Content
Since the invention of the Internet, websites have emerged as an essential tool for expanding business presence. Many businesses and organizations leverage websites to spread brand awareness to target markets and effectively engage potential customers. Websites are not only used by businesses but also government and other agencies. They offer an appropriate platform for reaching a wide audience without incurring costs. Through websites, the government can offer e-services to the citizens, and non-profit organizations can spread awareness about its campaigns (Henrikness, 2007).
Growing popularity of websites implies they are used by many people who tend to have different preferences and expectations. Most of the websites are aimed at targeting a specific audience whose interests have to be integrated into the design. As such, website design has become a key factor that influences the usability of a website (Schaupp, 2009). Many developers focus on the needs of the target audience to develop user-centered websites that appeal to users. In this report, we’ll explore the usability of a high-fidelity approach created for a museum. Emphasis will be placed on its features, its adherence to web design principles, and design issues that need to be resolved. The report will make recommendations that can be considered to improve the prototype.
Content
The prototype design has incorporated various web design principles which influence usability of a site. The design has emphasized clarity of the interface. A minimalist User Interface (UI) is used which is key in enabling target users to understand its purpose, how it helps, and predict what happens when it is used. The UI organizes content in a clear manner which appeals to users and reduces distraction. It supports interaction as it includes elements that users have to interact. The website includes a navigation menu which allows users to navigate the site. The navigation options provided show relationships between the web pages in the website and give users access to each web page.
The website design aims conserving user attention at all costs. By organizing the content, site readability is improved, and users can direct the attention towards the information displayed on the website. Incorporating visual elements plays an instrumental in preventing distraction and maintaining user focus on the site. The prototype is also designed to keep users in control by showing system status appropriately. For example, when a user hovers the navigation menu, the hovered item is highlighted with a unique color. Also, when a user opens a web page, the navigation link pointing to that page is highlighted with a black color which informs the user that the link is active. This allows users to be updated on the system status when they take action.
Consistency is a key design principle that is incorporated in the prototype. The menu elements appear consistent with each other throughout the website as they behave consistently. This reduces confusion among users and enhances the website aesthetics. Smart organization of website content also is key in reducing cognitive load. Screen elements are arranged in a manner that helps users to understand the interface and illustrate the relationships of the content incorporated in the website.
User Acceptance Test
User Acceptance test
From the user acceptance test conducted, it was noted that users could easily find a specific page they wanted to view. Only one click was required to visit a specific page. Given that the navigation menu provides links to visit all pages on the website, users could reach any of the pages by clicking the relevant menu option. For example, a user who is on the homepage and wants to view the robots available in the museum could click the robots option. This option displays the section that the user wants to view. Most of the users found the interface to be relatively easy to use as it offered cleared navigation options. With these options, users could easily visit a page and go back to the previous page.
Features
While the website has a minimalist design that incorporates few elements, it has several features that are aimed at supporting user goals. The website layout has three features: header, content, and footer. The header contains the navigation menu while footer displays copyright statement. Content section contains the images and text displayed to the user. This section holds a majority of the information incorporated on the website.
The content displayed in this section include visual media and text. The website has image galleries which showcase various items available in the museum. These galleries are displayed in specific page relevant to the item categories. The homepage contains a visual media that displays a layout map designed to help users to navigate the museum and identify the location of specific sections. Also, text displayed on the website informing users about the operating hours, fees for entering the museum, as well as a copyright notice.
Recommendation
The minimalist approach is good for the website, but limits site readability. In the gallery, only the titles of the images are provided. This omits useful information that a user would want to know. The website should provide a short description of each item displayed in the galleries. This will give users insight into the artifacts displayed on the site. The site has limited user interaction as users can only navigate the site, and view content displayed. The design can be enhanced by adding interactivity to the screen elements such as images. For example, making the images clickable or adding animation can improve interaction and site usability.
Conclusion
The high-fidelity prototype created adopts various design principles which enhance sits usability. The prototype design has focused on clarity, consistency, cognitive load, user control, and maintaining user attention. These principles have improved its effectiveness in appealing to potential museum visitors. The design incorporates various features which include navigation, content, gallery, and footer. These features influence the aesthetics and usability of the website. Based on the user acceptance conducted, it was noted that the site had several shortcomings that had to be resolved to improve the design. It was recommended that the site should include more information describing items available and should have interactivity to support user interaction.
References
Henriksson, A., Yi, Y., Frost, B. and Middleton, M., 2007. Evaluation instrument for e-government websites. Electronic Government, an International Journal, 4(2), pp.204-226.
Schaupp, L.C., Bélanger, F. and Fan, W., 2009. Examining the success of websites beyond e-commerce: An extension of the IS success model. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 49(4), pp.42-52.
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