Surfacing Meta-categories of Web-designers' Criteria for B2C Website Evaluation: A Qualitative Study Using the Repertory Grid Technique

Many businesses today are using the World Wide Web (WWW) to create a compelling presence and this phenomenon is projected to sustain in the near future. Organizations are increasingly using websites not only to capture but also to build relationships with their desired markets. However, research into the effectiveness of B2C websites remains highly fragmented and user-centric, ignoring the views of web-designers. This study therefore aims to investigate what web-designers consider as attributes of “effective” B2C websites. Twenty web-designers were interviewed using Kelly’s (1955) Repertory Grid Technique in order to elicit factors that they consider important when designing or developing B2C websites. Using Grounded Theory approach, these elicited data were then classified into 14 meta-categories. The intensive nature of the interviews eventually gave rise to a comprehensive set of factors that broadens the base of existing literature on website effectiveness.