Importance of Website in Business

Presented to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program:
Importance of Website in Business

The Importance of
Website Usability Testing

Applied Information Management and the Graduate School of the
University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Master of Science

CAPSTONE REPORT

Julie M. Rinder Senior Writer Fiserv

University of Oregon
Applied Information
Management
Program

Continuing Education
1277 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1277
[phone]

July 2012

Approved by

________________________________________________________
Dr. Linda F. Ettinger
Senior Academic Director, AIM Program

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF WEBSITE USABILITY TESTING

The Importance of Website Usability Testing
Julie M. Rinder
Fiserv

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Abstract
This scholarly annotated bibliography examines literature that investigates website usability testing. Thirty-one references consisting of peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and books are reviewed. Ten usability testing categories are identified across selected testing methods including: content relevance, ease of use and decision making, graphics, interactivity between the site and the user, interface design, links, navigation/menus, page layout/text formatting, search tools, and technical performance. Most frequently listed categories address (a) navigation, (b) search features, and (c) content.

Keywords: Usability, usability testing, website usability testing, website evaluation

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Table of Contents

Abstract

Citations: Benbunan-Fich (2001); Black (2002); Downing & Liu (2011); HHS—U.S Krug (2006); Levi & Conrad (2008); Spool (2009); Tedeschi (1999) Can 't find it/Will leave Krug (2006); Nielsen (2000); Tedeschi 1999) Benbunan-Fich (2001); Black (2002); Hallahan (2001); Krug (2006); Nielsen. (2000); Spool (2009); Tedeschi (1999) Rationale for usability testing in general Imperative to be competitive" (p. 230) Levi and Conrad (2008) explain that the website development lifecycle is the same as that development" (Levi & Conrad, 2008, para. 5). "Usability testing is the process by which the IMPORTANCE OF WEBSITE USABILITY TESTING   identified for correction" (Levi & Conrad, 2008, para. 7). looking for or they cannot figure out how to use a feature, they will just leave (Bachiochi, Berstene, Chouinard, Conlan, Danchak, Furey, Neligon, et al., 1997, p Levi & Conrad, 2008, para. 9; Nielsen, 2000, p. 10). As Black (2002) states, "the web has...brought technology to your grandma....You can 't train her As a specific types of software (Hallahan, 2001, p. 224), websites have commonalities and differences from other software systems, which must be taken into account when performing usability testing (Levi & Conrad, 2008, para. 54). Levi and Conrad (2008) provide the following list of unique elements to consider for website development: