Information Architecture Evaluation of University of Tehran Website

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the University of Tehran website based on information architecture indicators to inform, assess the status and quality of the website.

The research method is applied descriptive. Checklist was used to analyze the website in terms of organization, labeling, navigation, and search systems.

The results of the checklists showed that the University of Tehran website earned 20 points out of 37 in the organization, 37 points out of 57 in the labeling, 53 points out of 78 in the navigation, and 14 points out of 46 in the search, which imply a poor status in search system, an average status in organization system, and a good status in labeling and navigation systems. According to the obtained results, the search system of the University of Tehran website can be redesigned, its organization system can be reviewed, and other mentioned systems can be improved. In general, in order to increase the efficiency of websites, it is necessary to consider the principles of information architecture in their design. Moreover, this research can be a suitable source for future website policies by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the website.

Evaluating the information architecture of a website is a new field that, while important, has received less attention. This research tries to show the applicability of the method for use in similar cases by presenting a systematic evaluation in a case study for the University of Tehran website while introducing the strengths and weaknesses of this website.