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Subject:
From:
Lara Ashmore <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lara Ashmore <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 28 Jul 1997 13:22:01 -0500
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I recently conducted a randomized field study as a pilot for my
dissertation on the effects of navigation maps on Web site usability. I
used the Dynamic Diagrams MAPA site map as one of my treatments along with
a simpler static image map and also had a control group who used no site
map at all.

I am still in the process of analyzing all of my data, but it looks like
the site maps had a significant effect such on user satisfaction and the
treatment groups who used the DD Map had the highest overall satisfaction
(the majority of the participants were self-classified as intermediate or
expert internet users and most were from technical backgrounds).  I will be
presenting the results of my study at WebNet97 in Toronto in October but if
anyone is interested in my thoughts on the Dynamic Diagrams Site maps,
please let me know.

I will say that I think the usefulness of this particular site map depends
on the type of Web site you have, the type of information you are
publishing and how the information is organized in the underlying
structure. If you have a mess of a Web site, the map will look like a mess
because the map is autmatically generated from a spider crawling your site.
If you have a well designed site with solid hierarchical organizational
structure, then I think the DD Map can be very useful. See the IBM
(http://www.ibm.com)and Javasoft (http://www.javasoft.com) sites for some
good examples.

Lara
***********************************************************
Lara Ashmore, Ph.D Student in Instructional Technology
Advanced Technology Group, Office of Information Technologies
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Phone: (804) 924-7898  E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Home Page: http://teach.virginia.edu/~lha5w


>I found them confusing and inaccurate. I was hard pressed to see a
>relationship with the form and layout of the maps and the actual site.
>
>[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
>> http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com
>>
>> What do you think of these site maps?  Are they too complicated for the
>> non-technical user?  In your opinion, Is this worth the $1000/year they
>> want to charge for it?
>
>--
>Andrew.T.       (mailto:[log in to unmask])
>
>http://www.millstream.com.au/andrew/spice/index.html

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