Designing a Public University Website That Integrates Web Usability and Web Aesthetics: A Model Validation

Abstract

The role of a website is becoming vital in supporting the daily function of a public university. Public university websites are now becoming more like a hub that offers various services for various categories of users. With the different type of users, it posed a new challenge for web designers, especially in term of integrating the web usability and aesthetics to ensure it is suitable for all users. Both usability and aesthetics have its own importance in the overall web performance thus requires a proper integration mechanism. In order to ensure that there is a guideline for web designers to assist them in designing a proper website, a model was developed that functions as a guideline in assisting web designers to design a public university website that not only high in term of usability but at the same time pleasing in term of aesthetics. The model has gone through a verification process through experts is web design field to ensure that the model was in line with the appropriate HCI principle and web design practice. After the process was done, the model needs to be validated to ensure that it is practical to be used during the actual web design process.  In this paper, it discussed the validation process and the results of the validation of the model that was developed. The model was validated by public universities web designers to ensure that this model is practical to be used during designing a public university website.