly a list of recommendation for the improvement of the site. 2.2 Methods applied in investigations When it comes to the issue of evaluation various methods are used. Some of the most common methods include surveys, questioners and interviews. Questionnaires were the applied evaluation methods that were used. The participants were future and students and lecturers. The results that were obtained assisted a lot in identifying the issues that are closely related to the campus website and recommendations were offered to solve the issues (Kurniawan & Zaphiris, 2007). 2.3 Scope The analytical report of the website will encompass assessment of the website. The aspects that will be covered will include ease of accessing the information, organization of the website, language used, use of spatial references, appropriateness of the links, accessibility of the site, functionality of the site, scenarios for use and possible scenarios for use (Nielsen, 2000). 3.0 Evaluation of the campus website 3.1 Assessment of the website The Ballarat website offers the users with all the required information and it is every easy to see it since it has heading that signify the information that users are searching for. The site is also easy to navigate and each page has a link that directs him/her to the home page thus making it easier for users. 3.2 Definition of the site Students are the major target population for the site. In addition the site also offers information to the lectures and other prospective students of the university. For a site to be effective it ought to offer users of the site a way of communication to the site owners. Some contact information is also provided in the site so as to assist in reaching the university. The link http://www.ballarat.edu.au/contact directs one to the contact details page. The contact page is clearly shown in figure 2 below Fig 2: Contact page The campus also has a privacy policy and it can be accessed by following the link http://www.ballarat.edu.au/privacy Figure 3: Privacy policy An effective website is also supposed to have a disclaimer policy and it assists a lot in stating the company restrictions in relation to anyone using the site. The campus website also have a disclaimer information and the be accessed through the following link http://www.ballarat.edu.au/disclaimer Fig 4: Disclaimer information 3.2.1 Classification of information The website classifies information into various categories thus making it easy to access the information. Under each category there are other sub categories that are related to the major category. The links directs one to the required page based on the main headings. 3.3 Definition of the site users 3.3.1 Users of the site When designing a website it is usually necessary to consider the user of the site, thus the website ought to offer the best level of experience to the users of the site (Veen, 2001). There exist various users of the site with the main users been the current students. The current students are offered with information related to their exams, results and campus life. The other groups of users are the lectures as well as future students of the university. All these groups of users in most instances use the website to obtain information related to new courses, results, staff resources. 3.3.2 Time of visiting the site Though some website has restrictions on the time that the individual can access the website (Spool, 1999) this site does not have such restrictions. The users have the right to access the information in the website at any time that means that there are no restrictions on when to access the website. 3.3.3 Access of the site So as to access the information that is in the website users will have to follow the links in the website so as to view the information they are in need of. There is also a search button in the website which always the users to search for any information in the website. 3.3.4 Tasks that users will do in the site Users visiting the site will perform various tasks in the website (Garrett, 2010). One of the major tasks for the current students will be searching for information related to their courses, exams and the results. The teachers will use the site to get any teaching resources that they may require. The site will also be used to obtain information on any upcoming activities in the university. 3.3.5 Appropriateness of the links Links are supposed to direct users to the exact place where the user intended to get some information. The links that are available in the site are appropriateness in that they direct users to the exact locations. 3.3.6 Imperative features of the site One of the most important features of the website is the appearance. The appearance of the website is not appealing because of the colors that are used. The blend of color seems not to be appealing (Box & Bowles, 2010). One of the most appealing aspect of the website is that the text simple and readable. Another important aspect of the website is based on the fact that it contains relevant information. For example information related to the future and current students of the campus. 3.3.7 Visiting of the site Users need to visit a site so as to reduce redundancy. The website can be visited by the users as much time as possible and it all depends on the user’s choice. 3.3.8 Compelling the users to return Measures ought to be taken so as to ensure that users of the site return to the site more often. The site owners need to ensure that the site is visually appealing. The first time users visits a website their response will always determine if they will visit the site at a later date (Albert & Tullis, 2008). Another thing that compels the users to return to the site is the relevance of the information that they finds in the site. The information that the site provides is relevant and this users will always be returning to the site to get any additional information. 3.4 Accessibility of the site 3.4.1 Use of spatial references The sites uses spatial references and they assist a lot in making the users know the exact locations of the campuses of the university. 3.4.2 Visual attractiveness The home page of the website is appealing to the eyes but it has some distractions which disrupts the user of the website. The site is also accessible and one can easily navigate from one page to another. Though the home page is appealing to the eyes there are other pages that are not appealing for example the policy and disclaimers pages. The blends of colors that have been used in these pages are not appealing. 3.4.3 Language The language that is used in designing the website compels users to return to the site. Sites that uses compel language have a lower number of users as compared to those sites that use easily understandable language (Ben, 2003). The university website uses a language that is easily understandable by the students, lectures and the general public. The text is also of an adequate size thus making it easy for the leaders to be able to read it. 3.4.4 Search The university website has a search button where users can search for information they need in the website. This assists a lot in ensuring the usability and functionality of the website ((Ben, 2003). 4.0 Problems There is no website that is effective and efficient. The university website has a number of problems and they include: The colors used in some pages are not appealing Availability of pizza in the home page Unappealing layout Low lapse rate Categorization of information 5.0 Conclusion The website seems to be efficient and this conclusion was derived from the analysis that was conducted to the campus website 6.0 Recommendations Based on the analytical evaluation of the university website, the following recommendations ought to be implemented so as to attract new users and make it more users friendly: The users need not be distracted when using the site thus the pizzazz that is present in the home page ought to be removed. There need to be a redesign so as to deal with the problems which have been identified in the above section. Speed also seems to be an important aspect to be considered thus in response to this issue the speed for accessing the website need to reduced so as to make it easily accessible The arrangement of the buttons ought to be done in such a way that users do to have t scroll under each category so as to obtain the required information References Kurniawan, S. & Zaphiris, P. (2007). Human Computer interaction research in Web Design and Evaluation. United States: Idea Group Inc. Nielsen, J. (2000). Designing web usability. United States: New riders. Veen, J. (2001). The art & science of web design. United States: New riders. Spool, J. (1999). Web site Usability: a designer guide. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann. Garrett, J. (2010). The elements of User Experiences. United States: New riders. Box, J. & Bowles, C. (2010). Undercover User Experience Design. United States: New Riders. Albert, W. & Tullis, T. (2008). Measuring the user experience. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann. Ben, S (2003). Designing the user interface: strategies for effective Human-computer interaction. New York: Pearson. Read More