The website structure of the University of the Philippines (UP) and its constituent universities (CUs) is crucial for ensuring that its target users (faculty, students, prospective students, and the public) can efficiently navigate the wealth of information contained in the webpages. UP's website architecture may naturally reflect its hierarchy as a multi-campus Higher Education Institution (HEI) with numerous colleges, schools, institutes, departments, and divisions. Our analysis aims to assess how well UP’s websites reflect its institutional hierarchy, from the system level down to individual divisions, and identify any gaps or challenges in user navigation.
Using a combination of free and open source software (FOSS) and homegrown computational tools, our study will map the entire structure of UP’s web presence, examining link hierarchies, internal linking strategies, and navigational paths. We focus on understanding how easily users can move between the UP system homepage, the CUs, and specific colleges, schools, institutes, departments, and divisions. Our analysis will look for potential bottlenecks, such as overly deep structures, broken links, or confusing navigational elements that could hinder the user experience.
Additionally, we will assess the consistency of navigational cues like menus, breadcrumbs, and sitemaps across UP’s websites to ensure a coherent and logical flow of information. Our findings will highlight areas where UP’s digital structure supports seamless navigation and where improvements are needed to enhance usability and accessibility. Our ultimate goal is to provide policy briefs and actionable recommendations to optimize the web structure, ensuring that UP's web effectively mirrors its organizational complexity while providing an intuitive and user-friendly experience for its diverse audience.
Website Crawling and Hierarchical Mapping
Visualizing the Website Structure
Internal Linking and Depth Analysis
Sitemap Analysis
Manual Site Inspection for Hierarchical Integrity
Automated Reports and Visualization
Analysis of Finding and Reporting