Benefits Of User Participation Design Of Websites

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter entails the basis of the area of research which includes the terms of reference, rationale, research question, objectives, approach, scope, ethics followed by the structure of the study.

Terms of Reference

The research will focus on the ways in which the website design can be improved using open source software’s such as Drupal, Wordpress, and Joomla etc. Which are increasingly becoming popular tools for the development of websites (Coombs, 2009;Corlosquet et al., 2009; Erdmann, 2010). Drupal is increasingly becoming popular, as it is a free to use open source software (Shi, 2010), which allows the users to have a significant deal of flexibility in the design and implementation of websites (Becker,2010; Beldiman and Canepa, 2009; Nurminen et al., 2008). Website design is increasingly becoming more important (Vila and Kuster, 2011; Whitten et al., 2011), as organizations seek to use websites to generate new users, and attract customers to their website (Chevalier, 2007; Hamid, 2008). The ability of the different stakeholder in the design of the website is also important, as they can influence decisions (Van Horn, 2001; Agosto, 2004; Rosen and Purinton, 2004) that an organization can undertake regarding the importance of the website (Silverman et al., 2001; Sisson et al., 2010; Tan and Wei, 2006). This research will aim to explore the main factors which can influence the design of websites using open source software's, and the problems which are encountered during this design process in a various organisations. This study is of particular value, as it allows us to examine the unique challenges which design of website through open source software is undertaken in various environments, and therefore a valid topic for the study.

Rationale

The purpose of this research is to investigate issues that users and managers face in website design using open source software. Websites have become important in businesses, companies, shops and many more. Organisations nowadays all have websites and mostly they communicate with their respective stakeholders or customers through it. These websites are designed mostly using open source tools which are widely used these days (Coombs, 2009; Corlosquet et al., 2009). This dissertation also intends to find out how these problems could be tackled by the various managements who are in charge of the design.

Research Question

A research question has been developed based on an initial study of the issues surrounding the design of websites using open source software:

Is user participation and communication the key factor in influencing effective website design?

Objectives

A number of main objectives have been identified as part of this research. These objectives are:

Identify which factors can be affected by user participation.

Identify ways to improve the design approaches in open source websites.

Identify how to enhance the customer communication in the design of websites.

Investigate the ways in which the role of management can be improved in the design process of the open source website design.

Recommend a participatory approach for the design of websites.

Approach

This study will be based on a quantitative methods study (Neuman, 1994; Morris, 2008; John, 2008), which will use primary data collection regarding the use and design of websites using open source software and ensure that the research is generalizable. The study will be designed using:

Quantitative Survey

Initially, a quantitative survey will be given to the end users, and they will be investigated regarding the main issues they have regarding the design of the website, and their particular requirements.

Scope and Definition

Context of Study

The study will be based within the tradition of computer sciences and economics, with a mixture of perspectives to gain more insight into the design process.

Topic Definition

The topic has been structured within the examination of the website design using open source software.

Set Scope

The study will consider the main issues which users face. However, the study will not be dealing with the issues of expert users, but rather focus on the design and user needs of new users only.

Ethics

This dissertation would stick to The Northampton business school (NBS) code of ethics. (See appendices)

Link to project

This dissertation is based on website design and it is linked to a project. The project is to build a website for a client called Chesham house. Chesham is a business centre based in Kettering; it offers various types of services such as business support, office spaces for rent, training and meeting rooms for hire.

It is supported by the Northampton business school (NBS), Kettering borough council and some other organisation.

Structure

The study will be organised in five chapters. Chapter one introduces the research topic, the terms of reference, research question and objectives. Chapter two will be the literature review for the study; it will look at website design issues, consumer expectations and participation, open source issues and analyses the issues of novice users followed by a look at benefits of user participation. Chapter three will contain the methodology applied to approach the research which is a quantitative method by means of a structured questionnaire while chapter four will make analysis of the findings where the main issues raised for the study will be examined. The conclusion and recommendations will be presented in chapter five.

Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

The increase in the use of websites has increasingly been more significant. This means that the design of the new systems is an important issue for managers and IT staffs as websites are becoming a central element to the businesses. Websites are not designed by the experts in some cases, as they need to ensure that the design is done within the proper guidance of a methodology or development techniques such as following conventional design templates. This is an important matter as the use of the open source software often comes without proper support and design mechanisms. This review of literature has been structured in the following manner: The first section will look at the design issues, and the ways in which website design has become increasingly complicated. The second section examines the customer expectation with website design, and the ways in which the different components of websites now influence the ways in which the customers use the website. The next section examines the open source issues, and the way in which it facilitates and inhibits the design of websites by amateurs. Finally the last section examines the particular issues of the novice users, and the way in which this may influence website design followed by an examination of the importance of participation.

