Navigation and content on university home pages

Margaret L Ruwoldt, Web Services, Information Division [HREF1], University of Melbourne [HREF2] , Victoria, 3010. m.ruwoldt@unimelb.edu.au

Claire Spencer, Web Services, Information Division, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010. claire.spencer@unimelb.edu.au

Abstract

The home page is the most visible online representation of a university's style, activities and reputation. We studied the home pages of 68 universities in Australia, Canada, the United States of America, south-east Asia and Europe, looking for emerging industry standards and opportunities for improving our home page's quality and usability.

We identified key audience groups, an emerging standard for the content and information architecture of a university's home page, and some additional features that could distinguish an institution from its competitors.

Introduction

This comparative study of 68 universities is original research conducted as part of an annual usability review of the University of Melbourne web site. We visited the web site of each university, printed a color screen-shot and noted any points of interest.

Next, we stuck the screen-shots to a large wall near our staff kitchen. This allowed us to compare similarities in design and use of color. The 'wall of home pages' became a talking point: visitors to our office would pause in the corridor to discuss a feature or phrase that caught their eye in passing.

Using a questionnaire form, we surveyed specific aspects of content, labelling and navigation, design and branding. The data were then collated and analysed. A detailed report, including collated survey data, is available from the University of Melbourne ePrints repository [HREF3].

Key audiences

Judged by the types of content on their home pages, most universities have the same key audience groups:

• Prospective (or future) students
• Current students
• Current staff
• Prospective employees
• Alumni
• Businesses that employ university graduates or could benefit from a consultancy or staff training relationship with the university
• People living in the town or suburbs adjacent to a university campus
• Journalists in the mainstream news media

Few universities target web content directly at staff of government departments or agencies.

Information architecture of a university home page: the current industry standard

Multiple navigation paths into the broader web site:

• Group static links into audience and topic categories; label the groups "For" and "About"
• Where appropriate, provide two or more links from the home page to a key content page; these links should have different titles
• Visually emphasise links to key content
• Allow users to choose between using a search engine or browsing a site map or index/directory

News and events headlines, updated at least weekly, and a link to a "News and Events" subsite.

In the "For" list, provide links to information for at least five audiences:

• Current students
• Prospective (or future) students
• Current staff
• Prospective employees
• Alumni

In the "About" list, provide links to at least four subsites:

• Research activities and services
• Course descriptions
• Description of the university
• Teaching and learning (pedagogical style and quality)
• News and events (if not linked from another section of the home page)

Elsewhere on the page, provide links to:

• Library
• Search
• Contact details, staff directory
• Site index, sitemap

Designate a space in the layout for advertising special events or services, preferably with a small clickable graphic. Update the promotional item regularly.

Help prospective students and other 'comparison shoppers' find their way around more easily by using common link titles/anchor text for core content.

Beyond the norm: adding value to a home page

Beyond meeting the emerging industry standard, we identified several ways to distinguish a university's home page from those of its competitors:

• Clearly indicate when the page was last updated with new content.
• Avoid jargon and vague link titles. Use clear, specific link titles that indicate what users should expect to see when they click.
• Keep the focus on external audiences. Move intranet content to subsidiary pages: don't use the home page as a bookmarks file for students and staff.
• Don't assume people already know who you are, where you are and what you do. Put a positioning statement on the home page: goals, values, motto, marketing tagline.
• Every pixel is precious: use images to support your key promotional messages, not merely as decoration. Publish a relevant photo with the headline of a current media release or news story.

Of course, if enough universities adopt these 'extra' measures, the added-value features will eventually become industry standards in their own right.

Hypertext References

HREF1

http://www.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/

HREF2

http://www.unimelb.edu.au/

HREF3

http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/perl/search/advanced?title=&title_merge=ALL&authors=ruwoldt

 

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