Website Usability Testing Process

Website: SeaWorld.com

James Kobell

2024S_INF650G_VA_Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction

Professor Walters

May 6, 2024

Introduction

The website being tested during this website usability testing process is SeaWorld.com. It was selected from a list of candidates for several determining factors. Firstly, the website has a broad target audience. The user base for SeaWorld.com includes a full range of demographic attributes, as the destination which it represents is popular for many; thus, the pool of usability testing participants is potentially quite large. In addition to the website’s large user audience, the website was also chosen because of several usability issues.

During an initial website scan, multiple usability issues were readily identified. Basic user interactions such as locating information and navigating to domain pages revealed a plurality of shortcomings in the website’s design. For example, the domain’s pages are lacking a search textbox control. Also, a collection of persistent navigation controls which are generally expected by users to be available are instead missing.

Also, the website was selected because of the hierarchical structure of SeaWorld.com. The website is a classic example of several subdomains which do not necessarily complement each other. This type of structure can be confusing to users; mainly because of a lack of intuitive navigation controls.