Sampling

Hi,

To reduce the effort of evaluating a large site I suggest that there are three methods of sampling the site’s pages/content which can be coupled with a barrier identification technique to avoid constant repetition.

The three sampling techniques for manual evaluation are  :-

1) Random sampling  - selecting a number of pages at random. This can be done by making a random selection from the site map, or to take every tenth (or other suitable number) of links from the site map.

2) Structure sampling – selecting the higher level structural pages such as Home Page, Site Map, section landing pages (usually linked from the Home page within the main navigation bar), any sub-section landing pages (usually linked to from the section landing pages, plus (if not already found) a sample of pages containing elements such as forms, data tables and multi-media.

3) Task orientated sampling – Completing the key tasks on the site required to meet the site’s purpose. This might include tasks such as to source certain information, place an order or participate in a discussion.

Barrier identification reduces effort further by noting examples of common failures in technique employed within the site and once identified and commented on we can ignore further occurrences within that section.

We use a combination of all three sampling methods. We start with 2 (structured sample) to explore the site and obtain an overview of its’ purpose etc. Next we attempt the key tasks.  Then we do a random sample (skipping any pages already sampled).

Richard