Web Usability (2001-2002)

These pages are the result of a 5 month project investigating what makes a web page usable, and thus effective.

• Members of staff in all departments of the University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred’s College/University College Winchester) were questioned as to the use that they would possibly make of webpage design (within teaching, research, and assessment).
• Usability and information structure were deemed more important than aesthetics, although this was still a consideration.
• Designed primarily for use by students, the site offers options for web design, rather than hard and fast rules, the site was also designed to meet the needs of academic staff who were seeking to teach theories of web design.
• The site was designed to be largely static, as it is more issue-led, rather than a ‘how-to’ of the latest web building software. Although the site is now rather out of date, a lot of the issues to be thought-through remain relevant.

Client Comment

“Dr Bex Lewis was the designer and implementer of a pioneering website at the university which aimed to support lecturers in teaching about web design. This was at a time when web sites were put together hurriedly with many basic mistakes. That website is still available and and stands up remarkbly well, giving sound advice. Would that more web designers would take the time to look at it”

David Rush, 2009

Business IT

University of Winchester

Visit: http://www.winchester.ac.uk/designproject/