A framework for evaluating university mobile websites

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hend S. Al-Khalifa

Purpose – Designing an effective university mobile website is becoming a necessity for universities. With the increasing percentage of students using smart phones to research colleges and universities, many university websites worldwide are moving towards addressing mobile needs. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive mobile university evaluation framework that can be used to assess how universities' websites respond to the increasing demand for the mobile web, and also to identify trends and gaps in current services provided in universities' mobile websites. Design/methodology/approach – A framework was developed and applied to a set of 35 universities' mobile websites worldwide. The framework consists of four categories: interface, navigation, content and services offered, and technical aspects. Findings – Evaluation findings show that most universities' mobile websites performed well in terms of mobile-friendliness and functionality; however, suggestions for future improvements are given. Originality/value – No previous evaluation studies of this kind have been conducted. Moreover, this study provides an evaluation framework dedicated to the assessment of universities' mobile websites.

Author(s):  
Henry Larkin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of creating a declarative user interface language suitable for rapid prototyping of mobile and Web apps. Moreover, this paper presents a new framework for creating responsive user interfaces using JavaScript. Design/methodology/approach – Very little existing research has been done in JavaScript-specific declarative user interface (UI) languages for mobile Web apps. This paper introduces a new framework, along with several case studies that create modern responsive designs programmatically. Findings – The fully implemented prototype verifies the feasibility of a JavaScript-based declarative user interface library. This paper demonstrates that existing solutions are unwieldy and cumbersome to dynamically create and adjust nodes within a visual syntax of program code. Originality/value – This paper presents the Guix.js platform, a declarative UI library for rapid development of Web-based mobile interfaces in JavaScript.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 566-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Mariann Silvis ◽  
Theo J.D. Bothma ◽  
Koos J.W. de Beer

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated list of heuristics and an information architecture (IA) framework for the heuristic evaluation of the IA of academic library websites as well as an evaluation framework with practical steps on how to conduct the evaluation.Design/methodology/approachA set of 14 heuristics resulted from an integration of existing usability principles from authorities in the field of usability. A review of IA literature resulted in a framework for dividing academic library websites into six dialogue elements. The resulting heuristics were made applicable to academic library websites through the addition of recommendations based on a review of 20 related studies.FindingsThis study provides heuristics, a framework and workflow guidelines that can be used by the various evaluators of academic library websites, i.e. library staff, web developers and usability experts, to provide recommendations for improving its usability.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus of the usability principles is the evaluation of the IA aspects of websites and therefore does not provide insights into accessibility or visual design aspects.Originality/valueThe main problem that is addressed by this study is that there are no clear guidelines on how to apply existing usability principles for the evaluation of the IA of academic library websites.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Gresham ◽  
Liz Taylor ◽  
Sarah Keyes ◽  
Heather Wilkinson ◽  
Danielle McIntosh ◽  
...  

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to to describe development of a framework for use in the evaluation of the effectiveness of signage to assist people with dementia.Design/methodology/approachThe study consisted of two parts. Workshops held in both Sydney and Edinburgh using “world café” methodology with 28 knowledgeable participants produced a pool of statements. These were subsequently used in a three-round Delphi process administered to 38 participants in order to generate ideas and develop consensus content for a signage evaluation framework.FindingsThis process resulted in a framework consisting of Delphi statements which had a 70 per cent level of agreement and a series of prompt questions. Both intrinsic factors and wider environmental, extrinsic factors in signage for wayfinding were identified.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this study were the small number of participants, including only four people with dementia, and the unresolved problems inherent in designing signage that may simultaneously be universally relevant and readily understood, yet meets the idiosyncratic needs of each individual living with dementia.Originality/valueAs there is little prior work in this field concerning signage use by people with dementia, this framework provides an original preliminary tool that may be used in further research on evaluating signage effectiveness. In designing signage and testing its effectiveness, it was concluded that the direct involvement of people with dementia is essential.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dg Ku Zunaidah Ag Majid ◽  
Suhaila Abdul Hanan ◽  
Hazlinda Hassan

