HCI and Usability Principles and Guidelines in the Website Development Process: An International Perspective

Abstract

This chapter provides an answer to the question “Do industry practitioners consider that human computer interaction (HCI) and usability principles and guidelines are essential in the website development process?” The answer was sought by means of an online survey (N = 126), of Information Systems(IS)/Information Technology (IT) personnel in Australia and Portugal, that allowed the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. Explanatory analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and an independent sample T-test. The study findings suggest that both HCI and Usability were significant aspects of the website development process especially in the marketing websites, as their inclusion will encourage users to revisit these websites and thereby increase businesses’ profits. Usability and HCI features are especially important in the design stage to improve the structure and functionality of a website. The conclusions drawn in this chapter will assist IS/IT industry practitioners in Australia and Portugal to implement HCI and usability approaches by means of a New Participative Methodology for Marketing Websites (NPMMW).