m durham1 organisational web sites: cool or communicative? assoc professor marsha durham university...
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Organisational Web sites: Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative?Cool or communicative?
Assoc Professor Marsha DurhamUniversity of Western Sydney
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Why evaluate websites?Why evaluate websites?• Experience
– ‘How-to’ manuals– Searching websites of Australian universities
• Growth in websites & advice
• Emphasis on visuals– “Cyberspace has the unique distinction of being
the first medium where you can actually bore your readers by being too exciting.”
• Websites as complex texts
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Focus of searchFocus of search
• Organisational web sites• Communication aspects
– What helps sites communicate more effectively?
• Empirical research• Texts and textual choices
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FindingsFindings1. More interest in e-mail and chat
room dialogue, not Web sites2. Problem of unsubstantiated
guidelines3. Small number of empirical studies
of sites as ‘texts’4. Need for theory
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Finding 1Finding 1.. Internet research Internet research• Web sites are still the forgotten
area of Internet research
• Main areas– Oral/interpersonal: cybertalk– E-publishing: cyberpublishing
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Finding 2: Finding 2: Proliferation of Proliferation of Web site guidelinesWeb site guidelines
• Majority are unsubstantiated and idiosyncratic
• More dependable: based on experiences of users/developers
• Comparison studies of sites• Web style guides
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Finding 3: Finding 3:
Empirical studies = promising Empirical studies = promising• Proprietary research• Work being undertaken
– Taxonomies– Mapping common features
• Research problems– How to choose sites– Extent of study
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Empirical: Usability Empirical: Usability studiesstudies
• Navigation• Writing & usability• Interactivity
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Empirical: Miscellaneous Empirical: Miscellaneous studiesstudies
• Metaphors• Breadth & depth of site• ‘Big picture’ issues
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Finding 4:Finding 4: Theories Theories• Difficulties in theory building
– Relative newness of Web– Sites change– Site complexity
• Site users and their impressions• Site as part of an organisation• Rhetoric and communication
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Homepages: contentHomepages: content
• Research (27)• Faculties/schools/depts (22)• Library (20)• Courses & study (14)• Student services (08)• Publications (06)• Campus map (05)• Recreation & sport (02)
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Homepages: DesignHomepages: DesignLayout• Grid/column menu (32)• ‘Square’ layout (28)• ‘Circle’ layout (11)• Diffuse (03)
Navigation– Text (33) Button (26) Icon (11)
Scrolling (04)
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ConclusionConclusion
• Org sites: large and complex• Software: capturing whole sites• More in-depth analysis, not
‘cool’ ratings• Future
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EndEnd