PurposeThe halal industry has been growing in recent years, seeing an increasing demand for halal products from both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers and acknowledging that halal is a universal concept accepted by both Muslim and non-Muslim societies. Service-related providers, such as logistics, could influence the demand for halal products by consumers. This paper aims to investigate the factors that influence consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for halal logistics among young non-Muslim adults.Design/methodology/approachA set of survey questions were distributed to young non-Muslim adults and 280 questionnaires were analysed.FindingsThe results indicate that three independent variables had a direct relationship and significant influence on the WTP for halal logistics among non-Muslim consumers. These variables are concern on halal, knowledge about halal and perception of halal logistics. Meanwhile, the awareness of halal logistics significantly influenced the consumers' WTP for halal logistics, provided that it was mediated by the perception of halal logistics.Originality/valueGiven the gap in research on halal logistics and WTP, this paper presents a consolidated examination of this subject, particularly the WTP of young non-Muslim adults. Furthermore, by including the perception of halal logistics as a mediator, this study leverages the halal logistics knowledge to a new level, thus deepening the understanding of this topic and contributing additional knowledge. This study also presents some opportunities for future empirical research.


foresight ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. Makarova ◽  
Anna Sokolova

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify ways for improvement of the foresight evaluation framework on the basis of analysis and systematisation of accumulated experience in the field of project management. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a detailed literature review devoted to an evaluation of foresight and traditional projects. The approaches to project evaluation in the field of project management were investigated, and the main steps of traditional project evaluation process were determined. The most commonly applied steps of foresight evaluation were identified by the analysis of recent foresight evaluation projects. The comparison of evaluation frameworks for foresight projects and traditional projects allows to provide recommendations for foresight evaluation framework improvement. Findings – The paper identifies several lessons for foresight evaluation from project management. The elements which can enrich foresight evaluation framework are the following: the development of an evaluation model; the extensive use of quantitative methods; the elaboration of evaluation scales; the inclusion of economic indicators into evaluation; and the provision of more openness and transparency for evaluation results. Originality/value – Given the importance of foresight evaluation procedures and the lack of a commonly applied methodological approach, the value of this paper consists in identifying a foresight evaluation framework and enriching it with elements of project management.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez

Purpose As technology becomes more sophisticated, there is an increasing demand for flexible operating systems that can automatically respond to emerging challenges. The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) is, therefore, increasingly integral to many of the most exciting technological developments occurring today. Design/methodology/approach This is a literature review. Findings Broadly defined, AI is the aspect of computing that enables the machine to take in information about its environment and make choices that help it succeed. This paper will explore some of the key concepts behind AI and demonstrate how they apply to emerging technology. Research limitations/implications To get a sense of the importance of AI, we need look no further than Google. Although many companies are working on AI, Google is of particular interest to libraries because its mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” shares many similarities with libraries. Originality/value AI has been contemplated for as long as humans have considered the nature of their own intelligence and pondered how artificial beings might be able to accomplish similar tasks. The idea of AI can be seen as far back as the ancient Greek myth of Galatea. Philosophers and scientists from René Descarte to Alan Turing have posed questions that are still relevant to modern AI.


