Usability Studies of WWW Sites: Heuristic Evaluation vs. Laboratory Testing

This paper describes the strengths and weaknesses of two usability assessment methods frequently applied to web sites. It uses case histories of WWW usability studies conducted by the authors to illustrate issues of special interest to designers of web sites. The discussion not only compares the two methods, but also discusses how an effective usability process can combine them, applying the methods at different times during site development. PREREQUISITES FOR ASSESSING WEB SITE USABILITY The two methods discussed in this paper for assessing the usability of web sites both require the usability specialist to have three vital pieces of background information: the purpose of the web site; profiles of its intended users; and typical scenarios for users accessing the site. These elements are equally important in evaluating the usability of any product or service, but here is how they apply especially to Web site evaluation. • When discussing the purpose of a web site, it’s helpful to ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: SIGDOC
• Authors: Laurie Kantner, Stephanie Rosenbaum
• Keywords: Document Analysis, SIGDOC 1997, Usability, Web Site, WEB SITE USABILITY