Breuch, L.-A. M. K., Zachry, M., & Spinuzzi, C. (2001). Usability Instruction in Technical Communication Programs: New Directions in Curriculum Development.
Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 15(2), 223-240.
http://jbt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/223
Although usability testing and research have become critical tasks for technical communicators in the workplace, little discussion in technical communication focuses on teaching usability in technical communication programs. This article asserts that technical communication programs are particularly well positioned to adopt usability testing and research in their curricula because of inherent connections between usability and technical communication, such as their mutual emphases on audience analysis, technology, and information design. Approaches to implementation of usability courses at three universities are described, and the authors share suggestions for adopting usability in the areas of curriculum, equipment, and facilities needed for conducting usability.
Cheh, J. A., Ribisl, K. M., & Wildemuth, B. M. (2003). An Assessment of the Quality and Usability of Smoking Cessation Information on the Internet.
Health Promot Pract, 4(3), 278-287.
http://hpp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/3/278
Little is known about the quality and usability of on-line health information. This analysis evaluated smoking cessation Web sites' content quality and usability. Thirty sites were analyzed to determine their adherence to established tobacco cessation guidelines and their accessibility, usability, credibility, and currency. Most explained addiction (86.7%) and mentioned nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (93.3%) and social support (93.3%). However, few explained potential side effects of NRT (33.3%) or which smokers should avoid using NRT (30.0%). Two sites advocated substituting smokeless tobacco or herbal cigarettes when quitting, and 16 (53.3%) provided information written at greater than an eighth-grade level. Few sites provided a search mechanism (40.0%) or offered text-only versions (30.0%), and most (83.3%) failed to indicate when content pages were last updated. Most sites adhered to established cessation guidelines. A small subset offered erroneous and potentially harmful information. Applying fundamental design principles would improve accessibility, usability, credibility, and currency.
Faiola, A., & MacDorman, K. F. (2008). The influence of holistic and analytic cognitive styles on online information design: Toward a communication theory of cultural cognitive design.
Article.
Information, Communication & Society, 11(3), 348-374.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=31611568&site=ehost-live
Although studies have linked culture to online user preferences and performance, few communication researchers have recognized the impact of culture on online information design and usability. It is important to ask if people are better able to use and prefer Web sites created by designers from their own culture. We propose that to improve computer-mediated communication, Web site design should accommodate culturally diverse user groups. First, a body of research is presented that aligns East Asian cultures with more holistic cognitive styles and Western cultures with more analytical cognitive styles. Building on this contrast, a theory of cultural cognitive design is proposed as a means of understanding how cognitive styles that develop under the influence of culture lead to different ways of designing and organizing information for the Web.
Jones, S. L. (2007). Evolution of Corporate Homepages: 1996 to 2006.
Journal of Business Communication, 44(3), 236-257.
http://job.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/44/3/236
This study compares samples of corporate homepages gathered in 1996 and 1997 with homepages of the same sites gathered in 2006. Based on the example of the evolution of typography following the invention of the printing press, it is hypothesized that homepages of 2006 will be more homogenous with each other than the earlier samples and will thus exhibit the development of standardization. The study finds increased standardization in the 2006 homepages in the categories of homepage length, primary navigation orientation, primary navigation style, focal point, and search engine presence and location.
Kaplanidou, K., & Vogt, C. (2006). A Structural Analysis of Destination Travel Intentions as a Function of Web Site Features.
Journal of Travel Research, 45(2), 204-216.
http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/2/204
This study used the technology acceptance model to assess the influence of tourism Web site characteristics on perceived Web site usefulness in planning a trip. Furthermore, the impact of Web site usefulness on intentions to travel to a destination was examined using structural equation modeling analysis. Consumer characteristics such as previous visits to the destination or its Web site, online travel-planning experience, and Internet use were included in the model. The results showed that motivating visuals and trip information functionality were significant predictors of Web site usefulness. Web site usefulness was a significant predictor of intent to travel to the destination, whereas previous visits to the destination or its Web site had significant but small negative influence on intentions to travel. The motivating visuals factor was also a significant direct predictor of intentions to travel to the destination, whereas trip information functionality had indirect influence on intentions through Web site usefulness. Specific theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Kim, H., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2008). Persuasive Design of Destination Web Sites: An Analysis of First Impression.
Journal of Travel Research, 47(1), 3-13.
http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/47/1/3
This research examines the persuasiveness of destination Web sites through an investigation of users' first impression. To achieve this goal, it builds on research by Fogg (2003) and by Kim and Fesenmaier (2007) to assess the effect of the design factors of destination Web sites on first impression formation. The results of this study indicate that the participants were able to make quick judgments on tourism Web sites and that inspiration and usability were the primary drivers evoking a favorable first impression. This research concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and possible directions for future study.
Maloney, K., & Bracke, P. J. (2004). Beyond Information Architecture: A Systems Integration Approach to Web-site Design. <Article>.
Information Technology & Libraries, 23(4), 145-152.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=16071964&site=ehost-live
Users' needs and expectations regarding access to information have fundamentally changed, creating a disconnect between how users expect to use a library Web site and how the site was designed. At the same time, library technical infrastructures include legacy systems that were not designed for the Web environment. The authors propose a framework that combines elements of information architecture with approaches to incremental system design and implementation. The framework allows for the development of a Web site that is responsive to changing user needs, while recognizing the need for libraries to adopt a cost-effective approach to implementation and maintenance.
