Western Sydney University Website Analysis Report - IT Practice

This report provides a rhetoric analysis of the Western Sydney University website, evaluating its architecture and design. The analysis covers aspects such as the website's layout, color scheme, and ease of navigation. The report highlights the simplicity of the website's design, accessibility across different devices and browsers, and ease of learning and memorization for users. It also identifies areas for improvement, such as the use of small fonts and duplicate links. The analysis concludes that the website is generally well-designed and functional, with all links working correctly and no apparent errors in spelling or language. The report also mentions the website's security features, such as the error messages displayed upon incorrect login attempts, and the website's overall effectiveness in providing information and creating awareness. The report references Khosrowpour's (2003) work on information technology and organizations.

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Assignment No. 1
Professional Practice in IT
Fahad AlSuwaidi
u3161044

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Introduction
Today, websites are important components of many organizations and individuals because the
provide opportunities for organizations to expose themselves as well as create awareness and
market the organizations. Currently, websites are utilized in all types of entities, including
schools, universities, business entities, and individuals (Khosrowpour, 2003). With the
importance of websites increasing every day, it is imperative that entities analyze their sites in a
bid to determine the quality and level of usability of the website. This report provides a rhetoric
analysis of the Western Sydney University, whose website address is http://www.uws.edu.au. To
conduct a proper analysis, the report focuses on analyzing four major aspects (architecture and
design) that contribute to making a good website.
Analysis
The Western Sydney University’s website is set in a simple, colorful, and easy to understand
manner. At the top of the website is the university’s name and logo, presented in red and black
color. The university name is also a link, which takes you to the homepage of the website.
Immediately beside the university’s name and logo are six links that direct the user to the home
page, future students’ page, student’s link, international link, research, and alumni links. These
links can also be found at the bottom of the page where additional details are added to improve
the ease of access. The middle of the page has a bright red slide show with images of
professionally dressed individuals who reflect the mood of the page.
The website architecture and design are simple and easy to understand. All the links on the page
are easy to identify, thus improving the maneuverability and ease of information access. The
major links and the sub-links have been linked well thus giving users an easy time. In spite of

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this, the architecture of the website is not sound in that the website has duplicate links. For
instance, the link that takes a user to the alumni page can be found both at the top of the page and
the bottom of the page. The website is also plain in that was only designed with two major colors
red and black. As a result, users can miss other essential aspects such as the social media links,
which are all in black. The fonts used in some of the links, like the link to the ‘library page’ and
‘Sign into,’ are too small and may require some individual to strain in order to see them.
The website is easy to access from a variety of gadgets including smart mobile phones, tablets,
and laptops. Even though each of these gadgets requires specific protocols to connect to allow
access to information, the site was set properly to ensure that students could have an easy time
when accessing the site using the different technological devices that are available today. The
website can also be accessed from many regions of the world. Consequently, it creates awareness
and ensures that any interested party from anywhere around the globe can view the site.
Additionally, the website can be accessed using different browsers without any challenges. A test
using Safari, Chrome, and Firefox browser proved that the site could be accessed using most of
the browsers that are available in the market. However, the website has not been designed to be
accessible to some people with disabilities. Some of the fonts are too small for the visually
impaired individuals to see.
Owing to its simplicity, the Western Sydney University’s website is easy to learn and memorize.
First-time users can easily accomplish many tasks because the links are self-explanatory and they
function properly. This ease of learning can be attributed to the good design and architecture of
the website, which allows users to follow links and sub-links without many challenges. Besides
being easy to learn, the website is memorable. The web address is simple and easy to remember.

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The web outlay is also simple, easy to follow, and remember. Hence, return users find it easy to
use the website even after long periods of non-use.
An overall analysis of the website showed that there are no errors. All the links in the site
function properly and lead the users to the information and pages they expect. In addition, the
spelling and language used are flawless, thus making it easier for users to determine what they
need without getting lost. An attempt to sign into the ‘student's email’ with the wrong login
details was met with a statement indicating that either the password or the username was wrong.
Bearing this in mind, one can assume that the website is designed to identify errors and refuse
login if the student inputs the wrong details. This provides security and ensures that students are
not victims of security exploits due to errors in the system.
Conclusion
The essentiality of websites in today’s society cannot be underestimated. Different entities utilize
websites for different purposes, such as marketing and creation of awareness. For this reason,
many organizations attempt to analyze the websites to determine their viability and usability. An
analysis of the Western Sydney University’s website showed that the site had a simple and easy
to understand architecture. The site was also accessible from different gadgets and browsers
despite the fact that the site may not be accessible to some visually impaired people due to the
small fonts used in some of the important links. Nevertheless, it was easy to learn how to use and
maneuver the website, and its simplicity made it memorable.

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References
Khosrowpour, M. (2003). Information technology & organizations : trends, issues, challenges &
solutions. Harrisburg, Pa: Idea Group Pub.