Not Just Usability Testing: Remembering and Applying Non-usability Testing Methods for Learning How Web Sites Function
Author: McGovern, Heather
Source: Technical Communication, Volume 52, Number 2, May 2005 , pp. 175-186(12)
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
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Abstract:
Usability testing is increasingly popular and effective for guiding Web site redesign. However, like any method, it has limitations, including a narrow focus at the expense of larger contexts. Analyzing Web sites with other techniques, including 1) rhetorical analysis based on research in rhetoric, design, and content of similar texts, and 2) content analysis based on matching Web content to an organizations goals for its Web sites, can yield additional information. This information, which traditional usability tests dont provide, can help designers better create Web sites. Web designers should not rely exclusively upon usability testing to provide information about Web site design, but instead should also examine how the sites invoke the audiences that they desire to reach.Document Type: Research article
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