Web Site Analysis and Rating Scale
This document will help you analyze a web site according to a set of web usability
criteria based on the consensus of expert opinion and research. Your analysis will
examine the display of information, navigation, feedback and interaction, and corporate
identity. You will compare forty aspects of the site with the criteria, rate each on a tenpoint scale, and recommend changes to the site where the site did not match the criterion.
Name of Site:
URL of Site:
Name of Analyst:
Display of Information
Aspect Ratio and Display Size
Criterion:
Pages display well for a user with an 800 by 600 display setting, using a standard
browser. For menu pages and those with graphic or video content, all relevant
information fits in a 4:3 aspect ratio, above the scroll. Pages displaying long
passages of narrative text often scroll down the page. (Badre, p. 32; Lynch, p. 57;
Neilsen, p. 27; PBS, p. 2; Powell, p. 315; Lengel, p. 57)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Page Layout
Criterion:
Titles, menus, and other general information appears near the top and left of the
page, while more detailed information appears lower and to the right. (Badre, p.
155; Lynch, p. 77; Neilsen, p. 22; Lengel, p. 58; PBS, p.2; Powell, p. 356)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Color and contrast
Criterion:
Saturated, high-contrast colors are used to create dissonance and grab attention.
Shaded, tinted, and non-contrasting colors are used to provide a quiet
background for other content. Warm or cool colors are used as appropriate to the
content. (Badre, p. 159; Powell, p. 450; Lengel, p. 62)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Alignment
Criterion:
Objects on a page line up along an axis or two, and this alignment scheme is
followed throughout the site (MIT, p. 44; Lynch, p.62; Lengel, p.64)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Frames
Criterion:
Frames are used sparingly, designed to avoid scrollbars between frames, and to
avoid navigational glitches. (Powell, p. 149; Neilsen, p. 85; MIT, p. 46; Lynch, p.
74; PBS, p.1; Lengel, p.64)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Menus
Criterion:
Menus describe content with as few words as possible, in the vocabulary of the
target audience. Menus appear throughout the site consistently in form and
placement. (Badre, p. 106; Lengel, p. 43; PBS, p. 2)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Scrolling
Criterion:
Key items of content appear above the scroll: titles, menus, graphic content. The
viewer can navigate through the site without scrolling vertically or horizontally.
Navigation elements are all visible without scrolling for the target user. Long text
articles and reference information sometimes appear below the scroll. (Lynch, p.
59; Powell, p. 147; Badre, p. 161; Neilsen, p. 115; Lengel, p. 66; PBS, p.2)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
User Control
Criterion:
Movement through the site is controllable by the user. Automatic pop-up windows
and refreshes to linked pages are avoided. Sound and video include appropriate
controllers. (Powell, p. 167; Lengel, p. 67)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Simplicity
Criterion:
Design elements are parsimonious, unified, and predictable. Every pixel has a
purpose. (Treisman, p. 1; Neilsen, p. 22; Lynch, p. 77; Badre, p. 149; Lengel,
p.67)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Text
Readability and Legibility
Criterion:
Narrative body text is readable: displayed black on a white background in a serif
font at an appropriate size for reading by the target audience, with an optimal
line width. Titles and menus are legible: clearly evident as such, and in color and
style to contrast with body text. (Boyarski, p. 3; Badre, p. 105, 160; Powell, p.
390; Lynch, p. 85; Lengel, p. 59; PBS, p. 3)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Web Writing Style
Criterion:
Writing is displayed in shorter paragraphs, with more subheads than in print.
Pyramid structure, and hyperlinks are used often. (Badre, p. 160; Lynch, p.100;
Neilsen, p.100, 111, 126; Powell, p. 425; Lengel, p.84)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Images
Display quality
Criterion:
Images display clearly on the computer of the target user, close-cropped, with
appropriate contrast, resolution, compression, and color depth. (Neilsen, p 134;
MIT, p. 60)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Download time
Criterion:
Images are designed and compressed so that the download time of a typical page
on the site does not exceed the patience of the target user at the target connection
speed.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Consistency
Criterion:
Image style, size, placement and contrast are consistent throughout the site.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Sound
Display Scheme
Criterion:
Sound is embedded appropriately to its purpose in the context of the page.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Display quality
Criterion:
Sound is clear enough to the target user to achieve its objective on the page.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
User control
Criterion:
The user is in full control of the starting, stopping, browsing, and replaying of the
sound.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Plug-in issues
Criterion:
Sound is saved or streamed in a format playable by the plug-in(s) likely to be
installed by the target user, and embedded or linked in such a way as to play
without interruption.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Video
Display Scheme
Criterion:
Video is embedded appropriately to its purpose in the context of the page.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Display quality
Criterion:
Video is large, clear, and fast enough to the target user to achieve its objective on
the page.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
User control
Criterion:
The user is in full control of the starting, stopping, browsing, and replaying of the
video.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Plug-ins and Players
Criterion:
Video is saved or streamed in a format playable by the plug-in(s) likely to be
installed by the target user, and embedded or linked in such a way as to play
without interruption.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendation:
Tables and Lists
Readability
Criterion:
Items in lists and tables are legible to the target user. The organization of the list
is evident without scrolling or further reference. The user can navigate the list in
predictable ways. Long lists include some kind of linked index above the scroll.
