Web Site Usability

Abstract

Strictly speaking, the term usability has evolved from one of use to also include design and presentation aspects. A large amount of research has been conducted using this wider definition. These studies include everything from model development (Cunliffe, 2000) to personal self image on Web sites (Dominick, 1999) to the purpose of a Web site (Falk, 2000), and to Web site effectiveness (Briggs & Hollis, 1997). Ultimately, these topics are related to usability and the success a Web site enjoys. The construct of usability covers a range of topics. This paper specifically addresses Web usability from the perspective of how easy a system is to learn, remember and use (Rosen, Purinton & Lloyd, 2004). The system features should emphasize subjective satisfaction, low error rate and high task performance (Calongne, 2001). In this regard, usability is a combination of the underlying (hypermedia) system engine and the contents and structure of the document, and how these two elements fit together (Lu & Yeung, 1998).