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Unievrsity of Glamorgan Students Union: Website evaluation
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Introduction Purpose of the web site The University of Glamorgan is an institute of higher learning with a diverse population. Entertainment is provided for such a population in the form of the Students union. The purpose of the web site designed, was to appeal to the diverse student body. It is aimed at attracting students. It is noted that an interesting students union may attract potential students to the institute therefore the importance of advertising the union is further highlighted. The web site primarily aims at providing a means for the general public, which includes actual and potential students of the University of Glamorgan, to obtain information about the facilities and activities offered at the union in an enjoyable, interactive and hassle-free environment. Target Audience The diversity of the audience interested in the University of Glamorgan students union means that it is vital that the web site highlights the facilities available to cater for different people. The web site aims at people of all ages, because the student body at the university includes both young and mature students, both sexes and all races. The union is also aimed at attracting the young at heart. The facilities, such as Baa bar and Shafts, suggest that the union is a recreational place. The web site addresses this by displaying most of the information in a way that appeals to current, but more important, potential students. Also, in general the web site aims at showing that the union is a place designed to meet all student queries. The reception area has been included to show that the union caters for those who need information, wish to make a complaint or just want to make suggestions on the union. It is important that current or potential students know their opinions will be taken into account. These points generalise the audience as the student body of the University of Glamorgan. However, in order to cater for the different needs of individual students, it is necessary to subcategorise the audience. The following subcategories were chosen based on interest because they encompass racial, sexual and age differences. The target audience has been subcategorised as follows: The Pub fanatic Definition - a person devoted to frequently visiting a pub or pubs. [1] This audience mainly comprises of those who prefer a low-key night of drinking, socialising and playing pub games to upbeat tempo that clubbers enjoy. This audience is catered for in the form of Baa bar. The web site addresses the fact that such people would benefit from getting information on the bar in the Union. This audience may consist of both the old and young but would mostly comprise of the mature students. University of Glamorgan Students Union The Clubber Definition - a person who regularly frequents nightclubs and similar establishments [2] This category of the audience consists of such people. It is vital to reveal that the union has facilities to cater for clubbers, as they usually are of the ages ranging from eighteen to twenty- five, which is the majority age range of the population of students at the University of Glamorgan. The web site also has to show that the union is a better club to frequent than the clubs in nearby Cardiff. Proximity to the students’ residences does not work in favour of the union as these clubs provide transport to and from Cardiff. Therefore, in order to appeal to the student, the union has to advertise Shafts (the union night club) in an interesting and up-tempo way. Audience Expectations of the Web Site Content “Ultimately, users visit your website for it content. Everything else is just the backdrop. The design is there to allow people to access the content. The old analogy is somebody who to see a theatre performance: When they leave the theatre, you want them to be discussing how great the play was and not how great the costumes were.” [3] In this statement, Nielsen highlights the importance of web site content. In order to guarantee that the content in a web site is appropriate, the question of what the audience expects to see in the web site needs to be answered. In the quest to answer this question, I believe, it is important that the target audience is defined and the category the web site fits into is known. Having defined the audience, it is important to categorise the web site. “Since the World Wide Web is still in its infancy it is fair to say that many of the terms associated with it are not those you would find in a dictionary. Different terms relating to the same things are often used by a variety of people until a term emerges as the accepted norm for everyone.” [4] It is for this reason that it should be noted that the web site designed might not perfectly fit into one category. In this case, the most appropriate category has been selected. The web site fits into the Reference/Informational category whose main purpose is to provide information. It is not designed to promote a specific viewpoint or product. The fact that it may attract more customers to the union is merely a perk as opposed to the mission of the web site therefore it is not a commercial web site. “Informational Websites: A Website that is intended to provide information that is useful to visitors and the organization or business that it serves. This Website is not considered a commercial site, although it may stimulate some commerce by virtue of the information contained in it.”[4] Having defined the web site audience and mission, it is easier to provide expectations of the web site content.
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