A usability case study: Prospective students use of a university Web page

We conducted usability testing of a Web site designed to market the university to perspective high school students. Twenty-six high school juniors, many of them honors students, completed the usability tests. Accessing students through the high schools required adapting the usability testing because of high school policies. While the students were generally positive toward the Web site, they had trouble understanding university terminology and finding key information. They did not recognize the non-standard links, and the search engine did not find the information they were seeking. The article closes with 10 guidelines for practitioners in developing web sites.