Melanie's+framework

I wish to find out whether the labeling of the website is effective and if there are pages, mainly the Portfolio Instructions page, that are hidden or too deep within the navigation. This is important because the portfolio evaluation is an important part of the application process and probably the part that is most subject to change between universities and colleges. Therefore, we would want it to be easily and quickly findable. The labeling is also important since there is some information that is repeated in different pages such as contact information. It would be useful to find out where users tend to go to first for this information to add in the appropriate context if necessary. The big question I want answered is whether our current labeling of the navigation is clear enough to guide the user to the portfolio instructions page. This will also provide insights into how people go about finding a certain page based on the things they associate a page about portfolio instructions with. This is important especially if the user does not have prior knowledge about the programs offered by the Department. The labeling in terms of headings on a page is also important for the contact information test. There are chunks of information in that section we took out because we found were too lengthy but we still wish to have all the contacts most pertinent to the department available. Based on the scenario that is set up, I would like to see if the person is satisfied with what is presented or if they go off to the external link of the York Directories for more contacts. To answer my question, I will set up a test where the user is given a prototype of our website then read the tasks we wish him/her to perform. This test will most likely be conducted in the environment that a future student might find themselves researching post-secondary programs in: either on a computer at their high school or on a laptop. The participant will be asked to think out loud during the test while several observers will be taking notes behind them. It could be hard to get a hold of a real high school student and conduct the test within the high school environment without going through some procedures to get permission. On top of that, the fact that we only made a few links clickable (only 3 internal links on the future students page) might give us different results than if the website were fully functional. The participant would have an easier time finding the page through a quick trial and error even if our design is lacking in findability. Another issue is the testing of browser compatibility. There will not be many ethical issues in this user test other than the fact that their identities will remain confidential. We will also do our best to make sure the participants understands that we are in no way testing their own abilities and also try not to be too intimidating while taking notes “behind their backs”. The data that comes back from this test will allow us to reconsider the labeling of our navigation in places where it might be ambiguous or confusing. It will also let us know whether we need to add a link to the portfolio instructions higher up in the information architecture as well as the best placement for it on the page.
 * DECIDE Framework **
 * 1.  **** Determine overall goals of the evaluation **
 * 2.  **** Explore the questions that need to be answered **
 * 3.  **** Choose the evaluation paradigm and techniques to answer questions **
 * 4.  **** Identify the practical issues that must be addressed **
 * 5.  **** Decide how to deal with ethical issues **
 * 6.  **** Evaluate, interpret and present the data **