Lesson 7

This module discussed how to evaluate a web site using the Web interaction model.
You should now be able to:

1. Identify Nielsen's four criteria for a successful Web site.
2. Describe the characteristics of an effective information architecture.
3. Describe the characteristics of effective signs and metaphors.
4. Describe the several functional elements that should be tested when evaluating a Web site.
5. Identify the goals and trends of usability testing.
6. Describe how to evaluate and compare competing Web sites.

Question: What is quality?
Quality is the function of a product that changes the world for the better.
Definition of website quality is how well a website is designed and how well the design meets with the user's satisfaction.
Website Quality could be measured from two perspectives: 1) Programmers, and 2) End-users.
The aspects of website quality from programmers focus on the degree of Maintainability, Security, Functionality, etc. Whilst the end-users are paying more attentions to

1. Usability,
2. Efficiency, and
3. Creditability.

Expanding these concepts, the usages of website quality may depend on

1. Task-related factors that affect end users such as presentation quality and contrast.
2. Performance-related factors that affect the efficiency for end users and the technologies of websites, for example, response time, transaction output and reliability.
3. Development-related factors that affect developers and maintainers of a website. For instance code complexity, code readability, portability and modifiability.

A concept (quality model) will be the leading factor in achieving website success and will apply to the majority of current live websites. From previous research, the quality website is developed from quality of software.
The quality of software is inherently subjective and different people will experience different quality even in the same software. This same concept of quality can also apply in a website as meaning that user satisfaction is more important than anything
The ISO 9126 definition of quality for software products is :
The totality of features and characteristics of a software product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Attributes of software may include a very large list of properties, possibly at the different levels of detail. Some attributes are internal (i.e. can be measured by examining the product, separate from its behavior); others are external (i.e. can be measured only with respect to how the product relates to its environment). For example, size is an internal attribute, whilst the user error rate is external.
A website is just like software (i.e. it applies to some some prototype or its information architecture) defined in terms of a system of attributes, for example readability or coupling. Finally an assessment of the attributes that is a certain product possesses. These aspects taken together are called the Quality Model.
Bert Hellman introduced a website quality model which shows an approach to the definition and measurement of website quality. It describes the trade-off between the user's needs to be well-established and flexible functions to permit the web application with diverse content.
The next module will introduce you to SQLConfiguration.