2.1 Website Design

Website design issues have been a particular concern for the managers and website designers, as the importance of the websites have increased in the last two decades (Agosto, 2004; Bhatnagar et al., 2000; Bridges and Florsheim, 2008). The online experience which the users get from the use of the website is an important consideration, as it is an important feature in the way that the different stakeholders are able to see the website, and understand the visual direction of the site (Green and Pearson, 2011 , Pretorius and Calitz, 2012 , Stewart, 2012). Website design has been progressing considerably as the different aesthetic sense of the consumer, if getting between and a complex structure of websites is increasing. A main factor for the design of a website is that the different stakeholders need to be sure about the objectives of the website design (Green and Pearson, 2011; Pretorius and Calitz, 2012; Stewart, 2012). The increase in the e-commerce models also often means that the different websites have to be integrated in a manner where the different stakeholders (Guo and Yan, 2010; Papanicolaou and Heckel, 2010; Teixeira et al., 2011) can ensure that their best possible design stricture can be followed (Green and Pearson, 2011; Pretorius and Calitz, 2012; Stewart, 2012). The design of the websites has changed as the abilities of designers and the technologies have also improved. This is in particular a problem for the managers, as they need to take into account the issues which are significant for the customers in order to improve the design of the website (Vila and Kuster, 2011; Whitten et al., 2011). The involvement of novice users often means that they need better guidance and support, which can ensure that they are able to manage all the different aspects of the design, which is not their specialty.

Other factors in the design of the usability of the website are also considerable for the web designers. Any website needs to be designed in a manner which is easily usable to the target consumers, and needs to be understandable. Another factor which has influenced the usability of the websites is the use of advanced techniques (Guo and Yan, 2010; Papanicolaou and Heckel, 2010; Teixeira et al., 2011).This particular technique is especially useful, as it allows different stakeholders to understand the design and not learn new ways of using the website (Maguire, 2011; Plesea et al., 2011; Stratton et al., 2011). The common design elements are central to the way in which the design of a website can be used (Plesea et al., 2011; Visser and Weideman, 2011). The ability to understand the design is also linked to the numerous ways in which they can reach the same object, and therefore allows the users to be adapting the systems that they use accordingly.

It is also important for the different stakeholders to make sure that their participation can be ensured (Lee and Li, 2011; Cuddihy and Spyridakis, 2012; Westerman et al., 2012), in an effort to improve the design of the websites. For most of the companies they need to ensure that their ability to deal with the different problems can be improved which can also ensure that the online ability of the different websites can also be improved. If the different stakeholders are able to develop their websites accordingly, then the design can be improved (Lee and Li, 2011; Cuddihy and Spyridakis, 2012; Westerman et al., 2012). An objective for the different designers in increasing the ability of the website is to ensure that not only is the usability of the website increased, but also that the different stakeholders can increase their usage of the website (Plesea et al., 2011; Visser and Weideman, 2011).

2.2 Consumer Expectations and Participation

Another concern which has been highlighted by the different stakeholders is in relation to the way in which a website manages the expectations of the customers. In this relation, an important issue is that the customers need to have a clear mandate about their expectations, and therefore need to evaluate the different ways in which they will be able to gather and use the information on the website (Karimov et al., 2011; Maguire, 2011). User participation especially has been highlighted as one of the main factors which has influenced the use of the different websites, and therefore is an important consideration for the web designers around the world (Tuch et al., 2010; Cuddihy and Spyridakis, 2012). Another factor which has been highlighted is that the different web designers need to take into account the needs of the user and the conflicts which can arise because of these conflicts (Tuch et al., 2010; Lee and Li, 2011; Brown and Pullar, 2012).

