A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Quality Assurance For Museum Web Sites: Benchmarking Survey Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath, BA2 7AY URL UKOLN is supported by:

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 2 Benchmarking Survey A number of surveys carried out: Over small number of museum-related Web sites Analysed various objective factors including:  HTML compliance  CSS compliance  Broken links  Accessibility (partial)  Server software / HTTP errors Aims of surveys: To identify common problem areas To discuss testing tools and strategies To inform discussions on strategies for fixing and avoidance of problems

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 3 Notes The following Web sites were surveyed: mda  24hourmuseum Bath Postal Museum  American Museum Natural History Museum National Museum of Science and Industry The aim of surveys is to demonstrate the methodology and discover common problems This is too small a sample for any valid conclusions to be drawn If PC facilities had been available for a hands-on workshop, you would have had the opportunity to assess your own Web site

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 4 HTML Compliance Findings: Only 1 (of 6) entry points compliant! 3 entry points had no DOCTYPE (if no DOCTYPE, validator can't spot errors) 1 entry point had 63 and 1 had 155 errors 1 entry point had no character encoding The 3 entry points with a DOCTYPE used HTML 4 Compliance with HTML standards is needed to ensure Web sites work effectively and can be repurposed. Comments It is important to address the workflow and tools in order to include DOCTYPE and character encoding. There is a need to consider migration to XHTML

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 5 CSS Compliance Findings: CSS used by 4 of 6 Web sites Only 2 of the 4 Web sites use compliant CSS  CSS should be used to define the appearance of HTML elements. Use of CSS helps the accessibility of resources. Compliance with CSS standards is needed to ensure Web sites appear correctly effectively. Comments There is a need to make even greater use of CSS. CSS needs to be validated!

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 6 Accessibility Findings: Only 2 entry points complied with WAI A Five entry points had 1 error (but multiple instances) – typically missing ALT text Compliance with accessibility guidelines is needed to ensure that resources can be used by people with disabilities and to avoid contravening SENDA legislation. Comments Use of Bobby is a flawed approach for checking accessibility. There is a need for manual testing and greater coverage. However the survey indicates problems which need to be address in the workflow. There is also a need for organisations to think about how they should approach the challenge of Web accessibility

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 7 Links Findings: 2 entry points had broken links A recursive check of up to 150 pages finds a small number of pages with broken links for 5 sites 1 site could not be analysed recursively Broken links can be annoying for end users. Certain types of broken links can also prevent Web sites from functioning correctly. Comments The W3C validator validates not only elements but also used to link to external stylesheet, Javascript, etc. files.

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 8 Server Software Findings: No server problems found 2 sites use MS IIS and 4 use Apache 1 uses MS ISS 4.0; 1 uses MS ISS 5.0; 4 use Apache 1.3; 0 use Apache 1.4 or 2.0 Mis-configured server software can sometimes cause access problems. A comprehensive survey can identify the most popular server software, identify trends, etc. Comments As well as spotting mis-configured server software a more comprehensive survey would enable early adopters of software to be spotted, significant trends, etc. This may help in sharing expertise, support, …

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk Error Pages Findings: Only 1 of the 6 sites had a tailored 404 page The NHM provides a good example error pages are problems one of the most popular pages on your Web site! A properly designed 404 page can help users to find the resource they are looking for. Comments A well-designed 404 page will: Have the organisation's branding Will have navigational bars, search facilities, help, … May be personalised

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 10 Internet Archive Findings: All sites are available in the Internet Archive The Internet Archive may contain old copies of your Web sites. This may be of interest from an historical perspective. Comments The Internet Archive is an example of repurposing of your Web site. If your site is not available, this could indicate problems which could affect other types of tools. Alternatively unavailability could indicate that you were banning robots from your Web site

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 11 NetMechanic Findings: 1 site has broken link on home page 3 home pages have HTML errors Load time of home page appears to range from 2.07 to 43.9 secs This commercial tool reports on several areas, including HTML errors, browser problems, spelling, page sizes, etc. Comments How reliable are these findings? Remember to ask if the figures appear reasonable.

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 12 Review We have: Used a number of freely-available Web-based tools for checking aspects of a number of Web sites Identified a number of problems Explained why the problems need to be addressed

A centre of expertise in digital information managementwww.ukoln.ac.uk 13 Any Questions?