Monday, May 2, 2011

Web Evaluation Process

Web Evaluation Process:
Formative Evaluation & Summative Evaluation
 
*Formative Evaluation: A method of judging the worth of a program/product while the program activities/products are forming or happening. Formative evaluation focuses on the process (Bhola, 1990) .
*Summative Evaluation: A method of judging the worth of a program/product at the end of the program activities/products. The focus is on the outcome (Bhola 1990).
Usability Testing for web:
Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word "usability" also refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process .
 
            *Why usability testing is important?
                 -Usability is a necessary condition for survival.
                 -If a website is difficult to use, people leave.
                 -If the homepage fails to clearly state what a company offers and what users can do on the site,  people leave.
                 -If users get lost on a website, they leave.
                 -If a website's information is hard to read or doesn't answer users' key questions, they leave.



Web Evaluation

  • -Classic methods of evaluation:
               *the use of experts

               *let people test

               *use the results of others and

               *have a look of the use in real life.

  • -Experts can be the teacher himself or an external person.
          What do experts check?

                  *the content of a software.

                  *have a look at the quality of finding fast an information.

                   *make an assessment (just explain his impression).


                   *draw a comparison between different versions.


  • -Tests by persons is often used in formative evaluation to test software before selling it (observation).
  • -Look and listen to a person using software directly, via a mirror, a camera or a microphone.
  • -Analyze their behavior and their talking.
  • -Thinking aloud - means that the user talks about his way of using the software and the feelings and thoughts he has.
  • -Find out what the user has learned.
  • -Tests by persons is often used in formative evaluation to test software before selling it (observation). -Look and listen to a person using software directly, via a mirror, a camera or a microphone.
  • -Analyze their behavior and their talking.
  • -Thinking aloud - means that the user talks about his way of using the software and the feelings and thoughts he has.
  • -Find out what the user has learned