The importance of user participation is also significant, as the different stakeholders need to evaluate the usefulness of the website, leading to a reduction in the resistance to the design of a website (Lee and Gretzel, 2012; Thompson et al., 2012). The evidence from research suggests that the importance of the user cannot be ignored, as they are the ultimate users of the website, and therefore need to be taken into account (Lee and Gretzel, 2012; Thompson et al., 2012). The importance of the user expectations and participation is also highlighted by the fact that in most cases, where the users are part of the development process, the website design is considered to be highly successful, and therefore does not need change (Tuch et al., 2010; Lee and Li, 2011; Brown and Pullar, 2012). This is also important as the different stakeholders and users are able to relate with the needs of the website design in their everyday use, and therefore the communication between the designers and the users is also improved (Franck and Noble, 2007; Cyr et al., 2009; Cuddihy and Spyridakis, 2012). The problems which are related to the novice users in the design process is that they need to be guided and their requirements can only be best understood through the development of prototypes.

The participation of the user is very significant as it can allow the different users to not only develop a new way of improving their ability to use the websites in a proper manner, but also allows them to deliver a more robust and accurate website. A significant advantage of the user participation is that the different customers can understand the needs of the website, and are willing to compromise on a number of issues where the expenses can be reduced (Stevens et al., 2008). In this regard, a distinguishing feature of the website needs to be in relation to the way in which the participation of the customers can make the website more appealing to the wider community (Stevens et al., 2008). The need for the different stakeholders to use the different technologies in a prudent manner is a very important aspect of new websites design, as the new technologies being used by the different websites need to be understood by the customer in order for the website to be successful (Stevens et al., 2008).

2.3 Open Source Issues

A unique problem which has been identified in the use of the systems within the open source movement is the lack of customer support for the software (Erdmann, 2010; Gandara and da Silva, 2010). Many of the design considerations for open source systems are significantly different from the traditional website and systems design (Yeh and Yang, 2008; Barcellini et al., 2009; Apostolakos et al., 2010). In most cases, the open source movement relies on the technical ability of the user to support themselves, in order for the system to improve (Han et al., 2009; Magrassi, 2010; Renard et al., 2010). The software needs to be designed in a way where the different components can work together, and can be synchronized with a number of different technologies (Syed-Mohamad et al., 2010; Zhao et al., 2010). In this regard, the open source movement, and the different technologies which are used are normally not considered to be suitable for novice users (Syed-Mohamad et al., 2010; Zhao et al., 2010).

The technical expertise of the different users also needs to be understood in order for their participation to be of any meaningful use (Raza et al., 2012b; Raza et al., 2012a). The user perception about the use of the open source software is also generally negative, as many of the users are apprehensive about the stability of the systems, and a lack of formal support to help them when they do not understand the development of a new systems (Raza et al., 2012b; Raza et al., 2012a). Another major component for the implementation of open source websites design is that the in many cases the lack of participation of the user in the design phase due to a number of apprehensions can then lead to systems being developed which were not needed, or without the accurate specifications being understood by the web designers or the facilitators (Raza et al., 2012b; Raza et al., 2012a).

In theory, the use of the open source software is significantly helpful, as the design of the open source software can be changed with minimal costs. However, the research and data from empirical studies suggests that in reality, the use of the open source software's for the design of websites tends to be cumbersome (Raza et al., 2012b; Raza et al., 2012a). This is partly due to the ignorance of the user, but also because many of the open source software's are not designed in a comprehensive manner, and do not support the user in a way that they need (Chen, 2011; Raza et al., 2012b). One way in which researchers have improved the use of the open source software is that they are used in cooperation with the purchased formal software's, which can solve many of the issues that the users may have. Another method is for the users to be supported by a highly flexible and technical team, which can allow the users to experiment without any fear. However, the participation of the user is normally dependent on the way that the senior management are able to define and clarify the use of the different software’s and their impact on the end-user.

2.4 Novice User and Website Design

The website design also has a number of particular concerns with the type of user, and its influence on the different elements of the design phase (Agosto, 2004; Tan and Wei, 2006; Franck and Noble, 2007). One of the concerns which many of the users face is regarding the ability of the users to understand technology. In many sectors, the design of the systems have not been evaluated at any length (Hua and Gong, 2011). However, the literature does examine the way in which novice users are able to design the websites and other related systems. The interaction between the novice user and the system developer in this relation has been well documented (Chevalier, 2007). One of the main difficulties which the novice user faces regarding the understanding of the website design is when understanding what the user really wants from a website is unclear. A challenge for the users is to understand the long term needs of the website design, which cannot be taken into consideration (Chevalier, 2007). However in the case of new users, the user design needs to be assured and understood even more, as they are not sure about their needs, and therefore it can be difficult for the different stakeholders to understand the wider needs of the users (Hua and Gong, 2011).

