WEB DESIGN & USABILITY

 

1. Class Discussion

(1) What are some of the tips for do's and don'ts regarding web page design?

Summary of tips
Eye Movement on a webpage
Using color carefully
Tips on using graphics

(2) Evaluate these sites on:

  • A. usability - give an example of a really easy to use/difficult to use webapge
  • B. usefulness - give an example of a really useful/useless webapge
  • C. quality of the page design - give an example of a really well designed/poorly designed webapge

(3) Examples of Good & Bad Websites:

BAD
http://www.wowbanking.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/main.htm
http://www.hauntedkansas.com/#
http://historywired.si.edu/index.html
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/main.html


GOOD
http://www.chipotle.com/
http://www.apple.com/
http://www.vw.com/
http://www.google.com
http://www.audiusa.com/
http://sony.com/

2. Testing Web Usability

Choose one of the websites listed below and test its usability. This involves being extremely thorough in your analysis. What I'd like you to do is to evaluate each instance of text/graphics on the webpage you are testing and to debate its usefulness and ease of usability. You will also need to think about how you could improve the web site by redesigning it. Keep in mind that just because these websites are commercial sites and well known, that doesn't necessarily make them examples of perfect webdesign and usability. During the remainder of the class, I would like you to:

(1) Type up a document which addresses the following web design issues:

  • Use of Text
  • Use of Links
  • Use of Color
  • Use of Graphics
  • Use of Java Applets
  • Use of Frames
  • Use of Space
  • Overall Design
  • Ease of Navigation
  • Does everything work they way it should?
  • How long does it take to load the page?
  • Does the overall design fit the purpose and the audience of this website?
    • Make sure you give examples in your discussion and offer not only constructive criticism, but also suggestions as to how to improve the webpage.

Here's a list of websites to choose from:

  1. PVAMU.edu
  2. Drugstore.com
  3. IRS
  4. Barnes & Nobles
  5. Weather.com
  6. Travelocity
  7. CNN
  8. ICQ

 

RESOURCES

There are numerous web-site evaluation checklists available and also many sites that discuss what good (web) design is relative to bad (web) design. Here are some examples: