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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