Another problem which the novice users face is with the way in which they can trust the designers. Due to the differences in the areas of the user and the designer or initiator of large projects, the lack of trust sometimes also becomes a major problem for the design of new websites (Luh and Chang, 2009; Medhi et al., 2011). The novice user does not understand the possibilities of the technology, as this is not their field and therefore the development taken by the novice user is often limited to certain areas (Luh and Chang, 2009; Medhi et al., 2011). The effort for the designers to improve the ability of the novice user is also significant as the website design through their participation has a potential to be much better as compared to that done without their help (Luh and Chang, 2009; Medhi et al., 2011).

2.5 Benefits of User Participation in Design of Websites

Although the literature so far has highlighted the limitations and problems assisted with the design of open source software during website development, a number of advantages can generally also be associated with the user participation (Teixeira et al., 2011, Brown and Pullar, 2012). The research shows that whenever the user is part of the design team, the results are generally more positive in system development, as the concerns of the user are also minimized. This can often lead to a number of advantages for managers. The participatory approach often means that the resistance to change during the implementation and acceptance of the technology is minimised, and therefore the different users are able to develop systems which are exactly as needed by the organisation (Butler et al., 2008, Chen, 2009, Siozos et al., 2009).

Another major advantage of the design of the software’s by the user is that they are better able to assess the feasibility of new technologies. This is due to their expertise in the domain, as they deal with this particular business as a matter of fact (Luh and Chang, 2009, Medhi et al., 2011). The design considerations are also taken into account ensuring that a value for money approach is taken into implementation of new technologies. Such an approach ensures that the different technologies are only adopted once they are the best possible solution for the company and therefore can be implemented in a proper manner (Luh and Chang, 2009, Medhi et al., 2011).

2.6 Concluding Remarks

A number of significant conclusions and gaps in the research can be identified as part of this short review of literature. It appears that although research has been undertaken on the design of websites, there is limited search on the way in which open source software’s can be used effectively.

Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter will give the research methods used in this study. It will show the research design, approach, ethics, sample selection and method of data analysis.

3.1 Research design

The research is directed at highlighting issues involved in website design and that user participation is a key factor in the design of new websites. It will be conducted in a general context and will be focused on finding a solution of encouraging user participation in designing of websites. The data collected is analysed quantitatively by using excel and descriptive statistics is used to analyse the responses.

3.2 Approach

The use of the different approaches to explain the ways in which the methods are selected is central to the success of any research. This research will use questionnaires to examine the issues relevant to the research. The use of quantitative methods only has a number of advantages for the researcher. This is in particular an important subject for any researcher, which enables the researcher to understand problems in relation to the way in which research is carried out (Hammersley, 1989, Hsiu-Fang and Sarah E, 2005).

3.2.1 Quantitative data

The collection of quantitative data has been selected after detailed analysis of the problem area. One of the problems which need to be addressed is that the researcher needs to ensure that they can examine the different problems on the basis of the data collected. One of the main reasons for collecting the quantitative data is that the bias of the researcher is reduced, which can lead to many of the positive aspects of the research (Miles and Humerman, 1994). The main positive element of the collection of the data in number format is that it enables a larger data set to be collected, which ensures that the results which are collected are of the highest quality, and therefore can be used for the generalizability (Miles and Humerman, 1994). A difficulty which is faced by the collection of the quantitative data is that it is highly dependent on the interpretation of the researcher. This is also highly important as the researcher needs to ensure that the data collected is relevant to the topic area and can be used in an appropriate manner (Miles and Humerman, 1994). The use of the quantitative methods is also highly desirable as it puts fewer constraints on the users, and less logistical issues are involved with the collection of the data (Miles and Humerman, 1994). The data collection is also important as the different topic areas need to be understood within their wider context, and the constraints on the collection are reduced. The analysis of the quantitative data is also highly desirable, as it allows the different stakeholders to not only understand the ways in which the data is used by the stakeholders.

