HOLSTON CONFERENCE WEB SEMINAR


USABILITY IS CRUCIAL


    Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug

    Try this web site critique...ask your neighbor...as Steve says...

      Scorecard Step 1

    • 10 points if the site generally meets the goal
      0 if it largely fails
    • 5 if it falls somewhere in between

          Step 2

        • Add the individual scores and find the rating for the resulting total
    • Ratings
        • 0-45: Game Over
          This site will frustrate the user and probably drive away most users.
        • 50-75: No Cigar
          This site goes only halfway toward usability, which means it's probably not getting its message across and not serving its audience's needs.
          80-100: A Winner!
  1. Home page informs and serves? score here ->________
    defines organization, makes clear what users can do on the site, gives direct access to key content and tasks (hot buttons)
  2. Informative Labels? ________
    clear, straightforward words (not overly clever or obscure); uses language understandable to unchurched (not the internal lingo); links have explicit "departure information"
  3. A speedy site? ________
    pages download quickly, no time-wasting multimedia shows
  4. Good stuff is above the fold? ________
    key content and functions are visible in first screenful (on 600 x 800 resolution)
  5. Rule of 7s? ________
    navigational choices, categories, lists of links, groupings of content limited to 7 (+/- 2)
  6. "Webified" content? ________
    text is in scannable bite-sized bits, formatted with bullets and bolding; bottom-line info is at top; long text is cut into sections that can be navigated easily; e-functions included (printer-friendly version, add comment, e-mail to a friend)
  7. Sensible navigation? ________
    follows Web conventions (main nav at top or in side columns; links are underlined or otherwise recognizable as links; logo in upper left goes Home...); doesn't force user to learn an entirely new scheme; is consistent throughout the site
  8. Clear signposts? ________
    user is oriented on every page; each page makes sense no matter how user arrives (no orphans); user can always go "Back" and "Home"
  9. Not for geeks? ________
    site doesn't force users to jump through hoops (frames, horizontal scrolling, download and install plug-ins) to get to most content; keeps users informed about progress; helps users recover from errors and deal with warning messages
  10. Well maintained? ________
    few broken links, missing graphics, and non-working functions; time-sensitive information is kept up to date


    TOTAL SCORE ____________