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Evaluating Organisational Websites: Communicative or Cool?

Associate Professor Marsha Durham from the University of Western Sydney explores the significance of evaluating organizational websites, focusing on their communication aspects, textual complexities, and effective communication strategies. The study delves into empirical research findings, usability studies, and miscellaneous investigations, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in studying web content and design.

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Evaluating Organisational Websites: Communicative or Cool?

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  1. Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative? Assoc Professor Marsha Durham University of Western Sydney M Durham

  2. M Durham

  3. 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 M Durham

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  6. Focus of search • Organisational web sites • Communication aspects • What helps sites communicate more effectively? • Empirical research • Texts and textual choices M Durham

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  8. Findings 1. More interest in e-mail and chat room dialogue, not Web sites 2. Problem of unsubstantiated guidelines 3. Small number of empirical studies of sites as ‘texts’ 4. Need for theory M Durham

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  10. Finding 1. Internet research • Web sites are still the forgotten area of Internet research • Main areas • Oral/interpersonal: cybertalk • E-publishing: cyberpublishing M Durham

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  12. Finding 2: Proliferation of Web site guidelines • Majority are unsubstantiated and idiosyncratic • More dependable: based on experiences of users/developers • Comparison studies of sites • Web style guides M Durham

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  14. Finding 3: Empirical studies = promising • Proprietary research • Work being undertaken • Taxonomies • Mapping common features • Research problems • How to choose sites • Extent of study M Durham

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  17. Empirical: Usability studies • Navigation • Writing & usability • Interactivity M Durham

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  19. Empirical: Miscellaneous studies • Metaphors • Breadth & depth of site • ‘Big picture’ issues M Durham

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  21. Finding 4: 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 M Durham

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  23. Homepages: content • Research (27) • Faculties/schools/depts (22) • Library (20) • Courses & study (14) • Student services (08) • Publications (06) • Campus map (05) • Recreation & sport (02) M Durham

  24. Homepages: Design Layout • Grid/column menu (32) • ‘Square’ layout (28) • ‘Circle’ layout (11) • Diffuse (03) Navigation • Text (33) Button (26) Icon (11) Scrolling(04) M Durham

  25. Conclusion • Org sites: large and complex • Software: capturing whole sites • More in-depth analysis, not ‘cool’ ratings • Future M Durham

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  27. End M Durham

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