How to Evaluate Websites & Multimedia
The Criteria

Serves Its Intended Purpose.  This varies from category to category and site to site. Most sites have a statement of purpose, and evaluators used that to weigh how well each site delivered on its promised. For example, one site might claim to be a complete guide to boating. If it covers only sailing, then it has failed to fully live up to its stated purpose. If a site had no mission statement, use your own judgement based on expectations.

Depth of Content.  Does the site cover the subject in a thorough matter? Are there links to outside resources? How many? How many of those links are bad? How many unfinished sections are there? Does the site go outside its core topic matter to related items? If appropriate, is there downloadable material at the site?

Navigation.  How easy is was to locate and go to independent items at a given site. Look for a cleanly designed home page with a well-labeled table of contents; clear, accurate descriptions of links or of downloadable material; shortcut or hot buttons to return to key points. Intelligent layout of pages so that you are not overwhelmed with choices or information.

Accuracy.  Accuracy, in this case, is a measure of how well a site assures you that the information or service it provides is credible. Does the site appear to be well maintained and updated frequently? If it has links, how many are still valid? Does the material seem to be based on opinion or documented facts? Does the site reference supporting material? Are there links to corroborating material?

Accessibility. Some sites are so busy that it is sometimes difficult to connect. Others place a limit on how many people can connect at a time. If you have trouble connecting to a site, try it several times to establish a pattern.

Design/Style. You might think of this criterion more generally as aesthetics. Evaluators considered not just the visual appeal, but the appeal to the mind as well.  Are the graphics worth waiting for?  Does the design aid in navigation? Does the writing engage you?  Does the site make you smile, even if it has some technical flaws?  Is the site thought provoking?

Performance. Because it is so difficult to determine the exact cause of good or bad performance, use this criterion only as a modifier. If you establish that a site is fast or slow for a specific reason, then give the site a better rating.  (For instance, the use of large graphics with no text option.)  The most common causes of poor performance are:
1. The use of large graphics
2.  Browser compatibility problems
3.  The requirement to transfer all of a graphic before content appears

The most obvious indicators of a site designed for good performance are:
1. The use of small graphics
2. A text-only option
3. Limited amount of content in each area
4. Gradually scanned in graphics so content appears more quickly
5. Downloadable items cached at site
 

Things to remember when planning a Web page or Multimedia Application

Remember to always have your intended audience in mind before designing an interface or multimedia application.  Ten general guidelines for developing a graphical user interface:

Create an intuitive system.  Design an interactive system that the user will feel at home with.  One of the most critical aspects of user-interface design is catering to the models with which the user is familiar. The best interactive experience occurs when the models in the minds of the designer and the user overlap with the system's model.

Interpret consistently.  It's more important for a system to react consistently than it is to appear consistently. For instance, buttons don't necessarily need to look alike, but they should all respond the same to user actions.

Use logical progression. The visitor should always be presented with the simplest information first, then be able to progress further into more complex information. For example, a shopping home page should offer a few simple, categorical sections and then cascade into specifics that might involve 20 or more listings.

Anticipate user error. Design your site to minimize the mistakes a user can make.

Make the nature of functions apparent. A page or menu doesn't have to show all possible options all the time. However, options applicable to the current screen should be accessible without searching.  Controls like buttons should look like something you're supposed to press.

Focus on content.  An interface should allow the user to focus on the content and the task at hand, yet still find controls when applicable.

Provide feedback.  Every user action should have an obvious, immediate effect. When a user selects an option, there should be visual feedback appropriate to the action either through a change in the selected item, or a change to the page as a whole.

Distinguish between actions.  To determine the appropriate interface, the designer needs to identify the user's point of view at key locations within the site. This point of view generally jibes with one of three modes:

• Command: telling the computer what to do, like performing a search.

• Manipulation: making a change, like adjusting the size of an object on a screen.

• Recording: entering data-filling in text field or making annotations.

Allow speed control.  The visitor should be able to control his or her rate of progress through the site and the information.  Scroll bars for viewing text fields and well segmented pages of text let people take in as much as they can handle at a time.

Design appropriately.  Strike a balance between assumptions and custornization. It's the designer's responsibility to make good choices about the appropriateness of the interface to match the user and material. The user shouldn't have too much control over the information.

Final Thoughts
The main thing to remember when planning and building a Web site is to think before you start designing. Always confirm that you're solving a problem, and remember that the person visiting the Web site doesn't know what you're thinking.  As a designer, you have a responsibility to make sure they are not overwhelmed.
Clement Mok and Vic Zauderer. Web Techniques,  April 1997