Using Measurements from Usability Testing, Search Log Analysis and Web Traffic Analysis to Inform Development of a Complex Web Site Used for Complex Tasks

In this case study, we describe how we use measurements taken from web analytics and search log analysis with findings from usability testing to inform the development of web site. We describe an example of triangulating data taken from all three sources to help make design decisions; an example of drawing on web analytics and search log analysis to inform our choices of tasks during a measurement usability evaluation; and an example of using search log data to decide whether a new feature was worth investigating further. The context is enquirers making decisions about whether to pursue a course of study at a distance learning university: a long-term, complex problem.