This post will will discuss my evaluation of the pac-12.com website. The areas in which the website will be evaluated include: ease of accessibility, ease of navigation, use of interactivity, use of video, and quality of content.
Ease of Accessibility
When looking at accessibility of the Pac-12 Conference website, I was looking for the website to provide tools and technologies that would allow all people, young, old, inexperienced internet users, and users with disabilities to access the content they are looking for. On the pac-12.com website users are able to access articles, videos, and the latest up-to-date news pertaining to athletics in the conference. They can easily narrow their search down to and individual player on any team that is a member of the Pac-12.
Some issues arise when looking at the accessibility for all peoples on this website. First, I was unable to figure out how to get closed captioning on any of the videos that were on the website. A script from the video was also not available. If you were hard of hearing you would just be able to watch the video and not get the entire content of the information. Second, there is not a voice command option on the website. Like most smart TV’s today, you are able to use your voice to get to a show or movie that you would like to watch. That option is not available for those you are unable to type or navigate a mouse when on the website. For “most” users you have the ability to perceive, understand, and navigate the Pac-12 Conference website. However, it lacks the accessibility of interacting with the site. There isn’t a place where a user can leave comments, or ask questions/communicate with someone behind the website. This seems appropriate, because of the type of website it is. It hosts an entire conference of colleges and teams, rather than one individual college or team. It may help the conferences brand if they would provide some sort of interactive capability with its users though.
The Pac-12 website does have a link that provides you contact information if you are having accessibility issues with the site. It is located in the footer of the website.
Ease of Navigation
The ease of navigation for a website may be the most important aspect to consider when trying to provide a successful website. If users are unable to get to where they want to go, frustration will set in. They will find their information elsewhere. Making sure all of your pages work, having a navigation bar, a side bar, search bar, and a footer for starters.
For this category the Pac-12 website seems to meet all of the criteria of easy navigation. The visual aesthetics do not get in the way of the ease of navigation of the Pac-12 website. The website contains a navigation bar, side bar, search bar, and footer that allows users to access everything Pac-12 related. Near the footer is an area to sign up to receive emails that provide fans with up-to-date news pertaining to the conference. They also have a link to click on which allows you to download the Pac-12 app to your smart phone. The swiftness of getting from page to page is also a great feature that this website contains. Everything loads quickly, and when you push the back button it takes you back the exact spot you were prior. Unlike some websites that return you to the top of the page when you hit the back button. That may be one of my biggest pet peeves when on a site.
Use of Interactivity
Use of interactivity means that users are able to communicate or interact with the people behind the website. If a website has this ability it will allow users to pose questions or leave comments/replies to the people running the site. This allows the website to be more entertaining, and possibly a more effective and efficient way to interact with their patrons.
The Pac-12 site does not provide this service to its users. As stated above, you may sign up for email alerts, and download the app on your smartphone, but actually communicating with others on the site is not available. This is an oversight in my opinion, because the Pac-12 conference is missing an opportunity to connect with their fans on a personal level.
Use of Video
The use of videos on your site have become vital in staying current and successful in the website game. In a world where we require instant gratification, videos have overtaken reading. YouTube has proven that time and again. How many time have you “YouTubed” something to figure out how to complete a task? Videos are fast and convenient, keep viewers interested, and keep patrons on your site longer.
Pac-12.com utilizes videos throughout most pages on their website. That’s what the majority of sports fans want. We want to see the highlights, we don’t want to read about them. We want to watch the press conference so we can make our own assumptions about the player of coach said, rather than read about someones opinion on the comments made. They do need to utilize closed captioning or provide a script of what was said on the video to reach more users.
Quality of Content
According to Larry Kim, quality of content on a website is defined by whether or not it achieves your goals. These goals could be driving traffic, Google search rankings, engagement, or conversations. Some might also say that quality content is current, honest, factual, and relevant to its viewers.
The Pac-12 website displays most of those characteristics listed above. The sites information is factual and unbiased, current, and allows the viewers find the content they are looking for. The fact that the site lacks conversational engagement with its patrons may be due to the stiffness that the NCAA “suits” exhibit. It is a professional website after all, so it is somewhat understandable that it does not allow that immediate conversation with its users. That is one aspect, in my opinion, that makes the site more credible in providing honest and factual information. With an overwhelming amount of fake news out there, it is comforting to know that there are still professional sites like this out there. I believe the content on the Pac-12 site is of the highest quality.
Thoughts
As I evaluated pac-12.com, I did so from a couple of different lenses. The first was as a fan of the Pac-12 conference. There is no other site I would visit to find out factual information regarding current news or updates on a team in the conference. If I was looking for entertainment, humor, or rumors about recruits or coaching changes, I would look elsewhere. The second lens I peered through was as a high school special education teacher. For the general population the site was perfect. For those with debilitating disabilities, some improvements can be made. With the advanced technology that is available I cannot understand why “voice command” is not available on websites. Maybe it is just too expensive to provide. The other aspect of the site that bothered me was not being able to use closed captioning on the videos. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Seems like an easy fix. We need to be able to provide more opportunities for all peoples to access information that they are interested in. All in all, the site is very well done.
Questions:
- Besides “voice command,” what other types of technology would allow for better website navigation?
- Do you think it is appropriate for a professional website like pac-12.com to provide opportunities to communicate or leave replies and comments on their site?
- Should conference sites provide more behind the scenes content for its fans?
Mach's Mind 