Flinders University Web Redevelopment

Competitive Analysis Report

Findings of a workshop undertaken by the Information Architecture Working Party

1. Introduction

This report provides an overview of the findings of the Information Architecture Working Party’s analysis of competitive sites undertaken on 5 May 2006.

This report will be a one source of information used to assist the development and assessment of information architecture solutions.

2. Background

Competitive analysis involves assessing websites within the same industry. It adds to our understanding of the Flinders University context. Context is one of three key elements in informing good information architecture.

As stated by Withrow (2006) the benefits of competitive analysis include: • Understanding the competition • Building domain knowledge (or understanding of the industry) • Identifying best practices • Expanding dialogue and the possibilities

3. Process

1. Preparation

A background paper was provided to Information Architecture Working Party members on 21 April 2006. It outlined the benefits of competitive analysis and provided an overview of the process that would be undertaken as part of the workshop.

In addition, the background paper provided an outline of previous studies undertaken on University websites. These include: • An analysis of navigation and content on University homepages from Australia, Canada, United States of America, South-East Asia and Europe undertaken by Ruwoldt and Spencer (2005) of the University of Melbourne. In their paper titled Navigation and content on University homepages, Ruwoldt and Spencer identified the current emerging industry standard in relation to information architecture on University home pages. • An assessment of the information architecture and usability of 16 Australian University web sites undertaken by Graeme Phillipson and published by On Campus in April, 2006.

2. Workshop

At the workshop an overview of the task was provided by the Web Project Officer. Working Group members then formed into 3 groups.

Each group was assigned two sites to analyse. A checklist (Attachment 1) was provided to the groups as part of a structured assessment process. This checklist is based on good information architecture principles and previous studies of University websites. Groups were also asked to discuss and record their overall opinions on the sites they assessed.

Groups were allocated 45 minutes to undertake this exercise. The working party then reconvened and each group presented its findings, which were discussed amongst the working party.

3. Analysis and reporting of results

The Web Project Officer used the checklists and notes from the workshop to analyse and report on the results.

A draft of this report was subsequently written and emailed to working party members on 10 May 2006 for feedback by close of business 15 May 2006. Subsequently, this final report was prepared.

4. Websites analysed

The University websites selected for this analysis include: sites that are considered to provide good information architecture examples; and the sites of direct competitors.

These websites are:

1. Monash University – www.monash.edu.au 2. Melbourne University – www.melbourne.edu.au 3. La Trobe University – www.latrobe.edu.au 4. University of Woollongong – www.ouw.edu.au 5. University of South Australia – www.unisa.edu.au 6. Adelaide University – www.adelaide.edu.au

Screenshots of the homepages and sub-sites of these websites are at Attachment 2.

An analysis of the Flinders University website, using the same checklist was undertaken by the Web Project Officer subsequent to the workshop.

5. Findings

1. Number of links from the homepage

The number of links on the homepage is an interesting navigational feature. The higher the number of links, the more navigational paths provided for users. Often sites display links to topics within the main categories of the site organisation on the homepage, enabling users to go straight to topic content.

The following table outlines the number of links located on the homepage of the sites analysed:

|Site |Number of links from the homepage |
|University of South Australia |53 |
|University of Melbourne |47 |
|LaTrobe University |43 |
|Monash University |43 |
|University of Wollongong |36 |
|Flinders University |35 |
|Adelaide University |32 |

The working party discussed that the trick to providing more links on the homepage was to ensure that it was done in a manner which ensured that the homepage did not look too cluttered or daunting for users. For example, the group analysing the University of Wollongong site stated that the homepage is:

“Well laid out, logical, 36 links but doesn’t look crowded”.

In contrast, that same group found that the variety of design features (colour, font) used in the range of ‘navigation clusters’ on the LaTrobe University website made the navigation confusing.

2. Site organisation

Ruwoldt and Spencer (2005) identified the current emerging industry standard for information architecture on University home pages. In relation to the site organisation, they found that the emerging industry standard was to organise the site into 2 main categories: • ‘For’ – audience • ‘About’ - topics

Of the six sites analysed as part of this competitive analysis, 4 used this standard approach. Flinders University also uses this standard industry approach. The other items on the homepages of these sites were also similar including: Staff Directory, Library and links to the supplementary navigation features (see item 5.3 below).

