Too many clicks...

June 20, 2005
http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/news/story/0,12891,1510686,00.html

Also includes top best and worst of UK university sites.
Excerpts...
Too many clicks and you've lost them. Nowhere is the culture clash between today's sixth formers and the universities trying to recruit them greater than in academic websites....... Students were given exactly a minute to find some specific information, such as the name of the vice-chancellor (a slightly bizarre test, you might think, as 99% of students go through their entire degrees without knowing the name of the vice-chancellor); information on fees and bursaries; and something about the local area. This test threw up a bigger variation between sites. "Many were far too busy with too much to take in at one time - too many menus. 'Messy' was the most frequent criticism. Many sites had a dull and heavy feel.