3.2.2 Structured questionnaire

Structured questionnaire is a questionnaire used in large scale surveys where the specific answer is anticipated, they include use of multiple choice and scale questions. Structured questionnaire have a number of advantages. One of the advantages of using the structured questionnaire is that the data collected is not open to interpretation by the users (Miles and Humerman, 1994). Also it limits the different interpretations of the data, and the results are always the same and not open to personal interpretations. The analysis of the data is highly easy to deal with and therefore the data which is collected is from a number of sources. Another positive element of the collection of the structured questionnaires is that it is not subject to the interpretation of the researcher, and therefore the results are much more valid in comparison with the quantitative data. However, the literature also identifies a number of limitations. One of the limitation of the quantitative data is that the interpretation of the researcher with the informant are limited, this means that the interpretative research is not possible, which leads to a number of problems for the researcher (Miles and Humerman, 1994). However, in this case, the researcher will be using a number of different ways of ensuring the validity of the research. For example, secondary data from the published sources is used, which can ensure that the different sources, increasing the validity of the research. The research is also valid as it ensures that the problems associated with quantitative methods can be addressed.

3.3 Ethics

The ethical issues are some of the most important issues for the development of the research. One of the ethical issues is the consent of the informants. All informants will be chosen to ensure that they can withdraw from the research at any time (Miles and Humerman, 1994). The informants will also be given all the relevant information to ensure that they are under no pressure to take part in the research. This will ensure that the informant cannot be forced to take part in the research.

3.4 Sample selection

The selection of the sample will be undertaken in a way where the most appropriate sample will be selected to ensure that the research is undertaken in the most robust manner. Many informants will be self-selected, to ensure that only respondents who are willing to participate in examining the website design are chosen. A total of about 42 respondents participated in the online questionnaire survey, with a response rate of that it is significantly high for such social sciences research projects.

3.5 Method of data analysis

An analysis of the data will be shown in details in chapter 4 (analysis) of this dissertation. It will comprise of the details and information relating to the study done and will clarify it in an understandable manner for the reader. The data will be gathered through the primary study conducted to provide a conclusion to the research area.

Microsoft 2010 excel work sheet was used to design bar charts that represents the demographics of the respondents. Descriptive statistics was used for the analysis of the results.

Chapter 4

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

This section is based on analysing the significant factors that influence the design of the websites. Particularly, this research project aim at investigating managerial issues and issues that are linked to the end user, at the time of design of websites. The researcher has focused on gathering data via questionnaires. An online survey was conducted among students from various places; among them are some managers and end users. About 42 responses were gathered and were used in the analysis by the researcher. The most important questions are 3, 4, 5 and 6; the analysis of the data was undertaken by showing all the data items in the form of a chart, which helps in easy interpretation of the data. The analysis of the results that were gathered by researcher made use of likert scale is as follows:

4.1 Analysis of Questionnaire Results

Question #1

Figure 1

The first question was about the age of the various users and managers involved in the design of websites, 88.1% (37) of them are between the ages of 22-35, 7.14% (3) are between ages 17-21, 4.76% (2) ages 36-50, none under the age of 18 and also none over the age of 50. This shows that most of the respondents that answered the questionnaires are users and managers who are between 22-35 years of age.

Question #2

Figure 2

Among the 42 respondents that participated, 85.71% (36) of them were males and the rest 14.29% (6) were females.

Question # 3

Figure 3

The third question that was asked was about the importance of user participation in the design of websites. This survey was done among both the managers and the end users of the website. Majority of the respondents were of the view that user participation is a significant element at the time of website development. The statistics reveal 52.38% (22) of respondents strongly agreed with the user involvement in website design. 33.33% (14) of the respondents agreed that user participation is significant, 9.52% (4) of the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with it, 4.76% (2) disagreed and none strongly disagreed with importance of user involvement in website design.

Question # 4

Figure 4

Fourth question that was asked to the respondents was regarding the link between absence of user involvement and its impact on implementation of websites and systems. It was observed that 57.14% (24) of the respondents strongly agreed to the fact that ignoring the user involvement at the time of website design has later implications at the time of implementation and design of the system. 28.57% (12) agreed that without user involvement there will be problems at the time of design and implementation phase, 11.90% (5) of the participants neither agreed nor disagreed and 2.38% (1) disagreed. It was observed by the researcher that none of the respondents strongly disagreed with the fact that user involvement was imperative, leading to implementation problems. This observation by the researcher is close to reality because once any system or website is developed without involvement of users, such a system will always be resisted by the user. The reason for resistance to adoption is that the system or website developed might not be according to the requirements of the end users.

Question # 5

Figure 5

Communication has been argued to be one of the best ways of overcoming any problem at hand. The available literature has always contended that there is a need for free and informal communication that takes place between the end users and the managers or developers of the website. There are a number of reasons for having communication between the users and developers. One of the foremost reasons involves the opportunity for developers to understand user requirements right at the beginning of the system development. Once a system or software is developed according to particular specifications, it is virtually impossible to change the whole software. Therefore, in order to have a system that is aligned with user requirements and needs, communication is imperative. The data that was gathered by the researcher showed that 46.34% (19) of individuals strongly agreed that free communication with users is one of the best ways of bringing further improvements in the website, 21.95% (9) of the respondents agreed that communication was imperative for improving the website design, 17.07% (7) respondents neither agreed nor disagreed. However, only 7.32% (3) of the respondents disagreed and also 7.32% (3) strongly disagreed with the strategy of free communication for bringing any improvements in the website design.

Question # 6

Figure 6

Sixth question that was asked by the researcher aimed at understanding the ways in which communication among the managers, the end users and the developers of the systems can be further improved. However, it was observed by the researcher that most respondents were of the view that factors such as communication and user involvement were of highly important for bringing an improvement in the website design. Therefore, this question was aimed at exploring the mechanisms and the ways in which user participation and communication can be improved among the parties involved (such as website developer, managers and the end users). The results that were gathered for this question were interesting. It was observed that most of the respondents were for the fact that communication was one of the biggest elements in bringing further improvements in the website design. Furthermore, it was stressed that having better communication systems were imperative for having a clear communication pattern. This implies that there needs to have formal and clear mechanisms of communication. Having formal mechanisms of communication are imperative because having formal procedures of communication will involve keeping record of the communication pattern, which allow the investigator to identify the most important party that needs to be involved in the whole process of communication.

Statistics show that 50% (21) of the respondents were of the view that having clears mechanisms and better communication systems was required to improve user participation and communication, 16.67% (7) of them were of the view that user participation and communication can be improved by prototyping the system, only 4.76% (2) of the individuals believe that informal approach to design was imperative for improved user participation and communication. Whereas, 23.81% (10) of ticked the option that all the factors such as having better communication systems, prototyping the systems and informal approach to design was required in order to improve the user participation and communication between the parties that come in direct or indirect contact with the system of website and 4.76% (2) were of the view that none of the above can improve them.

Question #7

Figure 7

This question talks about how management can help in the improving user roles in the design of effective websites. According to the respondents, 39.02% (16) agreed yes that management role being positive is a factor which will improve the role of user in the design, 36.59% (15) strongly agreed that this is true, 14.63% (6) neither agreed nor disagree, 4.88% (2) disagree and 4.88% (2) totally disagree.

Question #8

Figure 8

The last question is about the management trying to adopt a system where by user participation should be listed as a top priority during the design of websites. From the responses by the respondents, 47.62% (20) strongly agree that user participation should be a priority of management to improve the design, 37.51% (15) agreed to that, 11.90% (5) neither agreed nor disagree, 2.38% (1) disagree and also 2.38% (1) answered strongly disagree.

Chapter 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion

The domain of website design has gained paramount importance in this digital economy. Organizations continue to sue websites to gain competitive advantage, as increasingly consumers see the website as the main contact point with many companies. Also, the importance of the design of the website is significant, as the customers also need to ensure that they have a clear link with the company. The companies continually aim to reduce their costs, and therefore a participatory approach to the design of the websites is vital to the success of the different system. A number of academics researches have contended that the design of the website or any system is of significant importance. Developing and maintaining websites and systems in various sectors is a challenging task because there are many users related and technical issues that are faced by the managers of businesses. The open source software development becomes a challenging job because such a system does not come with user manuals and user support software. Therefore it has been concluded that issues such as user involvement, user requirements and website design are of growing importance.

User participation is one of the foremost important factors that have been concluded to have an impact on the success of the design of the website. User participation means that different stakeholders that come in contact with the website have input in developing their own software. This will not only reduce the resistance to accept such a website or software but it will be developed exactly to the needs of the users. The participation of the users in the design of the websites has also been stressed as being highly important due to a number of other reasons. The users of the system have the best and first-hand knowledge regarding the system, and therefore the users are able to advise the designers or the developers of the systems in the best possible manner. This not only ensures that the users are involved, but that they can change the businesses processes according to the needs of the system, and also suggest changes which the developer or an external consultant may not know due to the complexities of the business processes.

Available literature on open source website design has stressed the need for considering user expectations. Synonymous to literature finding, this project also concludes that there is a need to have an understanding of what the customers expects of the website. In order to translate one’s expectations, it is important the customers have complete and valid information about what their expectations are, along with the purpose that they will use the website for. Every party involved in the development of open source software has a duty to consider the user requirements and user expectations from different websites and different software. One of the main reasons that user participation has been given so much important in software development is the acceptance of the software. In most cases software’s are prone to changes because user expectations are not integrated into the system.

