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Volume 4, Number 3

The Usability Testing and Redesign of a University Department Web Site

Robert L. Totterdale

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETY http://www.Technology-Journal.com First published in 2008 in Melbourne, Australia by Common Ground Publishing Pty Ltd www.CommonGroundPublishing.com. © 2008 (individual papers), the author(s) © 2008 (selection and editorial matter) Common Ground Authors are responsible for the accuracy of citations, quotations, diagrams, tables and maps. All rights reserved. Apart from fair use for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act (Australia), no part of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. For permissions and other inquiries, please contact <[email protected]>. ISSN: 1832-3669 Publisher Site: http://www.Technology-Journal.com THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIETY is a peer refereed journal. Full papers submitted for publication are refereed by Associate Editors through anonymous referee processes. Typeset in Common Ground Markup Language using CGCreator multichannel typesetting system http://www.CommonGroundSoftware.com.

The Usability Testing and Redesign of a University DepartmentWeb Site Robert L. Totterdale, Robert Morris University, Pa, UNITED STATES

Abstract: This research addressed the assessment, redesign and usability testing for a departmental web site at a major University. The primary objectives for the research were to gain an understanding of "user" requirements,to incorporate these requirements into a newly designed prototype for the web site, and to provide recommendations for College wide modifications to other deparmtent web sites. A usability test was performed on the prototype to validate that key technical and functional capabilities had been implemented. Key participants included in the usability testing and requirements definition included current students, prospective students, parents, alumni and administration. Jeffrey Rubin's methodology for conducting usability testing was utilized and cognitive design principles from Donald Norman were incorporated into the prototype.

Keywords: Usability Testing, Cognitive Design Principles, Prototype, University, Web Site, Department

Introduction

WEB SITES HAVE become an integralcomponent of the recruiting andmarket-ing processes for universities. As identi- fied in Pew’smajormoments survey data

from 2005 (Horrigan & Rainie, 2006), over 17m Americans indicated that the Internet played either a crucial or important role in their selection of a college or university. Poock (2005) cites work by Hoeflich which found that theWeb was instrumental in the selection of programs for students considering graduate work, while Christiansen et al. (2003) con- firms that most students use this technology in their college search and selection process. In addition, Ashburn (2007) reported that in a web survey of 7867 high school students in 2007 that 84 percent said “they used colleges' Web sites most heavily in their research” (p. 1) of programs. Recognizing the criticality of the their web site as

a means of communicating effectively with prospect- ive students, the College of Arts and Sciences from West Virginia University (WVU) decided to perform a usability test for their Statistics Department Web Site. The Dean selected this site for testing since it had recently been redesigned (February 2007) to in- corporate a university template, college standards and departmental requirements. Four key questions addressed by this study in-

clude:

• What content is considered mandatory and im- portant by prospective students?

• What navigation approaches are most effective to insure user satisfaction?

• What issues exist with current content?

• How should information be organized to meet the needs of multiple constituencies?

The purpose of the usability test was to identify content, format, presentation and navigation changes necessary to meet the needs of prospective students and other key constituencies. Results from the testing process will also serve as input to other departmental web redesign efforts underway at the university and to benefit others in the academic community.

Literature Review Research has been conducted relating to the general usability of web sites (Nilsen, 2000; Palmer, 2002), the characteristics of effective graduate school web sites (Poock, 2005), information seeking behaviors (Sandvig and Bajwa, 2004), and the use of university wide templates (Petersen, 2006). A number of other studies have examined the usability of university library web sites (Vandecreek, 2005; Dickstein and Mills, 2000; Harpel Burke, 2005). A final area to be discussed relates to findings in cognitive psychology that can influence how a web site or other user inter- face should be designed. Each of these research areas are discussed briefly below. With respect to web site usability, Palmer (2002)

confirms the applicability of prior usability research indicating the importance of navigation, content, consistency, ease of reading, arrangement of inform- ation, speed and layout. In addition, Palmer indicates the importance of offering feedbackmechanisms and the ability to answer user questions as other factors that influence user acceptance. According to Mitra, Willyard, Platt and Parsons

