Evaluation of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Website Based on Information Architecture in 2019

When a website has an appropriate information architecture, it can be efficient and successful in responding to the information needs of users. The present study aims to evaluate website of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, based on information architecture.

This was a descriptive-survey study performed on Shiraz University of Medical Sciences website. Data collection and analysis were carried out by direct observation method using checklists for four subsystems of information architecture, namely organization, labeling, navigation, and search.

The overall organization of the website was based on the organization chart. The site navigation system showed the users which website they were navigating, but it did not explicitly show all the navigated levels. Although the search system displayed the total number of search results to the user and highlighted the input query in the retrieved content, many of its features as logical operators, auto-complete or auto-suggestions, and sorting search results were not active.

The website is relatively poor from the information architecture standpoint. The search and organization dimensions were weak, and the labeling and navigation dimensions were mediocre. The results of continuous evaluation and study of the website information architecture can be used to optimize the website design while highlighting the existing weaknesses and shortcomings.