Here are some considerations from all the sources on Usability based on doing a Site Assessment:
(These are adapted from Steve Krug.)
- What is the site or, what are the sites goals? Are they spelled out on the home page?
- What can the user do there?
- What does the site contain?
- Why should the user be there and not somewhere else?
Site structure/anatomy:
- What is the structure or flowchart of the site ? For most sites there will be links back to the home page and other complex pathways. It may be practical to diagram what pages or sections are there and how the hierarchy is organized.
- How many pages are there? (Estimate if not certain).
- Would you say the site structure is deep, wide, a hub-and-spoke, some combination, some other?
Navigation/identity/clarity
- What are the entry points on the home page? Is there a clear focus point (center of visual impact?)
- What forms of navigation are used: menus with images, menus with text, dropdown menus, jump menus, Flash, framesets, searches, other?
- Is there persistent navigation (on each page, with a way to get back to the home page on each)?
- Is there redundant navigation?
- Are the terms (labels) on navigation devices clear?
- Navigate into a page and ask: Is there a site identifier (logo)? Is there a tagline (slogan)? Is there a page name (what page you are on)? Is there navigation to other sections? To the rest of this section? In other words do you know
- Where you are?
- Where youve been?
- Where you can go?
- Did you have problems? Was the site quick or slow to download? Explain.
Conventions:
- Do you see any familiar Web design conventions, e.g. links on the left, redundant links at bottom, text links are underlined, the logo (top left corner?) links to the home page, breadcrumbs are used?
- Do you see any emerging ones e.g. links are not underlined ...
Comments, improvements
- Did you notice any misspellings, or unclear language/content?
- What improvements can you suggest in relation to your analysis (making purposes clear to the user, navigation, logical structure, clear conventions, etc.)?
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