Victorian Council websites fail usability test
Victorian Council websites fail usability test
Jul 15, 2005: A study of 16 Victorian Council websites has reported that many users are not satisfied with the usability and services provided by these sites, with poor search engines being the main focus of criticism.
UsabilityOne, carried out the audit of the Victorian websites to find out if they were meeting the needs of local residents, businesses and visitors, and to point out where the sites could be improved.
Toby Biddle, the co-founder of UsabilityOne, said that the biggest shortcoming of the websites was their poorly designed search functions.
"The search function is one of the most important elements of a large website because it is one of the best ways for users to quickly and efficiently locate information.
"Of the 16 websites we studied, the Council website search functions complied with just 43 percent of our design and usability principles on average, which is a very poor result. Having a poor site search can be as bad - if not worse - than not having one at all."
Biddle does believe, however, that the problems observed are easy to overcome, and he advised tat Councils, and even all organisations, should look at implementing a few basic features that can greatly improve the user experience.
These include having a site map that provides a good overview of the site; using terminology that is easy understand, instead of internal "jargon; having a very visible search engine on every page in the top right-hand corner; and avoiding links such as "click here", which create problems for technology that aids sight-impaired people.
Related Article: