Web usability May 2006 Jenny Clift

How usable are University websites? Study done by Deakin University on the prospective student experience late 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 –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 – Jakob Nielsen’s website –