Website Guideline
Independent
1. AL’s https://www.als.com/
2. C& S Sporting Goods http://www.cssportinggoods.com/home.php
3. Alfred’s Sports Shop http://www.alfredssportsshop.com/
4. Johnson’s Sporting Goods http://www.johnsonssportinggoods.com/
5. Outdoor Research https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/en/retail-store
Chains
1. Big 5 https://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/
2. Dicks Sporting Goods https://www.dickssportinggoods.com
3. Scheels https://www.scheels.com
4. Academy sports https://www.academy.com
5. Cabelas https://www.cabelas.com/
The following is a template you should use to prepare your report. The text in RED color provide instructions for formatting and how to address the analysis. Be sure to edit this and not include instructions in the final report. Here are some additional guidelines:
· Identify a retail sector of interest (e.g., sporting goods stores, fabric stores, hardware stores). Do NOT use restaurants or hotels and do not use SERVICE companies (e.g., accounting firms). And, exclude grocery stores. If you want to be sure you have selected a good sector, contact the instructor for confirmation.
· Identify 10 retailers (5 independents and 5 chains)
· Conduct your analysis for each retailer
If you have any questions or would like confirmation of the sample you selected, contact the instructor for clarification.
An Evidence-Based Design Analysis of Websites:
An Application to the Sporting Goods Retail Sector
Prepared by
Your name
Submitted:Month/Day/Year
Website Design Issue 1:
Search Bar
Definition : Also called a ‘search field’ or ‘search option. It is a single-line text box or search icon (which will transform into a search box on click activity) with the dedicated function of accepting user input to be searched for in a database. Search boxes on web pages are usually used to allow users to enter a query to be submitted to a Web search engine server-side script, where an index database is queried for entries that contain one or more of the user's keyword research. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_box)
General Guideline :
· A search bar should be present at the top fold. An icon only option is sub-optimal.
· The most common locations are top center and top right
· For full sites, it may make sense for a ‘bar’ to be present so that it is easier to locate. For mobile, a magnifying glass is sufficient (the mobile testing is not a requirement for this assignment)
· There should be an understandable ‘go’ button
· A fixed bar that floats at the top of the page even during vertical scrolling would seem to facilitate more efficient navigation and, therefore, should be considered.
Retail Sector Analysis :
1. Big 5
Analysis of Application: First, simply state (in one sentence) the degree to which you feel the retailer’s website reflected the evidence as presented in the literature. Second, any deviation from the guidelines should be described (in 1-2 sentences)
2. Dicks Sporting Goods
Analysis of Application: First, simply state (in one sentence) the degree to which you feel the retailer’s website reflected the evidence as presented in the literature. Second, any deviation from the guidelines should be described (in 1-2 sentences)
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9. Name of store 9
Analysis of Application: First, simply state (in one sentence) the degree to which you feel the retailer’s website reflected the evidence as presented in the literature. Second, any deviation from the guidelines should be described (in 1-2 sentences)
10. Name of store 10
Analysis of Application: First, simply state (in one sentence) the degree to which you feel the retailer’s website reflected the evidence as presented in the literature. Second, any deviation from the guidelines should be described (in 1-2 sentences)
Overall Analysis of Application :
First, state the degree to which the sample reflected the evidence from the literature. (In a sentence or two)
Second, consider the possible implications as follows:
Relatively Strong Literature Evidence
· If the retail website applications are highly reflective of the guideline established by the literature, the application evidenceis considered congruent with the evidence from the literature. That is, companies are doing what the evidence from the literature recommends that they do. This represents an efficient market.
· If the application among retailers is highly different from the evidence presented in the literature, this is considered incongruent. In other words, if the evidence from the literature recommends a guideline but the companies are not following that advice, there is a disconnect between the literature and practice. At this point, the analyst must question which is more likely to be correct; the evidence from the literature or actual practice? Here is a recommendation for this analysis:
ØInefficient Market: If there is significant variation in the way the companies being evaluated are implementing the characteristic (again, in this case, the search bar), this would suggest that the market is inefficient; that is, the evidence is strong, but companies have not (as a group) adopted the recommendations AND have not established a generally accepted practice in their industry. Wide variations in practice when the evidence from the literature is strong suggests that the market has not accepted the evidence. In essence, the evidence from the literature is strong, but the market has not efficiently adopted guideline.
ØEfficient but Incongruent Market: If companies are applying the characteristics in much the same way, but differently from what was recommended in the literature, this reflects intra-industry efficiency (all companies are doing much the same thing), but incongruence with the literature (i.e., practice evidence conflicts with the literature evidence). How is the analyst to determine which is correct? Some might argue that practice (what the industry is doing), represents stronger evidence. If so, the evidence from the literature should be adjusted to account for this. This seems reasonable if one assumes that practitioners are more current in their evaluation of what works and what doesn’t. Alternatively, it could be argued that the industry is incorrect, but this would rest on an analysis of the degree of strength from the literature evidence. The greater the strength of the evidence, the more the analyst can be confident that current practice is incorrect.
Relatively Weak Literature Evidence
If the evidence from the literature is considered less strong (or even weak) , the following should be considered:
· If the application of the characteristics is highly different among retailers, this implies that neitherthe literature nor practice has settled on an appropriate guideline. A call for more research in this area is, therefore, warranted.
· If the application of the characteristics is highly similar , this would suggest that companies have established a generally accepted guideline even though evidence from the literature has not confirmed its effectiveness (although it can be presumed that the industry has confirmed it).
Use these explanations in your overall analysis and recommendations.
Display of Logo/Brand Name
Defined : The brand logo/name should be prominently displayed on every page, preferably in the same location (usually upper left corner).
General Guideline :
· Logos are most effective when placed at the top left fold. Center fold is a secondary option. There is no supporting evidence to position the brand name/logo at the top right fold.
Retail Sector Analysis :
1. See Instructions in guideline 1
Analysis of Application: See Instructions in guideline 1
Overall Analysis of Application : See Instructions in guideline 1
Website Guideline 3:
Access to Homepage
Defined : Access to the homepage should be available from any page on the website.
General Guideline :
· The evidence is based on professional opinion as the empirical evidence appears forthcoming.
· Based on professional opinions, it would seem that the use of three options would be optimal at this time (and subject to change as knowledge of website navigation increases among consumers), but a clickable logo is considered essential.
Retail Sector Analysis :
1. See Instructions in guideline 1
Analysis of Application: See Instructions in guideline 1
Overall Analysis of Application : See Instructions in guideline 1