The University of Melbourne and the University of South Australia do not use this industry standard for their site organisation. The University of Melbourne website is organised by 4 topics (Students; The University; Research; Community). The University of South Australia is organised by 5 topics (About UniSA; Study at UniSA; Research; Business and Community; Resources for Staff).

The group analysing the University of Melbourne and University of South Australia websites commented on how the site organisation communicated key messages about the universities. They found that the site organisation used by the University of Melbourne reflected a more student focused University in contrast to the University of South Australia, where the site organisation reflected the more corporate nature of that University.

3. Consistent sub-web navigation features

This part of the analysis required working party members to delve into the sub-webs and look for consistency in the navigation features, including: • Standard global navigation area and elements • Consistent local navigation area and elements • Consistent page layout • Consistent look and feel (not necessarily identical but consistent) • Standard global footer

The levels of consistency encountered across these websites varied.

The websites found to achieve a very high level of consistency included: • University of Wollongong • LaTrobe University • Monash University • University of South Australia

The University of Melbourne web site achieved some consistency but some levels of inconsistency were encountered.

The University of Adelaide website was found to achieve the least level of consistency amongst the competitive sites. Consistency was largely achieved within the central part of the site (1st 2 levels) but was not followed through to the faculty and some of the administrative unit sites.

Flinders University also suffers from a low level of consistency. The level of consistency has been decreasing with many sub-sites being redesigned and no longer using the templates established for the Flinders University Web.

There was a general consensus in the group that consistency (navigation, page layout and look and feel) is an important usability feature. In terms of look and feel, this didn’t mean that all subsites needed to look identical. The variation in design elements within the banners of sites – ie colour and image - was appreciated and welcomed by the group. The consistent features most valued by the working party were the consistent use of global navigation bar features, such as those used by the University of South Australia and Monash University, see figure 1 and 2 below.

Figure 1 – University of South Australia global navigation bar Figure 2 – Monash University global navigation bar

One group also highlighted the left-side local navigation bar used consistently on much of the University of Melbourne site as a good feature. The ability to expand the menu into sub-menu items within this navigation bar was also considered a good navigation feature (See Figure 3).

[pic] Figure 3 – University of Melbourne side local navigation bar

4. Supplementary navigational tools and support

Supplementary navigational tools provide complementary ways for users to find content and complete tasks. These include: A – Z index; site map; and quick links.

Navigational support includes: • Breadcrumbs – which show the location of the user and allow the user to go back to the upper level. Eg. UOW Home > Current Students > Orientation to UOW • Skip navigation feature – an accessibility feature for users with disabilities who need to tab through a site.

The following table summarises the findings of the working party:

|Site |A – Z index |Site map |Quick links |Skip navigation |Breadcrumbs |
| | | | |feature | |
|University of |Yes |Yes |Yes |Yes |Yes |
|Wollongong | | | | | |
|LaTrobe University |No |Yes |Yes |Yes |No |
|Monash University |Yes |Yes |Yes |Yes |Yes |
|Adelaide University |No – see observations|No – see observations|No |No |Yes |
| |below |below | | | |
|University of South |No |No |No – see observations|No |No |
|Australia | | |below | | |
|Flinders University |No |No |No |No |No |

Working party members talked about the importance of breadcrumbs as a navigation feature. They described breadcrumbs as a ‘safety net’ which they relied on when navigating through large sites. They also observed that in some cases the breadcrumbs only went down to 3 or 4 levels.

Other observations made include:

• The University of South Australia has a ‘quick links’ section on its homepage. Those ‘quick links’ seem to be internally driven to promote University initiatives such as ‘The Learning Connection’ and ‘Graduate Qualities’ rather than being based on user needs such as the quick links section of the LaTrobe University site, which includes ‘Semester dates’ and ‘Jobs at LaTrobe’. However, the University of South Australia does provide links to essential online services such as ‘Email’, ‘Directory’ ‘Library’ and ‘My UniSA’ (the student portal) in the global navigation bar used consistently across the site.This group also discussed the problems of labelling items with terms such as ‘The Learning Connection”, which require uses to be familiar with these terms.

• Some sub-sites of the Adelaide University include sitemaps and A – Z indecis but these are not provided at an an enterprise (or whole-of-university) level.

• The University of Melbourne uses an enterprise information architecture solution known as a ‘guide’. These audience-based guides provide contextual content to information and services available for particular audience groups rather than a list of links. See ‘Current Students’ page in figure 4.

