According to visitors, an effective site is one where visitors are satisfied with respect to enjoyment, can find information somewhat easily, and never get lost on the site. On effective sites, according to designers, visitors can find information very easily or somewhat easily, visitor enjoyment is at least neutral, and visitors are able to maintain orientation almost always or most of the time. Organizations with effective sites believe that information gaps do not really exist and that visitors (enjoyment) are at least “somewhat satisfied.” They do not believe that visitor experience could be improved with the presences of a “personal navigation aid.”
There is a wide gap between the extent to which visitors believe they can maintain orientation and find information on a web site and what designers and organizations believe. The majority of visitors are not confident in their ability to find the information that they need on a particular site; hence, designers and organizations should further emphasize ease of navigation in web site design.
Good visual design and up-to-date information is critical in visitors’ minds. These site elements consistently ranked high in visitor responses, indicating that they are essential (but not differentiating) to improving online experience.
Throughout the survey, designers were optimistic about visitor experience compared to organizations and the general public. For example, visitors have higher expectations, by at least one point on a five-point scale, compared to what designers believe as an effectiveness standard. When asked if a personal navigational aid would help improve the effectiveness of the site, a majority of designers downplayed the effect while visitors overwhelmingly supported the idea. The gap between visitors’ needs and designer perceptions is a serious issue that should be addressed.