Manzari, L., & Trinidad-Christensen, J. (2006). User-Centered Design of a Web Site for Library and Information Science Students: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing. <Article>.
Information Technology & Libraries, 25(3), 163-169.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22544651&site=ehost-live
This study describes the life cycle of a library Web site created with a user-centered design process to serve a graduate school of library and information science (LIS). Findings based on a heuristic evaluation and usability study were applied in an iterative redesign of the site to better serve the needs of this special academic library population. Recommendations for design of Web-based services for library patrons from LIS programs are discussed, as well as implications for Web sites for special libraries within larger academic library settings.
Middleton, I.,
McConnell, M., & Davidson, G. (1999). Presenting a model for the structure and content of a university World Wide Web site.
Journal of Information Science, 25(3), 219-227.
http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/3/219
This paper proposes a model for the structure and content of a university World Wide Web site, by a process of: (1) identifying who the site is serving and the information needs of these individuals or groups; (2) identifying institutional information needs; (3) relating this data to the content provided; (4) presenting the content in a manner suited to the characteristics and information needs of the target user groups. Through an analysis of existing UK higher education institution (HEI) Web sites and an extensive literature review, a case is made for a non-static approach to Web design which identifies users and makes extensive use of themes to promote currently relevant information at the top level. The authors propose a link-rich environment which does not rely on user categorisation and exploration of long sequences of links and is not constrained by traditional boundaries between departments. The authors contend that such an approach is yet to be adopted in UK
HEIs, but is beginning to occur at
HEIs in the USA.
Park, Y. A., & Gretzel, U. (2007). Success Factors for Destination Marketing Web Sites: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis.
Journal of Travel Research, 46(1), 46-63.
http://jtr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/46/1/46
Destination marketing organizations invest considerable amounts of money in the development of Web sites as part of their overall promotion efforts. With increasing pressure on their budgets, it becomes ever more important for these organizations to assess the effectiveness of their Web sites, evaluate the return on their investments, and derive feedback on necessary improvements. Web site evaluation measures have been proposed in many ways and various contexts over the past decade. The study presented in this article used a qualitative meta-analysis methodology to synthesize the diverse findings. A unified framework of commonly used Web site success factors emerged from the analysis and included a total of nine factors: (1) information quality; (2) ease of use; (3) responsiveness; (4) security/privacy; (5) visual appearance; (6) trust; (7) interactivity; (8) personalization; and (9) fulfillment. Additional factors to further inform Web evaluation efforts were identified based on Werthner and Klein's dimensions of Web communication. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for future research.
Peterson, K. (2006). Academic Web Site Design and Academic Templates: Where Does the Library Fit In?
Information Technology & Libraries, 25(4), 217-221.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23830464&site=ehost-live
Academic Web site design continues to evolve as colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to create a Web site that is both hip and professional looking. Many colleges and universities are using templates to unify the look and feel of their Web sites. Where does the library Web site fit into a comprehensive campus design scheme? The library Web site is unique due to the wide range of services and content available. Based on a poster session presented at the Twelfth Annual Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2005, this paper explores the prevalence of university-wide academic templates on library Web sites and discusses factors libraries should consider in the future.
Soh, L.-K., Zhang, J., & Samal, A. (2006). A Task-Based Approach to User Interface Design for a Web-Based Hydrologic Information Systems.
Article.
Transactions in GIS, 10(3), 417-449.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20535392&site=ehost-live
Hydroinformatics is a new and rapidly developing field that integrates knowledge and understanding of water resources with the latest developments in information technology to improve decision-making in many critical applications. It encompasses methods for data capture, storage, processing, analysis and visualization, and the use of advanced modeling, simulation, optimization and knowledge-based tools and systems infrastructure. Three types of hydrological data are most commonly used: flow rate in major rivers and streams, height of water in wells, and precipitation. To get a complete view of the state of water at a given point in space and time, one must analyze many different types of hydrological data together to derive information using an online GIS tool. To help use these disparate data sources more effectively and efficiently, we have built an online interface called the IJEDI
WebCenter for Hydroinformatics using a task-based approach. In this design, we first identify the tasks that users perform to study water-related issues, then organize data for each task, and build task-specific tools to present and analyze data and information. In a study involving both novices and experts in hydrology, we found that the both groups performed water-related studies more effectively and efficiently than they would have without the
WebCenter.
Taylor, M. J., Salces, F. S., & Duffy, S. P. (2005). Teaching web site design: science or art?
Article.
Journal of Further & Higher Education, 29(4), 331-340.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19019517&site=ehost-live
In this paper we discuss an approach to teaching web site design to higher education (HE) students that attempts to balance the artistic and scientific aspects of the web site design process. The design of IT systems has traditionally been viewed as a technical activity. However, unlike existing types of IT systems, an organization's web site is available to the general public, and as such needs to be designed in a different manner, with far more emphasis on presentation and ease of use than existing types of IT systems. This is necessary since if the web site is not appealing to the user they can simply choose another web site, and potential customers or clients are lost. Hence, students need to be taught how to incorporate both artistic and scientific aspects when designing a web site.