One of the prime conclusion that has been drawn stresses that the parties having most importance of website design include managers and website developers and users. The design features of the website are worth consideration due to the fact that the website is something that all the stakeholders, such as users, customers and managers come in contact with each other. It has therefore been concluded by the researcher that spending time on the layout and aesthetics of the website is central to the success of the business. Issues such as layout and structure of the website are also considered as important issues at the time of development of the website. If the website is so complex and difficult to navigate and understand, the users of the website will be less and that is directly linked to the failure of the website design. Another conclusion of this research is to keep track of what the customers expect of system and website. The problem that is faced by the managers is that some users are not skilled and equipped enough to have the technical knowhow of what design features of the website should be. The skill level of the users is also questionable, as the different users need to ensure that they can have a clear level of authority and responsibility, and can therefore use the system accordingly.

Also, usability and functionality of the website are critical for the success of businesses. Therefore it has been concluded that usability of the website is important it should be so simple in terms of navigation and functioning that users find it easy to surf the website. It has been highlighted that it is imperative that website is easy to navigate so that customers and stakeholders can understand the features of the website. Secondly, functionality is vital for expectation from the website. If a website has been developed in such a way that does not carry out intended functions that are expected of the website or the system, such a system is of no use.

There is sufficient evidence from the past research that software’s or websites that have been developed with the help of user participation are least likely to fail because customers and end-users know what the software does and that all their expectations are fulfilled by the website. In cases where the users are not involved in the development of the website or software, the only way that has been concluded to result in a better and accepted software is through better communication mechanism. It is stressed by the researcher that merely having communication between the developers and users is not sufficient but there is an increased need for having formal mechanisms of communication. In other words there needs to be a record of communication patterns ensuring what communication has taken place between particular parties. However, the communication mechanism alone cannot lead to large scale changes for the organizations, and therefore more and improved methods are needed which can ensure the proper requirements definition of the websites. Without the clarity of the requirements, it is difficult for the different users to accept the changes in the system. The clear requirements also ensure that all parties are protected by written agreements and any problems later on do not get to be large scale disputes. This not only facilitates the process through which the different systems are generated, but also ensures that the different participants of the system are able to have a clear level; of responsibility, which can lead to the smooth design and implementation of websites.

5.2 Recommendations

Some recommendations can also be highlighted for this research

Firstly, there is a need for website developers and end users to integrate the needs of all the involved parties so that such a system can cater to the needs of all. If systems are developed according to a few stakeholders, the implications propagate to the grass root level.

Also it is possible that website development requires high expenses; therefore if users are involved in the very early phase of the website development, it is possible that different users compromise on a few of the functions leading to the reduction in cost of development. Therefore management should ensure that users are involved in all the stages of the design.

Communication is one of the basic elements of a good website. It is essential for a positive user experience and for a successful website that truly profits its owners. All types of websites are affected by the need for good communication in one way or another; therefore web designers should ensure they discuss with the owners and users effectively and make sure that the website is very clear, there should not be too much content, it should be brief so that the users will not be confused or bored of reading when using it.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Research Questionnaire

This research survey has been designed to evaluate the issues of user participation in the design of websites. All data collected will be used for research purpose only. Please circle one option only, and your detailed answers will be appreciated in open-ended questions.

Q1: What is your age range?

Under 18

17-21

22-35

36-50

50+

Q2: What is your sex?

M F

Q3: Participation of the user is the most important element in the design of a website.

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Q4: Ignoring the participation of users leads to more problems in the design and implementation of new websites and systems.

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Q5: Open and informal communication is one of the best ways of improving the design of a website

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Q6: User participation and communication can be improved by:

Better communication

Prototyping the system

Informal approach to design

All of the above

None of the above

Q7: The positive role of management is one of the main factors in improving the role of the user in the design of the websites

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Q8: User participation should be one of the priorities of management to improve design of websites