(Badre, 141)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations;
Consistency
Criterion:
Lists appear in the same style with similar functionality throughout the site.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Navigation
Key functions:
Whose site?
Criterion:
On all pages of the site, the viewer aware of whose site this is. (Neilsen, p 188;
Lynch, p. 19; Lengel, p. 40)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Where Am I?
Criterion:
The viewer is aware of the location of the current page within the structure of the
site. (Neilsen, p. 191; MIT, p. 37; Powell, p. 122)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
What's available?
Criterion:
On all pages of the site, the viewer is aware of the nature of other sections of the
site. (Neilsen, p. 191; Powell, p. 132)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations.
Where next?
Criterion:
On sites with serial presentation of information, the viewer is aware of where to
go next to follow the story or sequence.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Can I find it?
Criterion:
The viewer is provided with tools or devices for finding on the site the information
he might be looking for. (Neilsen, p. 224; Badre, p. 143; Lengel, p. 44)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Menu Types
Criterion:
Menus appear in one or two forms (e.g., horizontal or vertical lists of words;
pictographic icons; buttons; thumbnail photos; image maps.) The user is aware
that the menu items are indeed clickable links, and not simply part of the
background or content. (Lynch, p. 14; Powell, p. 132; Badre, p. 138; Neilsen, p.
195)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Menu Vocabulary
Criterion:
The vocabulary of text menu items uses words understood by the target audience.
Menu names are as short and specific as possible. Menu names clearly and
accurately describe the content of the sections or pages they lead to. (Powell, p.
124; Lengel, p. 43)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Menu Consistency
Criterion:
The form, style, location, and functionality of menu items are identical on all
pages of the site. (Badre, p. 106; Lengel, p. 44; Badre, p. 165; Powell, p. 144;
Lynch, p. 66)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Site Maps and other navigation devices
Criterion:
On sites of more than a few pages, the viewer is provided with a site map or
search device that helps them locate particular sections or content of the site. The
extent and specificity of the map or search results is appropriate to the typical
search tasks of the target audience. A visual map of the site, rather than a list, is
used wherever possible. (Badre, p. 140; Lynch, p. 48; Powell, p. 276; Neilsen, p.
221; Lengel, p. 44)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Feedback and Interaction
Forms
Criterion:
The site provides opportunities for users to send comments, ask questions, or
provide feedback to the sponsor. These opportunities are easy to find and easy to
use so as to encourage feedback. (Lengel, 47; Badre, p 169; Powell, p. 93)
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Discussion
Criterion:
The site provides opportunities for viewers with a common interest to interact
with each other, through online discussions, chats, or listservs.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Corporate Identity
Color
Criterion:
Corporate colors used in non-Web communication are employed to help integrate
the site with print and outdoor marketing efforts.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Logos
Criterion:
Corporate logos appear on the site in a manner similar to non-Web
communication products.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Fonts
Criterion:
Text font, style, and color appear on the site in a manner similar to non-Web
communication products.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Design Features
Criterion:
Design features such as shapes, designs, icons, and page layouts appear on the
Web in similar form to other corporate communication.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
Look and Feel
Criterion:
The typical viewer perceives the look and feel of the Web site to be similar to
other corporate communication.
Analysis:
Rating: 0 -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10
Recommendations:
References
Badre, Albert N., Shaping Web Usability, Addison-Wesley, 2002
Barrett, Edward; Levinson, Deborah; and Lisanti, Suzana, The MIT Guide to Web Site
Design, The MIT Press, 2001
Bernard, Michael, and Mills, Melissa, What Size and Type of Font Should I Use on My
Website? http://wsupsy.psy.twsu.edu/surl/usabilitynews/2S/font.htm
Boyarski, D., Neuwirth, C., Regli, S. Forlizzi, J. A Study of Fonts Designed for Screen
Display. CHI 98 Conference, Proceedings, Los Angeles, CA, April 1998, pp. 87-93.
Lengel, James, Web Wizard's Guide to Web Design, Addison Wesley, 2002
Lynch, Patrick, and Horton, Sarah, Web Style Guide, Yale University Press, 1999
Nielsen, Jakob, Designing Web Usability, New Riders Publishing, 1999
PBS Web Production Manual, 2002
Powell, Thomas A., Web Design: The Complete Reference, McGraw-Hill, 2000
Treisman, Anne, various articles and studies, available at
http://www.princeton.edu/~psych/PsychSite/fac_treisman.html