• Working Party members commented on the fact that whilst a skip navigation feature is available on some of the competitive websites, the feature didn’t necessarily work. This emphasised the need to test this feature in various browser environments. The University of Melbourne website uses another accessibility feature known as ‘access keys’. This required users to be familiar with the access keys used on the site and was not seen by the working party as a user-friendly feature.

[pic]

Figure 4 – Melbourne University’s ‘Current Students’ page / guide.

5. Search features

The search features examined as part of the competitive analysis was the use of a standard search box across sub-sites and the ability to limit search results using a scoped search (eg search Faculty of Science and Engineering site vs search www.flinders.edu.au).

The consistent use of a search box was considered essential by working paty members.

The following table summarises the findings:

|Site |Standard Search box |Scoped search function |
|University of Melbourne |Yes |Scoped search function available in Faculty|
| | |sites – not as part of the enterprise |
| | |search |
|University of Wollongong |Yes |Yes |
|LaTrobe University |Yes |No |
|Monash University |Yes |Scoped search function available in Faculty|
| | |sites – not as part of the enterprise |
| | |search |
|Adelaide University |No – only within sites that use standard |No |
| |template | |
|University of South Australia |Yes |No |
|Flinders University |No |No |

6. Conclusion

The competitive analysis provided the opportunity to analyse what is happening amongst University websites and discuss what features are important to incorporate into the new information architecture for the Flinders University Web.

The following observations are worth highlighting in terms of their implications for the Flinders University Web information architecture:

• More links from the homepage can provide more naviational paths for users, assisting them to access content via fewer clicks. This requires that the design accommodates these links in a manner which doesn’t clutter the site and confuse users.

• The Flinders University website organisation can continue to use the standard industry approach of organising the site into the 2 main categories of ‘For’ and ‘About’. Using a different approach, such as that used by the University of Melbourne and the University of South Australia, provides the opportunity to differentiate Flinders University from its competitors and articulate the Flinders University brand. Moving to this different approach should, however, only undertaken if usability is not compromised.

• The competitive analysis confirmed the importance of consistency in navigation, look and feel and page layout across sub webs of University websites. The competitive sites analysed vary in the level of consistency they have achieved. Those that have achieved higher levels of consistency were favoured by the working party. The consistent features most favoured by the working party were the global navigation bars and consistent template designs with variation in some design elements (images and colour) across sub webs.

• Whilst the issue of labelling was not specifically addressed in the checklist for competitive analysis activity, it was raised by one group who identified that the labels within navigation structures and labels of contextual links should be user-centric, not jargony.

• Only 2 (Monash University, University of Wollongong) of the 6 competitive sites analysed included all 3 of the enterprise supplementary navigation tools on the checklist (site map, A – Z index, quick links). This is perhaps an indication of the resources required centrally to maintain and manage these tools. The Flinders University Web does not include any of these tools. The development of a site map and A – Z index has been identified in the Flinders University Web Information Architecture Plan.

• The use of breadcrumbs was considered an essential navigational support tool. The SHADO-MX content management system (to be implemented as part of the web redevelopment) supports the creation of breadcrumbs.

• The standard use of a search box is used by all competitive sites, with the exception of the Adelaide University website, where not all sub sites have implemented the new template which includes the search box. This is a basic feature expected by users. The scoped search feature was only available at the University of Wollongong at an enterprise level. The ability to narrow the scope of searches should be considered when configuring the search engine as part of the Flinders University web redevelopment.

Information Architecture Working Party

Competitive Analysis Checklist

5 May 2006

Site:

Number of links from home page (inc. links to news stories):

Site organisation:

(See homepage of the site)

Audience (For….)

Topic (About…)

Other: (please list)

Consistent sub-web navigation features:

Standard global navigation area

Standard global navigation elements

Consistent local navigation area

Consistent local navigation elements

Consistent page layout

Consistent look and feel (not necessarily identical but consistent)

Standard global footer

Additional notes:

Supplementary navigational support provided:

Breadcrumbs

A – Z Index

Site Map

Quick links

Skip navigation feature

Additional notes:

Search features:

Standard search box on sub-sites

Scoped search function

Additional notes:

What did your group like about the site in particular?

What didn’t your group like?

University of Adelaide – www.adelaide.edu.au

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University of Melbourne – www.unimelb.edu.au

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Monash University – www.monash.edu.au

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LaTrobe University – www.latrobe.edu.au

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University of South Australia – www.unisa.edu.au

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University of Wollongong – www.uow.edu.au

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Flinders University – www.flinders.edu.au

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