Methods for assessing web design through the internet

ABSTRACT

Web design guidelines are often derived from best practices, conventional wisdom, or small-scale usability studies conducted in labs. We contend that if Web design guidelines are to inform the design of Web sites serving varied audiences with varied needs, the guidelines must be derived from empirical research that assesses users in their native environments as they interact with real Web sites. While we believe that the delivery of a remote Web-based experiment has many potential benefits, we acknowledge that it can be difficult to exercise experimental control so as to acquire reliable data, capture user behavior unobtrusively, extract meaningful information from server logs, and collect valid survey data. Therefore, we report on how we addressed some of the challenges of conducting remote empirical studies of the effect of navigational cues on Web browsing behavior.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Evaluation/methodology

Keywords:
internet-based research, remote testing, web design assessment