What makes a good website and what makes a bad website? The design? The information availability? In order to demonstrate how a website can be optimized we have decided to analyse a section of our university website, more precisely the Library section which is dedicated to the university students.
There is a lot good aspects in this section of the website, first of all there is absolutely no time of downloading, as we know that a internet user won’t wait more than a few second before quitting the page if the downloading is too long. Second important thing is that the page is really clear; all services proposed by the library are available from the front page and little simple icons are illustrating each important function; a user will then find very easily and very fast the specific information that he is searching. And if, by any chance he doesn’t, help or contact us section are very visible. From a graphic point of view elements such as colours and fonts are well chosen as they help the organisation of the information; the colours are simple, harmonious and not too present (only purple, blue and grey) and the fonts are consistent. Finally when entering any section of the library website the left navigation bar will stay the same so the user always know where he is on the website and will not get lost when searching information.
It is quite difficult to find any bad aspects of the Library section of Coventry university’s as the whole Coventry website is well structured and well designed. Even though we can point at some shortages. First of all, there is lack of pictures in the Library section. A gallery section can solve this problem and give an opportunity to see the exterior, interior of the building and the facilities of the library. Another shortage is the absent of language option in this section and also in some other sections of the website. It can be helpful for the international students whose first language is not English. We would recommend other well known languages in the world as Spanish, French, Chinese or Russian.
We may say honestly from our previous experience that Coventry University possesses one of the most appealing web pages of all UK universities. For example the library page instantly grabs the attention with its modern appearance, well-organized content and easy-to-navigate platform. However, according to my opinion, there are some amendments that may have to be taken into consideration. First of all the administrators need to popularize the library website especially in the search engine ranking. In addition an integration of virtual map or tour on the library page would be useful approach. Especially due to the fact that nowadays a huge portion of the international applicants gain their first impression on the basis of the website appearance and the diversity of information that it presents that’s why creating a virtual vision of the library may significantly increase the number of the potential student candidates. To make the site more interesting and attractive for the young audience a good idea may represent the inclusion of section dedicated to the “life” in the library promoting with fascinating video clips not only the educational process but the way the students may interact, benefit from each other and entertain themselves during the academic year.
To follow the step with technology, we recommend to establish a new way of communication with the Library via IM (instant messaging). The Website is providing a similar service ”Ask a librarian” in the section of help and aim to reply within 2 working days. The new IM service will eventuate in quicker respond in contrast to mentioned email support. In our opinion the visitors will appreciate such a service, as nowadays the users has no patience and want to get the information as soon as possible.
I think it's a good idea to offer e-library the service, wich will generate quicker response.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, how would you evaluate intranet services of Coventry University website?