Browsing by Subject "Web sites"
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Item A Statistical Analysis Examining The Usability Of Community College Online Admissions Applications(2017) Stark, Treca; Hollis, Leah P.; Community College Leadership Program; Doctor of EducationCommunity colleges offer online admissions applications as a way for students to apply conveniently for admission, yet the experience associated with the use of these applications has not been fully explored. Hence, the purpose of this parametric quantitative study was to examine the usability of community college online admissions applications by employing Jakob Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design and the System Usability Scale (SUS). An additional goal of the study was to determine if the usability of community college online admissions applications varied by the region in which the community college was located. Nielsen's usability heuristics (1995) provided a concrete framework for examining community college online admissions application usability and were tied to the questions in the SUS. Hence, usability was qualified with Nielsen's heuristics and quantified with the score generated by the SUS. The SUS, a ten-item questionnaire developed by John Brooke in 1986 (Brooke, 2013) that is still applicable to modern systems and applications (Bangor, Kortum, & Miller, 2008; Sauro, 2011), is used to gauge user satisfaction with software systems and applications. The SUS was completed after the researcher filled in each of the online admissions applications for community colleges on the East Coast and in the South (n = 62). The researcher visited each website of the community colleges, filled in each online admissions application, and completed the SUS to generate a usability score. To address the three research questions, one sample t-tests were used. One-sample t-tests were applied to determine how usable the community college online admissions applications were in comparison to an established SUS benchmark score of 68, which represented average usability.Item Increasing online donations to charity websites through donation form design: a Catholic Relief Services case study(2012) Casserly, Erin; Summers, Kathryn; University of Baltimore. School of Information Arts and Technologies; University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Information Design and Information ArchitectureThe purpose of this study was to investigate whether design changes to a charitable organization's online donation form can lead to an increase in online donations. Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a leading international aid and relief charity located in Baltimore, MD, was the main subject. This research consisted of a literature review of topics, including the psychology of charitable giving, the economic environment of charitable giving in the U.S. and best practices for interaction and form design, and two areas of testing. The first testing portion of this study conducted in-person user testing on the existing monthly donation form for CRS, in order to determine areas for improvement. Next, a multivariate test between the original donation form design and proposed, improved design was conducted on the main CRS website to find which form had a higher conversion rate for online donations. The results of this study were evenly split and warrant further research and discussion in the future.Item Using crowd sourcing to change the real estate landscape(2016-05) Fasolo, Pamela Jean; Walsh, Greg; University of Baltimore. School of Information Arts and Technologies; University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Information Design and Information ArchitectureBuying a home is the single largest purchase a person will make in their lifetime and often the most difficult decision. In the past, new home buyers would rely on realtors to assist them in their home search. But as internet usage grows, more and more consumers are taking their home search online. There are now several websites on the market where consumers can view home listings and connect with realtors for more information. 90% of homebuyers start their home search online (National Association of Realtors, (NAR), 2013). In addition, during the home buying process, many consumers will go online to seek advice on topics such as mortgages, the real estate market, the best neighborhoods, and what details to look for during a showing. For many online tasks, users will go to crowd sourcing to help them make their buying decisions. For things such as choosing a restaurant or a book to read, or purchasing an appliance, many users seek online customer reviews or comments before making a buying decision. Websites such as Yelp, Amazon, or Glassdoor allow for customer reviews of their experiences. When it comes to buying a home, realtors and real estate experts have ownership of online listings and real estate advice. But consumers are looking for advice from their peers, and trust online reviews left by users in their community. When it comes to online listings posted by a realtor, the listing can be vague, and include misleading photos that have been photo shopped or use wide angle lenses, and important details can be left out. Advice from peers can be more trustworthy than those of professionals who may not have the buyers' best interests in mind. This thesis is about the research and design of a new, potential website that could change the way users views online listings. The website, which would also include a corresponding app, would allow for users to post comments and photos of real estate listings or neighborhoods in real time. The thesis will be a study of trust in online reviews and real estate professionals, homebuyers' personal experiences, and user testing for a new site.