(2005), “it is more important that the web site em-

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phasizes what the contents are rather than how they are presented” (p. 18) and that what makes a web site most attractive “are the basic textual content of the site and howwell the site responds to the specific interest of the user” (p. 18). Other research conducted by Poock and Lefond (2001) argues the importance of organizingweb sites by target audience, displaying relevant content, using terminology that is familiar to students, and reducing the number of clicks re- quired to access information. In a subsequent study that addressed graduate web sites, Poock (2005) found the most sought after information to be applic- ation criteria, faculty bios/research interests, financial aid and description of programs. The least sought after information cited by Poock was graduate school and program rankings and placement of graduates. Focusing on university web sites, Sandvig and

Bajwa (2004), confirm that users are goal oriented, that they are usually looking for specific information, that they are impatient and that the typical user “quickly scans a web page and clicks on the first link that approximately matches what they are seeking” (p. 15). In a survey of current students, the two most sought after information items were on-line course registration information, library catalog information and academic program descriptions. The preferred search method for the students in the study was browsing (72%) versus search and other (28%). Another area of web research addresses the use

of academic templates and usability for university libraries. Peterson (2006) confirmed that a majority (94%) of college and university web sites use aca- demic templates. Components such as images, logos and other brandings were the most frequent type of template typically found in the header of a web page in over 90% of the institutions. In addition to the header portion of the web site, the footer or bottom of the web page also has seen the adoption of tem- plates in over 65% of the sites investigated. With respect to library web site design, Dickstein andMills ( 2000) provides examples of guidelines including “keeping screens simple”, “think like a novice”, “keep language consistent across pages”, “keep im- portant information above the fold”, and “don’t use the edge of the screen for important links” (p. 151). Many of these findings are consistent with the gener- al and academic web site usability approaches previ- ously defined. Lastly, research in the field of cognitive psycho-

logy provides valuable insight into the characteristics of successful web sites and other user interfaces. “Seven key principles for transforming difficult tasks into simple ones” identified by Norman (2002, pp. 188-189) include use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head, simplify the structure of tasks, exploit the power of constraints, design for

error, make things visible and get the mappings right, and bridge the gulfs of execution and evaluation.

Methodology A usability testing methodology identified by Rubin (1994) provided the framework for conducting this study. Considered to be a user centeredmethodology, this approach recognizes the need for user input throughout the process. Other studies (Ward, 2006) have successfully used this approach to validate the usability of web sites in an academic environment. The steps in the methodology included: defining objectives, developing the test plan, selecting and acquiring participants, preparing test materials, con- ducting the test, debriefing the participants and de- veloping findings and recommendations. The re- search is qualitative in nature. Two usability tests were conducted. The first test

was performed using the existing Statistics Depart- ment website (Attachment A) while the second test was based on a new prototype for the Statistics De- partment website that was developed after the initial test was completed. The prototype (Attachment B) was designed to include components of the original site alongwith participant feedback, external research findings and administrative requirements. This second level of testing performed on the prototype confirms and provides additional validation of the findings from the initial usability test. For both the initial usability test and the second

test based on the prototype, a “thinking aloud” (Ru- bin 1994, p. 217) technique, combined with inter- views, focus groups and survey documents were used to gather user feedback. With the thinking aloud technique, participants were asked to speak aloud their thoughts as they viewed and navigated around a web site. Their thoughts were recorded by an ob- server for subsequent analysis. The thinking aloud protocol has been found to be an essential tool “for evaluating and redesigning complex multi-layered websites” (Turnbow et al. 2005, p. 226). In usability testing, Nilsen (2000) suggests that

the number of test users can influence the identifica- tion of usability problems on a web site. He suggests that having 15 users would enable the identification of 100% of the problems, while a test can be con- sidered trustful (85% of the problems identified) if there are at least five users. With the 12 participants in the first test and the six participants in the second test, Nilsen would predict that between 85% and 100% of usability problems would be identified through this research.

