WEBSITE EVALUATION

Website Evaluation

Website Evaluation

Introduction

When designing a web site we must take many points into account, not just focus on the content, we should also pay much interest on usability and accessibility. These two features which are related and important part of website success. We think that the Internet world is very saturated, and if you want to sell your product on website it is easy to do, but there is no use of having a good product if the user cannot find what you want, and will not feel comfortable with its use. Internet users are accustomed to certain design guidelines, is intuitive, therefore, they take this into account as a user, who accesses a first page, at first glance will attempt to locate certain items in a few specific sites. Users will lose time in searching, and depending on what it takes to find, he will stay or leave the site (Cohen, 1999, pp.36-41).

This article will analyze three websites of organizations and those websites are:

The US Bank (www.usbank.com)

Amazon (www.Amazon.com)

Wal-Mart (Walmart.com)

Discussion

A website analysis does not only contain what website is about and content, in fact it is analyzed from a design point of view. Let us assume that a user first enters a page and try to see the services it provides or seek some service or specific information. We will also see the positive assessments or negative after browsing the site for a while.

In all three websites they are focusing on the customer and they want to sell their product as they are focusing on e-business. Following are the techniques used to evaluate usability (data metrics) of these three websites (Griffin, 2003, pp.175-184).

Metrics to measure usability

In evaluating the usability of an interface often hears (or read) the phrase "You have to have the views of users to adapt the application to their needs." Yes, but with important nuances.

It is true that we must listen to their opinions, but most important is to interpret them properly. Only ignoring the opinions of the users will not solve all problems. The main task of an expert on usability is also detecting problems that are implicit in the comments and use. Here, most times not expressed verbally (Hegel, John, 1996, Pp.211-218).

One way to detect some of these problems is through the measurement of metrics.

What are the metrics of usability?

Criteria could be defined as those variables that are measurable or objectively. The interpretation of an opinion by the expert is qualitative or subjective analysis. The interpretation of objective is to response to a quantitative analysis.

Such variables are structured as a general rule, in three groups:

Effectiveness: variables that allow us to measure the accuracy and completeness with which it achieves the objectives of a specific task. Some of the most typical variables are: (Kalakota, Ravi, 1996, pp.112-114)

Total percentage of completed tasks.

Percentage of jobs completed on the first try.

Percentage of users who complete the tasks.

Ratio of successes and ...