Unistats website evaluation
21 May 2013
This publication sets out the findings and recommendations of the early evaluation of the Unistats and is called 'Early Evaluation of Unistats: User Experiences'. The work was undertaken by iCeGS in partnership with CRAC. The evaluation made a number of recommendations to improve the service which included:
- Recommendation 1: Purpose and value of the site. Overall, participants in the research understood the rationale for the Unistats site and were positive about its purpose and implementation. It is recommended that the Unistats site continues to be supported and that the original rationale is maintained in guiding future development.
- Recommendation 2: The Welsh language site. Overall, the Welsh language site was well received by Welsh speakers. However, some users articulated a desire for a greater level of information relating to the availability of teaching in Welsh (at the course level) and information about course fees and funding in Wales. It is suggested that HEFCW and its strategic partners consider the development of both sites in the light of these findings.
- Recommendation 3: Further evaluation. This formative evaluation has identified a wide range of issues that should be addressed as the site evolves. Evaluation at this early stage has been worthwhile and hopefully the recommendations can support the ongoing development of the site. However, evaluation at such an early stage after launch prevents the research team drawing many conclusions about the site's market penetration or impact. It is suggested that a second evaluation is commissioned after the site has been available for a full academic cycle to address these issues and to identify any further issues that have emerged.
- Recommendation 4: Site promotion and search engine optimisation (SEO). We assume that there is an aspiration to increase traffic and penetration of the site amongst its target markets. To achieve this will require continued promotional efforts, although not to the extent undertaken at launch. Current user analytics reveal that the site is highly dependent on brand awareness for traffic. It is suggested that resources are invested in SEO in order to attract a more general audience to the site (i.e. the site is prominent in results of a range of typical searches for information about HE and choosing courses more generally).
- Recommendation 5: Social media strategy. Social media currently account for very few referrals to the site. Furthermore the site does not facilitate the sharing of information via social media. It is suggested that a Unistats social media strategy is developed to enhance the site's visibility within and integration with social media.
- Recommendation 6: Partnership building. The site has to date received little traffic from referring sites. This research suggests that users are frequently looking to UCAS and newspaper websites for their information about HE and so these sites should be important targets for cross-linking. In particular, users would like to see the site more strongly inter-linked with the UCAS site to facilitate moving between the two sites. The research team's experience of evaluating other sites also suggests that there is potential traffic to be gained through building links with local authorities and schools through their learning and careers portals, and virtual learning environments.
