Full text (pdf)Colleges and universities develop Web sites to help them recruit and retain
students, connect with alumni and donors, and communicate
internally, among other activities. In 2004, the faculty and staff in Kansas
State University’s Department of Animal Sciences and
Industry completed a redesign of its Web site, partially based on findings of
two online surveys completed by members of nine target
audiences. This feedback approach allowed a communications working group to
acquire marketing data quickly and reliably. The
working group used this information to address usability concerns and design
a site with features that target audiences want. The
results indicate that Web users prefer functionality over visual appeal and
less cluttered sites. This approach to gathering feedback
provides opportunities for continuing analyses of Web user groups, including
longitudinal studies with the same group or comparison
studies with new members of the same user groups.