A fuzzy-based framework for evaluation of website design quality index

Abstract

An unrecognized significance of the web acts as a driving force for the massive and rapid growth of websites in each domain of social life. For making a successful website, it is necessary for developers to embrace appropriate web testing and evaluation methodology. Some valuable works in the past have striven to appraise the web applications quantitatively. Various parameters have been considered which are again sub-parameterized to measurable indicators. But their weighing criterion has not been appropriately taken into account according to the domain of the website. Also, the relative degrees of interactions among parameters have not been taken into consideration. The work presented in this paper aims at describing a framework, Quality Index Evaluation Method to gauge the design quality of a website in the form of index value. An automated tool has been designed and coded to measure the metrics quantitatively. A weighing technique based on Fuzzy-DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Method) has been applied on these metrics. Fuzzy trapezoidal numbers have been used for assessment of parameters and the final design quality index value. To verify the use of framework in different website domains, it has been exercised on eight academic (four institutional and four digital libraries), five informative and four commercial websites. The results have been validated through the most widely used method in literature, i.e., user judgment. Opinions of users for each website have been quantified and aggregated with fuzzy aggregation technique. Experimental results show that the proposed framework provides accurate and consistent results in very less time.

Accessibility engineering in web evaluation process: a systematic literature review

“…The proposed model ensures user-centered design (UCD) based on usability and accessibility guidelines for deaf, visually impaired, and deaf-blindness people. Kaur and Gupta [54] proposed a quality index evaluation framework to evaluate website design to ensure the quality of web design and development. Hassouna et al [55] addressed some significant issues for users with visual impairment.…”

“…(1) state-of-the-art framework for university website accessibility evaluation for students with hearing and visual impairment [53]; (2) evaluation of web page prototype design considering blind user requirement [55]; (3) OUPIP is a user profile-based ontological model for designers and developers to develop applications, and devices considering user's needs, disability type and dynamic context [57]; (4) multi-axial serialization framework for the users with visual impairment to understand and find the required information in the webpage [58]; (5) Ontology for test management process to provide detailed knowledge about the specific domain and captured requirements for testing [56]; (6) tool for quantitative measurement by evaluating website HTML code to identify the quality of the website design [54].…”

Systematic literature review on university website quality

“…The evaluation of universities' websites differs from other websites, in terms of structure and content. Besides, the factor of priorities and weights depend on the website type [11], [12], [52]- [54]. For example, user interface and atractiveness are essential factors to attract more consumers to an e-commerce website [55].…”

Importance of the perceived quality of touchpoints for customer journey analysis – evidence from the B2B sector

“…Studies on customer journey analysis can essentially be divided into two different research strands [40]. First, several papers address the experience customers make at a certain touchpoint, i.e., how they perceive and react to touchpoint elements [30,31]. These studies provide insights on how a touchpoint shapes beliefs about the attractiveness and performance of a brand [61] thus, on its ability to influence buying behavior and buying decisions.…”