Redesign Friends of Oberlin Village Website

Background and Goals:

Friends of Oberlin Village (FOV) is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization with the goal of preserving, honoring, and educating people about the history of Oberlin Village. Oberlin Village is a historical neighborhood in Raleigh that was established in 1866 as an African American reconstruction settlement.

The goal of this project was to evaluate and provide redesign suggestions to the current FOV website based on the specific needs and requirements of FOV for preserving the heritage of Oberlin Village.

Methods

I conducted two research phases to achieve the project goals and develop a holistic view of the problem space.

The first phase was understanding the needs and contextual circumstances of the organization and users. The main steps in this phase included:
- Interview with FOV Executive Director
- Survey with community members (i.e., current website users and potential website users)
The second phase was focused on knowing the current system. To evaluate the usability and user-friendliness of the FOV website, various evaluation methods were used. The main methods used in this process included:
- Website blueprint
- Task analysis
- Heuristic Analysis

Results

Community Survey Results

Demographics:

predominantly white and women; the largest proportions were over 65 years of age and had a master’s degree; A large majority had never been residents of Oberlin Village

People hear about FOV through church
Sense of Community measure
Website Priorities and Purposes
- 1. - - To be a credible repository of information on Oberlin Village (historical and present), and
      - To be a platform for community building and connection.

Task Analysis Results

Goal 1: Conduct Academic Research

2 tasks
- Find the webpage
- Find the resource

Optimized sub-steps: 8 vs. Current website steps: 14 steps

Goal 2: Update on Community News

2 tasks
- Find the webpage
- Find the news

Optimized steps: 11 vs. Current website steps: 16 steps

Heuristic Evaluation Results

Improvements with Top Priority

Clear presentation of the Purpose and Goal of the website
Emphasis on the Core Values of the FOV organization
Enhancing the quality of Navigation
Increasing the Clarity for an Easier Access to the Information

For additional results, please contact xbai23@ncsu.edu

Research Impact

The study revealed the primary aims of the website: (1) to be a credible repository of information on Oberlin Village (historical and present), and (2) to be a platform for community building and connection. Adherence to these aims will guide all future project actions, including design and evaluation of the website prototype. Additionally, examination of the FOV website blueprint as well as the task and heuristics assessments revealed the main usability issues of the current system. From these issues, we have identified four priority changes that will greatly improve the website’s usability: (1) Clarify presentation of the purpose and goal of the website, (2) Emphasize the core values of the FOV organization throughout the website, (3) Enhance the quality of navigation on the website, and (4) Increase clarity of labeling and visual cues for easier access to information on the website.

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