Usability Test –Original Web Site The Dean of the College and the Department Chair were interviewed to define their requirements and

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priorities for the web site. In addition, interviews of the marketing and web services group were conduc- ted to insure compliance with university standards and information needs. Each of 12 users/prospective students participating

in the testing process was provided an instruction sheet that described the testing process and that re- quested their feedback. They were asked to explore the Statistics home page, search for information im- portant to them both on the home page and on related links, and to “think aloud” in the presence of the observer about their experience. After reviewing the web site and searching for information, a content survey document (Attachment C) that identified key types of information of potential interest to prospect- ive students was given to each participant for com- pletion. Each participant was then asked to rank the importance to them as prospective students of the information types on a five point Likert scale. Also, they were asked to identify any information that should be added to the website or mademore access- ible (e.g. move content to home page, add a content category or link). After completing the review and feedback forms, each participant was then inter- viewed to obtain their thoughts on their likes and dislikes on the site and its navigation. The participants in the initial test consisted of five

undergraduate students from a discipline other than statistics, five graduate students from the statistics program, one graduate student from another field, an alumnus, a parent, and support personnel from marketing and information technology. The Dean and Department Chair defined the goals and the primary users intended for the web site (i.e. prospect- ive students). In addition, they identified students at both the graduate and undergraduate level to particip- ate in the interviews, and facilitated the involvement of marketing and information technology personnel. The researcher selected three participants who had no association with the university. All of the parti- cipants represented prospective students with the exception of the parent who had two children who were in the process of evaluating college programs.

Twelve interviews/observations were conducted. None of the interviewees had previously seen the Statistics web site prior to the study. The participants were selected to provide a mix of local and remote, domestic and international, male and female, and undergraduate and graduate students.

Usability Findings- (Original Website) This section summarizes the key observations and feedback obtained from the initial usability test. Findings relating to the importance of different cat- egories of content, participant observations, web site characteristics, content, and navigation are discussed in the following paragraphs. Of the 12 participants in the test, nine completed

the survey document (Attachment C) that rated the importance of different types of content that they felt should be on the web site. The categories of program information (e.g. courses and course descriptions), financial aid and contact informationwere designated as being the most important. Other categories such as job information, program duration, request for information, research, application information, and links to the University web site were also identified as being of high importance or mandatory by over 2/3 of the participants. Although participant observations indicated that

the site had a simple structure, a reasonable naviga- tion approach and contained portions of the inform- ation deemed important by the user, there were a number of issues and recommendations for change that were identified. These are discussed further in the content and navigation sections. With respect to web site characteristics, a task

hierarchy which shows the relationships between the Home Page and its primary linked pages is depicted below in Figure 1. The left most column of the figure shows the primary tasks on the Statistics home page while the columns to the right indicate the other linked pages that can be accessed by a viewer. Note that no additional links are provided for the WVU and ECAS Home pages since the participants were not asked to evaluate these portions of the site.

123ROBERT L. TOTTERDALE

Figure 1: Tasks Hierarchy- Statistics Home Page

Statistics Home InternationalGraduateUndergraduateAdmissionsAdmission Questions andLab & ServerUnix TutorialsUnix AccountComputing CommentsInformationHelp Page

Under DevelopmentConsulting Multiple LinksOnline IdealGraduateUndergraduateCourses

FoundationDevelopmentalNeed For SupportDevelopment AccountsPriorities

Other Cat- egories

Visiting Assist Professors

Assistant Professors

Associate Professors

ProfessorsFaculty

CDDMPHDGraduate MinorM.S.B.S. IndustrialUndergraduatePrograms In StatisticsStatisticsMath and Stat.Minor Statistics

Under DevelopmentResearch WVU Home ECAS Home

From a technical perspective, the web site has been designed to support multiple browsers and platforms (e.g. PC and MAC) that utilize either lower band- width or high speed internet connections. Accessib- ility requirements have been factored into the design to allow for an expanded audience and complex graphics that would slow access have been elimin- ated. Some technical issues existed including the in- ability to print from the home page, the inability to request information without having an email address, and the inability to view subsequent levels in the task hierarchy without having to click and access the level. The department did utilize the university tem- plate for the heading format and for links to other parts of the university’s website. The next key area addressed in the usability test

involved the content available on the site. Certain categories on the site such as consulting, computing, and development had little or no meaning to the prospective students and in fact slowed their brows- ing of the site. These categories and other informa- tion were targeted at other constituencies such as alumni or current students but were intermingled amongst the other categories that were deemed im- portant by prospective students. Participants also noted that key information that they were seeking was either not available on the site or not easy to find as they reviewed the site and its links. Examples in- clude financial aid information and job information. Lastly, content such as a mechanism for contributing to the university was expected to be on the site at the request of the dean but had not been included in the design. A second aspect of content deals with the complex-

ity of the content presented. Although most of the content relating to courses was cited as being concise

