Evaluating the usability of an academic marketing department's website from a marketing student's perspective

Abstract

Usability testing plays an important role in improving the effectiveness of online information retrieval from a user’s point of view. The International Standards Organisation defines usability as the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment. In a university context, students from different disciplines may have very different needs when it comes to the information they expect from the university’s website. This paper investigates the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction – that is the usability – of the website of the Department of Marketing and Retail Management (DMRM) from a marketing student’s perspective. The objective of the study is to determine best practice guidelines for the development of an improved marketing department website for the University of South Africa.