Post on 19-Jan-2016
Web usabilityMay 2006Jenny Clift
How usable are University websites?
• Study done by Deakin University on the prospective student experiencelate 2004 http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/aw05/papers/refereed/alexander/
• UniSA website was looked at by 5 international prospective students
• Findings talk more about usability and accessibility in general
Usability findings
• UniSA website participants successfully completed 72% of these tasks– degree/diploma you’re interested in? - 100%– do you have the qualifications needed to complete this degree?
- 100%– how much will it cost you? - 60%– where is it taught from? - 80%– are scholarships available for it? - 20%
Usability findings
• Overall 5 point Likert scale indications were– Confidence in information found - 4.4– User satisfaction – 3.9
In other words pretty good compared to other uni’s
Usability suggestions
• Watch what terminology and jargon is being used within webpages
• Organise the information architecture for the user and don’t replicate organisational structure
• Write contextual link text• Make the content clear and meaningful
Usability suggestions
• Improve search results• Be careful with PDF document use within
webpages• Be aware of links opening new browser
windows
Usability resources
• UniSA Web authoring guide – www.unisa.edu.au/wag
• Jakob Nielsen’s website– http://www.useit.com/