and meaningful, suggestions were made to simplify and enhance the “Why Statistics” and “Welcome” sections of the home page. In addition, other content categories on the site such as consulting and comput- ing were not viewed as relevant by the prospective students. Terms such as program (as opposed to majors and minors) were used on the site but were not widely known by the users. Abbreviations such as ECAS were also used on the site but were not understood. Another dimension of content on the site involves

how it was presented. Participants commented about the graphics that were used on the site and suggested that they should be updated to a more current theme. The historical pictures displayed although intended to represent a theme of tradition were misinterpreted by students as being somewhat outdated. Because all of the important categories of content

were not displayed on the home page, the participants needed to navigate through the site to find the desired content. The home page navigation was primarily by functional category (e.g. academics, consulting, etc) and required multiple clicks to reach the level at which the content was maintained. The navigation was made more difficult by the fact that the home page categories did not include the major areas of high importance to the participants. As a result, it was necessary to link to multiple pages and levels to locate the desired information. Four of Norman’s (2002) cognitive principles were

observed in the web site design. The first principle “use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head” (p. 188) is reflected in the use of browser technology for navigating through the web pages and in the general understanding of academic termin- ology that is employed on the site. Secondly, the

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principle of “simplify the structure of tasks” (p. 188) can be seen in a relatively narrow list of tasks that can be performed followed by a shallow list of lower level pages that are accessible by the site. “Exploiting the power of constraints” (p. 188) is the third prin- ciple which is demonstrated in the site navigation approach which limits users to specific actions and pathways when selecting a task. The final principle, “design for error” (p. 188), leverages the power of constraints. In only a few cases does the home page permit a user to perform a task that was not intended.

Website Redesign The website was redesigned and a prototype was developed based on participant recommendations from the initial usability test, research findings from other studies, cognitive design principles outlined by Norman (2002), and the incorporation of admin- istrative requirements outlined by the Dean and De- partment Chair. Studies have confirmed that “cognit- ively designed home pages lead to better comprehen- sion than non-cognitively designed home pages, re- gardless of whether the home page is primarily graphics-based or text-based” (Dalal, Quible, and Wyatt, 2000, p. 607). The prototype was created using the NetObjects

Fusion software product (version 8.0) which allowed for downloading the entire department web site (85 pages) onto a personal computer wheremodifications could be made. Once the design changes were made and tested, a fully operational web site was published on the personal computer and was used as the basis for the second usability test. Standards from the university regarding web page headers were retained in the prototype. Changes to the web site included grouping inform-

ation for each intended user type (e.g. future stu- dents), revising the text to improve clarity and meaning, restructuring the content presented on the home page to focus on information prospective stu- dents foundmost important, and changing the navig- ation to support rollover menus that minimize clicks. New user categories of “future student”, “alumni and friends” and “faculty and students” were introduced into the site to focus the attention of users, to improve access and to minimize browsing time. In addition to the cognitive design principles

(Norman 2002) that were observed in the original web site design, the redesign incrementally focused on “making things visible” and “getting themappings right” (p. 189). This was accomplished by changing wording of content to be consistent with user expect- ations (i.e. getting the mappings right) and by adding new content categories to make the informationmore visible. Lastly, changes in task descriptions were made to help “bridge the gulfs of execution and

evaluation” (Norman, 2002, p. 189) while changes to site navigation were made to more closely link user expectations, content and roles. These changes made information more visible and accessible for the intended user group. A summary of the major changes included in the

redesign and the rationale for the changes (e.g. re- search or usability findings) can be found on Attach- ment E.

Prototype Usability Test (Redesigned Web Site) The prototype usability test was structured to obtain written and verbal feedback from the participants regarding their views on the content and accessibility of information from the web site as well as their ability to successfully use navigation pathways (menus) that were implemented in the redesign. Similar to the initial usability test, think aloud obser- vations were recorded, survey documents were completed, and each participant was interviewed to gather additional insights. The major questions or problem statements that

were investigated in the usability test are listed be- low.

Problem Statements

1. Does the WVU Statistics Home Page identify the key types of information viewed as being important by prospective students?

2. Is the terminology used on the site understand- able by the intended audience?

3. Is the description of “Statistics” meaningful for prospective students?

4. Does the “Why Statistics” section of the Home Page provide a good rationale for prospective students to consider the program?

