A case study of University Websites and their interactive usability for prospective students By Naomi Kinoshita COM597 Final Project

Motivation  my experience helping a friend look for graduate schools  researching our own program in my Branding and Marketing class  Jared Spool’s lecture on the lack of websites with user-centered design  For the assignment making airline reservations, I noticed all of companies had the same format for entering reservation information.

Research Proposal  I am going to study University websites from the prospective of applicants, paying particular attention to the international student, since the websites must be user-centered for all applicants.

Desired Results The final result of my research is to set recommendations for Universities, so that there will be similar paths to finding information.

Research Method  All of my research was done first-hand. When I researched schools, my goal was to see what degree programs each school offered and to find the details of admission requirements. Because my actions were very task oriented, I wanted to find information as quick as possible and as specific as possible.

Research Criteria  degree program information  entrance exam requirements (i.e.- GRE)  Application & application deadline  Tuition costs & availability of loans and scholarships  International student services  Diversity  Navigability and Organization( Web design element)

Research Subjects Three Large State Schools  University of Washington  University of Texas Austin  Texas Tech University Two Ivy League Schools  Princeton University  Stanford University Two Alternative Schools  New College of California  Antioch Univ. - Seattle

Example websites

Preliminary Results  Home page – Should be divided into categories for certain people  Should be prospective students info. 2clicks away  Comprehensive information listed on one page  Should be Inter. Students cervices info on admission page or student life page

Limitations of Research  Small sample size  Non-random sample  Lack of other criteria (ie – libraries, computers, recreation, clubs, etc.)