MegaSite Mania

It is very easy for a website like 43 things to become popular today. But the usability of the website actually determines whether the website is worth all the hype. A major deterrent in determining how useful a website is the lack of proper and standardized evaluation criteria. We have no proven or tested method by which we can say that a website is so very useful. But yet, there are some authors who have made certain criteria of their own. These methods are pretty useful in determining the usefulness of a website.

The Jenny Preece Method

Jenny Preece’s book, ‘online communities: Designing stability, supporting sociability’ is a bible as far as online communities are concerned. This book has some pretty good ways to test the usability of a site. It has a separate section of usability guidelines set for every social networking website. So when ‘43 things’ was evaluated according to the guidelines set in the website, it came out with flying colors. There are certain areas of the website which need to be developed further, but then over all it scores pretty well.

The Usability

The site is almost synonymous with the guidelines listed in the book. The consistency of the website is one area which needs a special mention. Almost all the functions of the website focus on the same parameters. So once you learn the basic functions, the other functions are all easy to master. However, one area that needs more development is the HELP section. The website just has an FAQ section which has very limited or no information on the most important functions of the website like adding entries, commenting, cheering etc. In fact finding information on cheering and teammates is extremely difficult on the website. There are certain areas which need more development as accessibility is concerned.

User friendly

The website is extremely user friendly and innovative. They are greeted with information about various areas of the website. This enables them to experience the different areas first hand. Users can list 43 things about the website that they have issues with. This is not only a healthy way of receiving feedback but also sticks to the core function of the website which is listing 43 things. Receiving feedback is one thing and implementing it and bringing about changes is another. The website actually has implemented a lot of the user suggestions. All this is about the current section of the website. The next section will be much more developed and will concentrate a lot more on the sociability factor. It is said that it will take sociability to an all new level.