5. Does the Home Page provide an easy means of requesting further information?

6. Do the users find the navigation approach (with rollover menus) easy to use and understand?

7. Is the appearance of the Statistics Home Page visually appealing and understandable?

8. Does the site provide easy access to other Uni- versity web pages?

9. Are users able to find key information using the site navigation approach?

10. Does the Home Page address issues identified during the design phase? (e.g. is the site con- sidered an improvement)

125ROBERT L. TOTTERDALE

Usability Findings (Prototype Usability Test) All six of the participants of the test indicated that the redesigned home page with the new menu struc- ture and navigation targeted to the “Future Student” was easy to use. In addition, they found that the in- formation contained on the site was understandable and consistent with their information needs. In a survey response, all of the participants responded that they either agreed or strongly agreed that the terminology was understandable and that the home page provided an easy means to request data. In ad- dition, the participants indicated that they were not confused by including information for other constitu- encies (e.g. alumni and friends) on the web site. Survey results for the prototype usability test are in- cluded as Attachment F. Three of the six participants also participated in

the initial usability test.They all found the redesigned web site to be easier to use and that it contained the majority of the information that they felt was import- ant for a future student. The “future student” menu structure, the simplification of the wording on the site, and the use of common terms such as major and minor were all viewed positively based on survey and interview feedback. Performance data recorded during the observation

process indicated that five of the six participants used the new targeted menu structure (by role) first prior to accessing links that were on the left of the page thus supporting prior research regarding student preferences. In addition, all of the participants were able to utilize the menu structure successfully and were able to access lower level links with no prob- lems.

Relationship to Prior Research Findings The usability studies in this research have confirmed a number of findings from prior research (Poock and Lefond, 2001; Poock 2005; Sandvig and Bajwa, 2004;Mitra et al. 2005) including prospective student preferences for roll-over menus, the need for group- ing of content by major constituency, and the usage of terminology that is familiar to the student. In ad- dition, the visibility of content deemed important by students and the ability to navigate quickly to more detailed information was viewed as very important. In contrast to previous studies, prospective stu-

dents in this study identified their most important information needs as being program information, program duration, financial aid, contact information and job opportunities. Different priorities were placed on the categories in prior research which may reflect either changing student needs or differences in the participant groups.

Another difference from prior research relates to the two step testing and validation process that was used. By incorporating usability findings, research findings and cognitive design factors into the second test, a much higher degree of user satisfaction was achieved. The research also suggests that a properly designed web site can serve multiple constituencies.

Conclusions and Limitations A usability test was performed on the existing Stat- istics department web site at WVU to determine if it met the needs of prospective students as well as the needs of the administration. Based on external research findings, cognitive design principles and feedback from students, the administration and the Universities technology and marketing groups, the Home Page of the web site was redesigned and a second usability test was conducted. For prospective students, the research confirmed

that content such as program information, financial aid, contact information and job opportunities was considered to be very important while other content such as development, alumni information, consulting and computing was considered less so. The ability to navigate quickly to the desired content through the use of rollover menus and the grouping of content by role or constituencywas also confirmed as improv- ing the usability of the web site and making inform- ation access easier. In addition, through the simpli- fication of wording and using terminology that is familiar to students (e.g. major and minors) in the prototype, prospective students found the content presented to bemoremeaningful and understandable. The research also confirmed that content for multiple constituencies could be presented on the web site and not cause confusion for the intended audiences. The proper structuring of content coupled with effi- cient navigation approaches supported the co-exist- ence of different potential users. Since the primary focus of the research was on

prospective students, opportunities exist for further research. Additional exploration and testing could be performed to determine if the results would differ for international students and for different age groups including adult learners. Another area of research could involve evaluating the needs of other constitu- encies of a departmental web site including alumni and friends, faculty, and current students. Although a framework was established for including their re- quirements into the web site design, validation was not performed to confirm that the stated information categories represented their needs. This research provides a template for assessing

the usability of university departmental web sites and guidance for their redesign. Key insights from this study regarding the importance of content, nav-

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igation approaches, and the organization of content can serve other departments with their key redesign

activities to meet the needs of their most important customer… the prospective student.