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Appendix 2 Results

Respondents

Questions

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

1

3

4

4

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

3

3

3

3

2

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

F

F

M

M

M

3

5

4

5

3

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

4

5

4

4

5

5

3

5

3

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

5

4

5

5

5

4

5

5

4

5

4

5

5

4

3

 -

4

3

5

5

3

4

5

3

5

4

5

4

4

5

4

5

1

5

6

1

4

4

4

1

1

1

4

4

1

2

4

2

1

2

1

2

1

4

2

1

7

3

2

 -

5

1

5

4

4

1

4

5

4

3

5

4

4

5

4

5

3

4

8

5

4

5

5

4

3

5

5

5

4

4

4

5

3

4

5

5

4

3

5

5

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

3

2

3

3

3

3

3

M

M

M

M

M

M

M

F

M

M

M

F

M

F

M

M

M

F

M

M

M

5

4

5

5

4

4

4

5

5

2

5

2

3

4

4

4

5

4

5

4

5

3

4

5

5

5

5

3

5

3

4

5

3

5

5

5

4

4

3

5

2

4

5

2

5

5

5

4

4

5

5

5

5

5

2

5

5

3

2

3

5

1

1

1

4

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

4

1

5

1

1

1

4

1

1

2

3

5

3

4

5

5

4

5

2

4

4

5

4

5

3

5

5

4

5

4

4

4

5

5

4

4

4

4

4

5

5

5

3

5

2

5

4

4

4

5

3

1

1

5

Appendix 3: Northampton Business School Ethics form

This document is to be used by all NBS students or staff undertaking research. Students must submit this form with their research proposal as instructed by their lecturers. Staff needing approval for staff research need to submit it to Dr Simon Denny, Associate Dean : Research and Knowledge Transfer. Completed forms must be filed with the relevant student/staff records.

1. Project title:

2. Course of study:

3. Student number

Or if staff, name:

I have read and agree to adhere to the NBS Research Ethics Procedure and the Guidance on Ethics for Researchers

4. Supervisors’ names:

5. Use of human participants: Tick one of the following:

I am using human participants.

I am using archival data where individuals are identifiable

I am not using human participants or data where individuals are identifiable and therefore do not need to complete the remainder of this form.

6. Participants: Tick the box which most accurately describes your sample:

Children under 16 years

16-18 year olds

Adults over 65 years old

Members of the public (general)

Members of the public (specific such as teachers, students etc, – describe here: ………………….)

Members of vulnerable groups (frail elderly, recently bereaved, members of support groups – describe here :……………..……...)

Other. If other, describe your sample here:

7. Issues for concern: Tick below any issue that relates to this research.

Involves participants undertaking tasks they would not normally undertake

Involves any activity that might be described as an ‘invasion of privacy’

Involves deception

Involves a topic that would be considered ‘sensitive’

Involves the collection of data that is not anonymised (contains identifying information such as name and address)

Other. If other, describe here:

8. Methodology: Tick the appropriate box. Full details of what you will do and where it will happen, should be provided in the accompanying Proposal.

Questionnaires

Interviews

Experiments

Observations

Archival

Other. If other, state here:

9. Recruitment Process. Tick the process that best describes how you plan to recruit participants. Full details of how you will recruit and where it will happen, should be provided in the accompanying Proposal.

Via poster in a public place such as a library or community centre

‘Packs’ will be provided to named person in an organisation/group to be distributed on my behalf

Asking personal contacts to pass my information packs to their contacts

Will be asking friends/family

Cold calling

Other. If other, state here:

10. Recruitment material. Tick all the recruitment material you will be using. They must not be used until seen and approved by your supervisor.

Recruitment poster

Recruitment letter to named person in an organisation/group who will be distributing ‘Packs’ on your behalf

Recruitment letter to potential participants

Participant Information Sheet

Consent form

Other. If other, state here:

11. Risk assessment: Some projects will require risk assessment for participants and/or researchers. In other words, there is a possibility that participants and/or researchers will get hurt collecting data. If so, a risk assessment must be conducted. Tick the appropriate box below concerning your need for risk assessment.

There is no risk of injury to participants and/or researchers, so no risk assessment will be conducted.

There is a potential of injury to participants and/or researchers, so risk assessment has been (or will be) conducted.

Part B To be completed by staff:

Comments:

Date considered by Ethics Committee

Proposal to be returned to Ethics Committee Yes [ ] No [ ]

Signed on behalf of Ethics Committee

Tick which of the following needs to be developed. Supervisor to sign off once satisfied

Is needed

Final copy seen and approved by supervisor

Recruitment poster

Recruitment letter to individuals

Recruitment letter to organisation

Participant Information Sheet

Consent form

Other:

NBS Ethics Form 220207

Appendix 4: List of figures

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8