2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Chao Peng ◽  
Miguel Nunes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a systematic and customisable framework, titled the 9D approach, aiming to evaluate the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as well as to identify potential socio-technical problems, misfits and deficiencies that can cause ERP failure during the system post-implementation phase. Design/methodology/approach The proposed 9D ERP evaluation framework includes nine dimensions and 85 evaluation criteria. This theoretical framework is then used in a six-step evaluation process based on a mixed-methods design. A case study involving a large-size private company in China was used as an exemplification to illustrate how the proposed 9D approach can be applied in practices. Findings The findings of the study clearly demonstrated that after the ERP “go-live” point, companies still experience many challenges and problems in the post-implementation phase. These problems can be located in very diverse organisational, systemic and personnel aspects of the company, as well as across different functional areas and organisational levels. The proposed 9D approach was demonstrated to be an efficient and systematic tool to investigate and explore such ERP problems in an in-depth level within the organisational context. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the theory of IS evaluation in general, and provides valuable insights into the ERP post-implementation evaluation in particular. Practical implications The proposed ERP evaluation approach forms a sound base for continuous ERP improvement and contributes to sustain seamless alignment between ERP and its organisational context. The customisable feature of the framework offers flexibility and enables its use by companies of all sizes, any sector, and any country. Originality/value To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the most extensive and comprehensive framework for the post-evaluation of ERPs proposed hitherto. The need for this new framework was grounded on the argumentation of the drawbacks of existing ERP measurement and evaluation studies that simply focus on success rather than the more critical failure factors.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 883-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Khan ◽  
Haroon Idrees

Purpose – This study aims to explore the Web impact factors (WIFs) for websites of Pakistani universities. The paper discusses why revised Web impact factor (RWIF) is more meaningful than simple WIF. The study also attempts to rank the top-five websites of Pakistani universities by considering four different website ranking systems and compares the WIFs of university websites of other developing countries as well. Design/methodology/approach – This study calculates the RWIF for subject websites using two webometric tools. Open Site Explorer service (i.e. Developer Shed) and two commercial search engines, i.e. Google and Bing, were used to collect the data for examining the RWIF for subject websites. Findings – Collectively 41,960 web pages and 49,740 inlinks were found in top-ten Pakistani universities’ websites. The collective RWIF for subject websites comes to 1.185, which is at the top in comparison with other developing countries, i.e. India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Originality/value – Calculating WIF for university websites in Pakistan and presenting the comparison with other types of website ranking system is a kind of first study conducted for Pakistani library websites. The study also presents alternate search strategy for data collection to calculate RWIF for websites.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihong Li ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Dong Liang ◽  
Tenpao Lee

Purpose The paper aims to develop a framework to facilitate the evaluation of the complexities of working in multi-level governance and partnership and to assess the extent to which collaboration adds value in terms of both process and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies the fuzzy analysis hierarchy process (FAHP) to the design of an evaluation framework for partnerships and uses data from a questionnaire survey in Wuhan, China, to validate the framework. Findings The paper finds that the effectiveness of multi-level governance and partnerships is primarily determined by such factors as clarity of framework for partnership, consensus on mission statement of strategic partnership, mechanisms for joint initiation and implementation of projects and removal of barriers to flow of resources. Practical implications The paper shows that policymakers need to adopt an evaluation approach to improve the effectiveness of multi-level governance and partnerships. Originality/value The paper provides a framework for building multi-level governance and partnerships in the Chinese context.


Info ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Delgado

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the discussion of the so-called “second digital dividend”, aimed to respond to the increasing demand for mobile broadband and the need to harmonize spectrum use across the world. This paper evaluates the uncertainties of this decision and the risk of assigning too much spectrum and too early to MBB at a high cost leading to an inefficient outcome. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the trade-offs involved in the reallocation of the 700-MHz band and proposes several measures to guarantee that any further reallocation of the spectrum leads to an increase in global efficiency. Findings – The decision to reallocate the 700 MHz band should not be adopted until policy-makers are able to guarantee that it will lead to an efficient outcome. The reallocation of the 700-MHz band requires some preliminary steps to guarantee such efficient outcome. Those preliminary policy steps should be directed to analyze the efficiency of the current use of the spectrum and enlarge the scope of policy options by freeing the currently underutilized parts of the spectrum, exploring new technologies and allowing a better spectrum management through market solutions. Originality/value – This paper sets a framework for the evaluation of the so-called second digital dividend which differs from the evaluation of the first digital dividend. Additional cost and benefits are discussed which were not present in the first digital dividend, and that will affect the final allocation of the spectrum.


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