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of Higher Education, 53(38). Christiansen, D. L., Davidson, C. J., Roper, C. D., Sprinkles, M. C., & Thomas, J. C. (2003). Getting personal with today's

perspective students:Use of the Web in the college selection process. College and University, 79(1), 5. Dalal, N. P., Quible, Z., & Wyatt, K. (2000). Cognitive design of home pages: an experimental study of comprehension on

the World Wide Web. Information Processing and Management, 36(4), 607-621. Dickstein, R., & Mills, V. (2000). Usability Testing at the University of Arizona Library: How to let the users.. Information

Technology and Libraries, 19(3), 7. Harpel-Burke, P. (2005). Library homepage design at medium-sized universities. OCLC Systems and Services, 21(3). Horrigan, J., & Rainie, L. (2006). The Internets Growing Role in Life's Major Moments: The Pew Internet and American

Life Project. Washington. Mitra, A., Willyard, J., Platt, C. A., & Parsons, M. (2005). Exploring Web Usage and Selection Criteria Among Male and

Female Students. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 10(3). Nilsen, J. (2000). Why you only need to test with 5 user (Publication. Retrieved 01/20/2008: http://www.useit.com/alert-

box/20000319.html Norman, D. A. (2002). The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Doubleday. Palmer, J. (2002). Web Site Usability, Design, and Performance Metrics. Information Systems Research, 13(2), 151-167. Peterson, K. (2006). Academic Web Site Design and Academic Templates: Where Does the Library Fit in? Information

Technology and Libraries, 25(4). Poock, M. (2005). Determining the Design of Effective Graduate Web Sites. College and University, 80(3). Poock, M., & Lefond, D. (2001). How College-Bound Prospects Perceive University Web Sites: Findings, Implications and

Turning Browsers into Applications. C&U Journal. Rubin, J. (1994). Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests. New York: John Wiley

and Sons. Sandvig, J., & Bajwa, D. (2004). Information Seeking On University Web Sites: An Exploratory Study. The Journal of

Computer Information Systems, 45(1), 9. Turnbow, D., Kasianovitz, K., Snyder, L., Gilbert, D., & Yamamoto, D. (2005). Usability testing for web redesign: a UCLA

case study. OCLC Systems and Services, 21(3). VandeCreek, L. M. (2005). Usability analysis of Northern Illinois University Libraries website: a case study.OCLC Systems

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Appendix A: Current Statistics Home Page

Appendix B: Statistics Department Home Page Prototype

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Appendix C: Content Survey Document

I M P O R T A N C E MandatoryHighMediumLowNot At AllInformation Need

Program Information (courses and course descriptions) Prerequisites Program Duration/Credits Re- quired Program Faculty and Biographies Request for Information FinancialAid/GraduateAssistance- ships Contact Information Department Information Research Activities- descriptions Career descriptions relating to major News about the program and Awards Alumni News/ Successes Submit application Other

Appendix D: Content Survey Document

I M P O R T A N C E MandatoryHighMediumLowNot At AllInformation Need

UUGGGGPUUProgram Information (courses and course de- scriptions) Prerequisites

GGPUUGGUUProgram Duration/Credits Required

GGGUUUUGPProgram Faculty and Bio- graphies

GGPUUGUUGRequest for Information UGGGGPUUUFinancial Aid/Graduate

Assistanceships UUUGGPUGGContact Information UUGGUPUGGDepartment Information UUGGGPUUGResearch Activities- de-

scriptions GGPUUUUGGJob Opportunities

UGGGUUUPGNews about the program and Awards/ Events

UUUUGGPGGAlumni News/ Success Stories

UGUUUGGPGConsulting

129ROBERT L. TOTTERDALE

UUPUUGGGGJobs/ Career Information UUGGUUGGPDevelopment UUGUGUGGPComputing

UGGPUGGUUWVU Home Page Link UUGGGPUOther (include additional

on back of form) Legend

U-Undergraduate Student G-Graduate Student P-Parent

Appendix E: Proposed Changes to Original Home Page

Basis for ChangeChange DescriptionChange Recommendation ResearchImplement menu structure by role

(future student, alumni, student, and faculty) with rollover menus.

Navigation by Role Prototype Test Results Make things visible- Cognitive Factor Simplify the Structure of Tasks- Cognitive Factor InterviewsImplement new content categories

for financial aid, careers, contribute, Content Categories

Research news and events and request inform- Prototype Test Results ation. Include FAQ and research on rollover menus.

