Content & Navigation Usability Audit

Client: Arizona State University

Project: Maps, Locations, Parking, and Contact Page Evaluation

Method: Heuristic Usability Evaluation

Duration: 40 hours

Quick Summary (PIR)

Problem

Visitors navigating the Maps, Locations, Parking, and Contact sections of ASU.edu encountered several usability challenges that made it difficult to understand their location within the site, interpret navigation cues, and confidently interact with available tools. Navigation highlighting was inconsistent, breadcrumb trails were difficult to locate, and some links and labels did not clearly communicate what content users would reach after clicking.

Implication

When navigation cues and link labeling are unclear, visitors must spend additional time interpreting how the site is structured and how to move between pages. This increases cognitive load, slows task completion, and creates uncertainty about whether users are on the correct page or following the intended path through the site.

Recommendation

Conduct a structured usability audit of the Maps, Locations, Parking, and Contact sections to identify navigation clarity issues, labeling inconsistencies, and interaction design gaps, and provide recommendations to strengthen orientation cues, link behavior, and overall content discoverability.

Project Background

The ASU.edu website contains a large volume of informational content supporting students, faculty, visitors, and prospective applicants. Within this ecosystem, the Maps, Locations, Parking, and Contact sections play an important role in helping visitors navigate the physical campus and locate supporting information.

The client team requested a usability audit to better understand how effectively these sections communicated available content and supported visitor navigation.

Because these pages act as informational hubs connecting users to maps, parking information, campus resources, and contact pathways, navigation clarity and information discoverability are critical to ensuring visitors can quickly locate the information they need.

This usability audit was conducted as part of a consulting engagement focused on improving navigation clarity and content organization across key informational sections of the ASU website.

My Role

• Conducted a heuristic usability evaluation of key navigation and informational sections of the ASU website

• Analyzed page structure, navigation cues, labeling conventions, and link behavior across multiple content pathways

• Identified usability issues affecting orientation, navigation clarity, and information discoverability

• Documented findings and developed recommendations to improve navigation signals and interaction design

• Prepared a structured presentation outlining usability issues, examples, and recommended improvements

• Delivered findings to the client team through a presentation and written usability report

Evaluation Scope

The evaluation focused on several key informational areas of the ASU website that support campus navigation and visitor assistance.

These included:

• Maps and Locations pages

• Parking on Campus pages

• Interactive campus map

• Contact Us pages

• Supporting navigation and internal linking structures

The analysis examined how effectively these pages communicated available content and supported visitors as they navigated between related resources.

Key usability areas evaluated included:

• Navigation and orientation clarity
• breadcrumb visibility and hierarchy cues
• link labeling and messaging clarity
• link execution and interaction feedback
• navigation menu consistency
• information visibility above the page fold
• interactive tool usability

Methodology

The project used a heuristic usability evaluation conducted using Verint’s usability audit methodology.

The evaluation followed a structured analysis process:

Interface Review → Usability Issue Identification → Pattern Analysis → Recommendations

First, key informational sections of the site were reviewed to understand how visitors navigated between pages related to maps, locations, parking, and contact resources.

Next, usability issues were documented across several categories including navigation clarity, link labeling, interaction feedback, and interactive tool usability.

Observed patterns were then analyzed to identify where visitors might experience confusion, hesitation, or additional effort when attempting to locate information.

Finally, findings were translated into practical recommendations designed to improve orientation cues, navigation clarity, and overall information discoverability.

The evaluation focused on usability principles including:

• Navigation clarity
• orientation cues and location awareness
• information hierarchy and visibility
• labeling and messaging clarity
• interaction feedback and link execution

The analysis was completed over approximately 40 hours, including preparation and presentation of findings.

Key Insight

The analysis revealed that many of the usability challenges within the evaluated sections were not caused by missing information, but by inconsistent navigation signals and labeling cues.

When visitors cannot easily determine where they are within the site structure, they must rely on trial-and-error navigation or repeated scanning of page content to confirm whether they are in the correct location.

Strengthening orientation cues and aligning link labels with page headings can significantly reduce this uncertainty and help visitors navigate more confidently through the site.

Key Findings

Orientation Cues Were Inconsistent

The global navigation did not consistently highlight the visitor’s current location within the site. Without clear visual indicators, visitors could not easily determine where they were within the site hierarchy.

Breadcrumb Trails Were Difficult to Discover

Breadcrumb navigation appeared below the page fold on some pages, limiting its effectiveness as a navigation aid and reducing its visibility to visitors who rely on these cues to understand site structure.

Navigation Menus Were Not Consistently Maintained

Sub-navigation elements within sections such as Parking on Campus were present on some pages but absent on others. This disrupted navigation continuity and forced visitors to rely on browser navigation or breadcrumbs to retrace their path.

Link Labels Did Not Always Match Page Headings

In several instances, link labels did not match the headings of the pages they opened. This created uncertainty about whether visitors had reached the correct destination after selecting a link.

Interaction Feedback for Links Was Limited

Links lacked consistent hover states and visited-link indicators, reducing the visual feedback available to visitors and making it harder to track previously explored content.

Interactive Map Functionality Was Not Clearly Explained

The campus map tool did not include instructions explaining how to activate map layers or interpret the legend, requiring visitors to discover functionality through trial and error.

Recommendations

The audit identified several opportunities to improve navigation clarity and content discoverability across the evaluated pages.

Strengthen Orientation Cues

• Highlight the current page within global navigation
• reinforce page hierarchy through consistent breadcrumb placement

Improve Navigation Consistency

• Ensure sub-navigation menus appear consistently across related pages
• maintain hub-and-spoke navigation structures within informational sections

Improve Link Labeling and Messaging

• Align link labels with corresponding page headings
• replace ambiguous labels such as “Read More” with descriptive link text

Improve Link Interaction Feedback

• Implement hover states for navigation links
• introduce visual indicators for previously visited links

Improve Interactive Map Guidance

• Provide clear instructions explaining how to use map layers and controls
• add labeled legend elements to clarify map symbols

These improvements were designed to strengthen navigation signals and make key informational resources easier for visitors to locate and use.

Outcome / Impact

Findings were presented to the client team through a stakeholder presentation and written usability report documenting the analysis and recommendations.

The presentation allowed the team to review usability issues, discuss navigation patterns across the evaluated pages, and explore opportunities to improve the overall user experience.

According to follow-up communication from the client team, approximately 99% of the recommendations were implemented, with remaining limitations tied to constraints within the website management platform.

These improvements strengthened navigation cues, clarified labeling conventions, and improved interaction feedback, helping visitors more easily navigate the Maps, Locations, Parking, and Contact sections of the ASU website.