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Communicating Science and Engineering Data in the Information Age (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: Suggestions for Improving the Website
Pages 95-102

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From page 95...
... • The left-side navigation • About NCSES • Other links for contacting NCSES To find the appropriate links for accomplishing major user-identified tasks beyond accessing the report and InfoBrief, users have to scroll "below the fold."2 1 This appendix was prepared by panel member Diane Fournier. 2 The part of a web page that is visible in the web browser window when the page first loads is described as being "above the fold." See The Motive Web Design Glossary, available: http:// www.motive.co.nz [November 2011]
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From page 96...
... page: three different titles are used to describe the NCSES subsite: "Statistics" (National Science Foundation, NSF, tab title) , "Science and Engineering Statistics" (NSF home page)
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From page 97...
... [collapse -] Topics: A to Z Education View Sta Directory Degrees Disabilities Elementary and Secondary Graduate Students International Minorities Postdoctorates Universities and Colleges Women Contact NCSES Federal Government Search NCSES Budget Function Demographics Expenditures Facilities Funding Research and Development Workforce Business and Industry NCSES Publications Funding Geographic Innovation Research and Development Trends Workforce Find a Publication International Science and Engineering Indicators Education Graduate Students Research and Development Workforce Women, Minorities, and Persons Research and De velopment (R&D)
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From page 98...
... Search NSF and NCSES: usability standards suggest that there should only be one search box on a page. It can be confusing for users to have both the site search and the NCSES search boxes on the NCSES landing page.
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From page 99...
... Suggestion: Consider removing the NCSES search box, unless the NSF search engine does not contain NCSES content; consider changing the arrow button of the site search to a larger button that is raised with the word "Search" on it. (This adds affordance by ensuring that a button with round corners makes it look like it is clickable.)
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From page 100...
... Suggestion: Consider changing "Other Links" to "Links to Other Sites." Consider adding an image indicating that users will be leav ing the NSF site if they click on "FedStats." Rotating banner: the banner currently contains three features. It is unclear why these were chosen and how often they remain as features.
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From page 101...
... Also, consider consolidating the data tools into one data table builder or more clearly indicating the differences between them. Suggestion: Consider conducting ethnographic interviews with us ers at their place of work or conduct usability testing with specific tasks to understand user's difficulties when using NCSES tools.
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Key Terms

  • site search
  • engineering statistics
  • ncses search
  • consider removing
  • rotating banner

  • ncses publications
  • search box
  • publication search
  • bring users
  • home page

  • landing page
  • ncses landing
  • nsf search
  • nsf home
  • search engine

  • budget function
  • resources statistics
  • navigational path
  • search option
  • search options

  • data tables
  • content pages
  • subject section
  • contact ncses
  • frequent users

  • web browser
  • search boxes
  • web policies
  • subsite search
  • ncses budget


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