Getting theMappingsRight- Cognit- ive Factor InterviewsChange terminology to majors and

minors from program. Revise “wel- Terminology and Text Simplification

Research come” and “why statistics” to im- Prototype Test Results prove relevance. Eliminate abbrevi- ations for Eberly College.

Bridge the Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation – Cognitive factor InterviewsUpdate graphics to a more modern

look. Eliminate text that refers to Information Presentation

Research links. Eliminate historical back- ground of department.

Prototype Test Results

Organization RequirementMaintain links to University Site. Maintain link to Eberly College

University andCollegeRequirements Interviews

Home Page. Include category for contributions.Maintain color scheme and official logo. Future student description (versus

prospective student) InterviewsEliminate “old” Home Page that ap-

pears on slow communications con- nection.

Technology Design for Error-Cognitive factor Prototype

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Attachment F: Prototype Survey Results

About the Author Robert L. Totterdale Mr. Totterdale is a retired partner from Accenture(a global consulting organization). During his career at Ac- centure, Mr. Totterdale provided consulting and technology services to a number of large global organizations in the areas of finance and supply chain management. Mr. Totterdale has continued to provide consulting services to start-ups and middle market businesses primarily in theWestern Pennsylvania area. Mr. Totterdale is currently a Doctoral student in the Communications and Information Systems program at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. In addition, he currently serves as a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of an Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University.

131ROBERT L. TOTTERDALE

EDITORS Bill Cope, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. Mary Kalantzis, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Darin Barney, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Marcus Breen, Northeastern University, Boston, USA. G.K. Chadha, Jawahrlal Nehru University, India. Simon Cooper, Monash University, Australia. Bill Dutton, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Amareswar Galla, The University of Queensland, Australia. David Hakken, University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Michele Knobel, Montclair State University, New Jersey, USA. Jeannette Shaffer, Edtech Leaders, VA, USA. Ravi S. Sharma, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Robin Stanton, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Telle Whitney, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Please visit the Journal website at http://www.Technology-Journal.com for further information about the Journal or to subscribe.

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS JOURNALS

International Journal of the Arts in Society Creates a space for dialogue on innovative theories and practices in the arts, and their inter-relationships with society.

ISSN: 1833-1866 http://www.Arts-Journal.com

International Journal of the Book Explores the past, present and future of books, publishing, libraries, information, literacy and learning in the information

society. ISSN: 1447-9567 http://www.Book-Journal.com

Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal Examines the meaning and purpose of ‘design’ while also speaking in grounded ways about the task of design and the

use of designed artefacts and processes. ISSN: 1833-1874 http://www.Design-Journal.com

International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations Provides a forum for discussion and builds a body of knowledge on the forms and dynamics of difference and diversity.

ISSN: 1447-9583 http://www.Diversity-Journal.com

International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability Draws from the various fields and perspectives through which we can address fundamental questions of sustainability.

ISSN: 1832-2077 http://www.Sustainability-Journal.com

Global Studies Journal Maps and interprets new trends and patterns in globalization. ISSN 1835-4432

http://www.GlobalStudiesJournal.com

International Journal of the Humanities Discusses the role of the humanities in contemplating the future and the human, in an era otherwise dominated by

scientific, technical and economic rationalisms. ISSN: 1447-9559 http://www.Humanities-Journal.com

International Journal of the Inclusive Museum Addresses the key question: How can the institution of the museum become more inclusive? ISSN 1835-2014

http://www.Museum-Journal.com

International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Discusses disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge creation within and across the various social

sciences and between the social, natural and applied sciences. ISSN: 1833-1882

http://www.Socialsciences-Journal.com

International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management Creates a space for discussion of the nature and future of organisations, in all their forms and manifestations.

ISSN: 1447-9575 http://www.Management-Journal.com

International Journal of Learning Sets out to foster inquiry, invite dialogue and build a body of knowledge on the nature and future of learning.

ISSN: 1447-9540 http://www.Learning-Journal.com

International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society Focuses on a range of critically important themes in the various fields that address the complex and subtle relationships

between technology, knowledge and society. ISSN: 1832-3669 http://www.Technology-Journal.com

Journal of the World Universities Forum Explores the meaning and purpose of the academy in times of striking social transformation.

ISSN 1835-2030 http://www.Universities-Journal.com

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