Activity #3 Web Site Usability
Objective
Students will understand the components to be assessed when evaluating a Web site's usability and the overall importance of usability in a Web site's design.
Procedure
1. Have students work in groups of two or three and assign each group one section of the Additional Resources page. (You can have multiple groups doing the same section).
2. Ask students to select two or three of the Web sites in their assigned section. (The number you assign will depend on the time you want to devote to this activity).
3. Ask students to pretend that they have been hired as student consultants by college librarians to provide feedback on the Web sites. They are being asked to test the usability of the Web site since good layout and easy navigation are two indicators of a good Web site. Click here for a form that can be used as a worksheet.
4. Have students make notes as to what they liked and didn't like about the Web sites. This should include how concepts were explained, which means that they will have to actually read the content. They should also look at graphics, amount of text, ease of use, etc. Have students look at the completed usability worksheet as a model.
NOTE: If you don't want to do this as an in-class activity, ask students to perform steps 3 and 4 outside of class and then work in groups during class time to combine their impressions.
5. Share the results of their analysis (whether done as an in-class or out-of-class activity) in a class discussion. The collected information could also be used for a writing assignment in which the students write a memo to the site's creator summarizing the results of their analysis.
6. Use the Contact Us form on the Transitioning to College Web site if you would like to forward the collected responses to the site's editors. Librarians love to get real student feedback! Your class will receive confirmation that the information has been received.