EvalG2ssWebF2008

[SS: Excellent evaluation!]

Evaluation of "Usability and User Experience: An STC Community"   http://www.stcsig.org/usability/index.html ** Publisher of the Web Site **
 * ===Publisher Information:=== || The STC Usability Web site is a special interest community site related to issues of usability and user-centered design in regards to the Society for Technical Communication. This site has been in existence since at least the mid-1990s, with membership available to those involved with the Society of Technical Communication.

It appears that the site is managed and maintained in association with the STC by professionals and “community” participants and volunteers. Managers of the Web site, who appear to be highly qualified and experienced in the field of TPC, are elected. **[SS: To learn more about SIG's (Special Interest Groups) within the professional organization STC, see** [|**http://www.stc.org**] **]**

The candidates’ and current managers’ complete portfolios are available on the Web site. || Additionally, it was created for networking within the communications field. On the home page of the Web site, numerous conferences and discussion boards are listed in order to improve networking within the STC community.
 * ===Why the Site was Created and What Perspective it Represents:=== || The STC Usability Web site was created to promote the practice of usability within the technical communications field.

The STC Web site represents the perspective of the technical communicator and has a mission of promoting the practice of usability within the field of STC. || ||
 * ===Purpose of the Web Site:=== || Academic and social networking seems to be the main purpose for this Web site.
 * ===Organizational affiliation:=== || The STC Usability and User Experience site has a direct affiliation with the Society for Technical Communication. No other affiliations are directly pointed out on the Web site. ||
 * ===Awards Received:=== || This Web site has won numerous awards, including: Excellence in Usability Awards and Distinguished SIG Service Awards. ||
 * ===The Web site's intended audience:=== || According to the section of the Web site entitled “About the Community,” the intended audience consists of technical communicators, from the student just starting out, to the professor or professional that has dedicated their lives to learning the practices of technical communication. ||
 * ===Web Site Funding:=== || The Web site is funded through community involvement with the STC. ||

** Author(s) of the Site **
 * ===Author and Citations:=== || The authors' purpose of the Web site is to “encompass networking and communication” about usability topics for members of the STC. It is very much a community forum to share experiences and discuss issues. Contact information is provided for the managers and authors of the Web site, as well as personal portfolios.

Management of the Web site has changed hands several times since the inception of the site. The community is able to choose managers of the STC Usability site, as well as participate with hands-on volunteer opportunities.

It is difficult to assess the reputations for all of those managing the STC Usability site and information contained on it (especially volunteers); however, most of the candidates for leadership roles appear to have practical experience with TPC, a similar educational background, and the desire to participate in community activities.

Mary Deaton, the current Web site manager is, according to the site, a published author with a long history with the STC, community service and technical and professional communications. However, the link on the site to her personal resume is currently invalid. ||

** Content of the Site ** The authors of the newsletter features are profiled in various levels of detail in the left-hand column of the page where the articles appear, giving readers an introduction to the writers. The newsletter materials do not appear to have been peer reviewed, and, as they are introducing the themes discussed throughout the site but not really discussing detailed research, one would not expect that level of content review. It is assumed that some gate keeping occurs, as the site lists the name of a newsletter editor and a Web site manager, and those individuals' e-mail addresses are provided should visitors wish to contact them.
 * ===Reliability of Content and Sources:=== || Full-text articles posted on the Web site seem to all be original, newsletter style writing. Most of the articles contain direct links to source materials or a list of reference sources.

The articles mentioned that were previously published are linked to either PDFs or as to the site of original publication; text of those articles is not repeated on the STC Usability site. || || The site seems to be updated intermittently. Some reasons for this assessment include: >
 * ===Research works contained on the site:=== || The STC Usability Web site offers a comprehensive collection of works as listed on the “usability bookshelves” and “usability tools” links. Both links include numerous resources to help STC members further understand the depth of usability. The creator(s) seemed to choose a wide variety of over twenty sources from numerous authors.
 * ===Frequency of Site Updates:=== ||
 * One of the key features of the site is a newsletter. The currently featured newsletter articles were posted in May 2008.
 * An internal site page lists the STC's annual conferences. The listing for 2008 is shown as an upcoming event; that conference was already held in June 2008. Clicking on the link for details about the 2008 conference brings up another page that promotes the 2009 conference. The visitor is left to conclude that some of the information is current, but maintenance of the pathways for accessing that information is not a high priority.
 * A cursory review of past Usability newsletters reveals that during previous years the site news editions were updated only two or three times within any year.
 * An area within the site called "Idea Market" seems to have been abandoned. That area was last updated in 2005, suggesting that while some visitors might still find the information relevant, the area itself is no longer considered a site priority. ||
 * ===Site Navigation=== || Navigation within the site is constructed in a rather straightforward and effective manner. A menu of navigation bars appears as a vertical column on the left-hand side of each of the site's pages. These bars are presented in a color arrangement that contrasts with the web page content. That is, the Web pages feature black or blue text on a white background, while the navigation bars feature white text on a blue background.

Each navigation bar represents a division of the page's overall contents. When a bar is selected, a pop-down menu is presented that shows what divisions exist within that segment of the overall site, allowing visitors to see how all site segments interconnect with the main pages of the site.

Some of the internal pages of the site feature a secondary horizontal navigation row that appears below the page header. This feature, when present, consists of links that connect site readers to other Web resources that are available for further information about the topic explored on that page of the STC site.

Visitors to the STC Usability site are able to return to the site's home page from anywhere within the site by clicking on a graphic feature that appears in the upper left corner of every page. This home page link has become a Web standard used by many organizations for navigation within their sites, and it is effectively employed on the STC site.

Finally, a small set of navigation links appears at the bottom of each of the Usability site's pages. These links appear as a small grouping of words that provide access to each of the site's major divisions as well as its home page. The links are actually a redundancy of the major navigation bars described above, but they allow readers who have scrolled down a page to return to another area of the site without having to scroll back up a page first. ||
 * ===Completeness of Content Coverage:===

|| The coverage is very focused on usability techniques and user experiences. The coverage of these two areas seems to be complete for the topic side of the Web site. Had the website been named "Technical Communication" in general, it would be lacking other areas of interest, such as best practices and communication patterns (both written and oral).

The Web site includes links to usability bookshelves where over twenty technical communications links concerning business support, centered design process, and usability tests, etc., are listed. There is also a section in which there are checklists and tests concerning usability. ||
 * ===Overall Site Quality=== || The overall quality of the STC Usability Web site is good. Each page features a header that identifies the site, contains a logo, and features the home page navigation graphic in the upper left-hand corner. These site identity features are used consistently each of the site's pages.

As mentioned under navigation, each page also has a menu of navigation bars that appear as a left-hand column, with each bar featuring a major division of the overall site. Those divisions expand to mini subdivision menus when they are selected.

Content within the site's pages is presented in the center of each page and each section of the content has a bold header that identifies what is featured in that text. Additionally, content within pages contains many links to other related material that support what is featured there and provide additional resources to people who what to know more about the various usability issues.

Finally, a logo for the sponsoring organization appears at the bottom of each page. That logo also functions as a link to the STC's home Web site, showing that the content of the Usability site is backed by the sponsoring organization. ||