Usability Inspection of Web Portals: Results and Insights from Empirical Study
Web portals are a special breed of web sites, providing a large and diverse user population with a blend of information, services and facilities. Whether they reach their aim of facilitating users\' access to diverse resources and to which extent, remains an open question. In the paper this issue is addressed with usability inspection of horizontal information (news) portals. The reported experiment was targeted to establish whether expert reviews can be performed with a reasonable level of performance by non-usability experts with some training. An empirical study of four web portals was used to support the statement, and the results appear to support this claim. Although the findings from a single experience cannot be generalized, we believe that the results of this study could contribute to improve the general understanding of the field. However, in order to draw general sound conclusions and to examine the robustness and validity of the findings, more studies should be conducted.
Keywords: usability, inspection methods, horizontal information web portals
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Andrina Granic
Andrina Granic is Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science where she teaches courses for the computer science curriculum. She is currently focused on both theoretical and application-oriented aspects of universal access, system usability, accessibility and smartness, user models and intelligent interaction. She has developed several undergraduate and graduate courses related to Human-Computer Interaction field. She has published over 80 papers as book chapters or in internationally refereed journals and conferences in her area of interest. She serves in Editorial Boards of a number of international journals and in Program Boards of several international conferences. She has been involved or is currently participating, as coordinator or as partner, in a number of internationally and nationally funded projects.
Nikola Marangunic
Nikola Marangunic is junior researcher on the project Usability and Adaptivity of Interfaces for Intelligent Authoring Shells led by Dr. Sc. Andrina Granić on the Faculty of Science, University of Split. He graduated psychology on the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb where he also achieved his MSc and finishing his PhD in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. His scientific interests are multidisciplinary researches in the field of Human-Computer Interaction which he contributes through perspective of Cognitive Psychology.
Ivica Mitrovic
Ivica Mitrovic is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Visual Communications Design, Arts Academy, University of Split. He holds MSc in artificial intelligence and PhD in the field of HCI. He is teaching interactive media and interaction design and doing research taking place in a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including social scientists, cognitive psychologists and computer scientists. He has international experience as atelier leader and supervised more than 50 exhibited or in public presented and awarded students’ projects in the field of interactive media and interaction design.
Andrina Granic
Andrina Granic is Full Professor at the Department of Computer Science where she teaches courses for the computer science curriculum. She is currently focused on both theoretical and application-oriented aspects of universal access, system usability, accessibility and smartness, user models and intelligent interaction. She has developed several undergraduate and graduate courses related to Human-Computer Interaction field. She has published over 80 papers as book chapters or in internationally refereed journals and conferences in her area of interest. She serves in Editorial Boards of a number of international journals and in Program Boards of several international conferences. She has been involved or is currently participating, as coordinator or as partner, in a number of internationally and nationally funded projects.
Nikola Marangunic
Nikola Marangunic is junior researcher on the project Usability and Adaptivity of Interfaces for Intelligent Authoring Shells led by Dr. Sc. Andrina Granić on the Faculty of Science, University of Split. He graduated psychology on the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb where he also achieved his MSc and finishing his PhD in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. His scientific interests are multidisciplinary researches in the field of Human-Computer Interaction which he contributes through perspective of Cognitive Psychology.
Ivica Mitrovic
Ivica Mitrovic is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Visual Communications Design, Arts Academy, University of Split. He holds MSc in artificial intelligence and PhD in the field of HCI. He is teaching interactive media and interaction design and doing research taking place in a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including social scientists, cognitive psychologists and computer scientists. He has international experience as atelier leader and supervised more than 50 exhibited or in public presented and awarded students’ projects in the field of interactive media and interaction design.
