Appendix 5: Assessment of Web Pages 

Evaluation of web sites includes both objective and subjective methods. Best practices dictate 

discriminating and setting appropriate expectations for each. Objective criteria include any that can be 

explicitly identified and decided upon with a reasonable degree of certainty. Subjective criteria include 

user testing where no specific results of testing are expected, but evaluation is done through the eyes 

of a representative or affiliated user.   

Many resources for criteria of objective evaluations already exist. Technical evaluations include 

functional, security, performance, scalability and compatibility tests. Software tools are available to 

automate technical evaluation. Usability evaluations include language, layout, graphics, information 

architecture and user interface reviews. These evaluations cover ADA accessibility requirements, the 

W3C's accessibility guidelines, and various design usability criteria. Evaluation criteria should be 

decided in advance, and pages scored based on compliance. These criteria can be separated into 

hazard and improvement issues. Hazard issues involve those that present a serious usability 

constraint for the user and require fixing. Improvement criteria include those that would improve the 

overall user experience, but do not adversely hinder accessibility.   

Subjective evaluations provide necessary insights into website use. Testing validates and provides 

needed feedback on many web design issues. Testing throughout the design and deployment phases 

of site development provides a needed outside perspective   a fresh perspective of the user 

experiencing the site for the first time. It also improves the judgment of web developers, as their 

understanding of users broadens, and resolves  religious  debates about design issues. 

Resources for objective usability evaluation criteria: 

Department of Justice ADA homepage 

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines 

http://www.w3.org/WAI/

 and 

http://www.usability.gov/

Objective Evaluation of Usability Hazards 

http://www.abeleto.com/resources/articles/objective.html

Bobby Site Inspection Tool to test ADA compliance 

http://bobby.cast.org/

Inspection Methods Resources 

http://usableweb.com/topics/000606 0 0.html

 Quality Web Systems  book 

http://www.qualitywebsys.com/

Resources for subjective user testing: 

Conducting Usability Tests 

http://usability.gov/methods/usability_testing.html

User Testing Resources 

http://usableweb.com/topics/000878 0 0.html

 Don't Make Me Think  book 

http://www.sensible.com/

Discount Usability for the Web 

http://www.useit.com/papers/guerrilla_hci.html

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Web Services Committee 

Page 23 

May 28, 2002