Accessibility refers to a Web portal’s ability to provide access to online information resources. Response time is critical when measuring accessibility. This is influenced by the client’s Internet connection. For example: 1) ADSL, 2) Cable and 3) Dial-up.
Another aspect to look at accessibility is browser compatibility. Web Portals should be able to view using common browser and operating systems (i.e. Internet Explorer 5.0 and above, Netscape Navigator 4.0 and above and operating systems Win 95 and above). Common display resolution of 800x600 is used to avoid the hassle of unintended horizontal scrolling during online.
The components like links and forms of the Web Portals had been tested to be functioning well, except for Flights.com. A few of the links of Flights.com are not updated. In general, the designers had used good choice of colors, which benefited those with color blindness or using the low-end monitor.
Tim Berners-Lee, Director of the W3C states, "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
For disability, accessibility will need to take into consideration of those with poor vision, color blindness, deafness, language impairments, and restricted mobility. Currently, none of the three Web Portals are supporting the needs of the disabled. Perhaps, this can be taken into consideration for future improvements.
It is found that Expedia.com has the best technical support in accessibility. It provides the user with good online support and links to download the latest version of Internet Explorer.
Ease of Web surfing is important. Directional signs like icons, images and text links are to be simple to understand and use during the navigation.
Flights.com had organized their content with respect to countries. Expedia.com and Travelocity.com categorized theirs according to events.
Hence, the user who wants to search for the desired country information at a glance could use Flights.com, whereas those who want to acquire information like renting a car, flight times and places of interest will find Expedia.com or Travelocity.com a better choice.
The navigation of the three Web Portals is easy and simple. But to backtrack to the upper level would require the use of browser back button. Flights.com did not indicate the levels of the site. The user will have problems going to home page when he/she had gone in-depth into a particular topic. Though Expedia.com and Travelocity.com had shown the levels of the site in accordance to the category but the higher level may not be the previous page.
Overall, they still achieved a rule of thumb rule of three clicks to get information.
One critical aspect of Web Portals is the currency of the information. Flights.com is lacking in the currency of information. It’s outdated information and a number of broken links showed infrequent updating.
Although Expedia.com and Travelocity.com did not show revision dates, by visiting “Today’s Deals” and “Last Minute deals” respectively, the information revealed the currency of the site. The links are neither expired nor moved.
Expedia.com and Travelocity.com had achieved certain level of confidence of users with the information provided due to their currency.
Users have sometimes been disappointed by the lack of depth provided by the Web Portals they have found.
In general, it is difficult to determine the extent of coverage. But in our case, travel information should be the key focus of three Web Portals. Flights.com had only provided mainly flights and hotel information of a few countries.
In contrast, Expedia.com and Travelocity.com had managed to provide in-depth coverage on most of the travel related issues. Information like hotels, car renting, place of interest, tour package offer, flights, cruise and more were covered. Both also provide the feature to assist traveler to work out the trip according to their budget.
Accuracy refers to the Web portal’s conformity to actual facts as well as the absence of mistakes such as typo errors. Customers of an e-business will be confused or frustrated due to misrepresentation of facts.
Prices and product/service information that are inaccurate and later disputed by the company offering the product or service create a bad impression in the minds of existing or potential customers. Expedia.com provides the following assurance:
“We will provide accurate, timely fare and reservation information and update our fares and reservation rates as they change. Expedia.com uses the same real-time reservation service as other travel agents, so you can be sure that when you search for flights, lodging, rental cars, or vacation packages, you receive the most accurate information we could find for you. We want you to have the right information to make your travel choices.”
Businesses could suffer from inaccuracies in the presentation of information. This is evident in “typo” errors related to price or product description. Simple mistakes in data entry have huge repercussions. Recently, a local telecommunications service provider in Singapore had to honour orders placed through its online store, which erroneously advertised a product at a price significantly lower than its actual value. Thousands of dollars are lost in such high profile “accidents”, and possibly a lot more money is lost by other online businesses, which are not reported publicly.
Credibility refers to the Web site’s trustworthiness. A well-designed Web portal with a good track record promotes believability in the company’s products and services. A Web portal such as Expedia.com has won many accolades over the years. Such endorsements and certifications help to draw new customers and retain old ones. Word of mouth also adds to a company’s credibility. A company that is bad mouthed due to perceived poor service quality not only loses a customer but potentially many more due to the spread of negative publicity.
These refer to the Web portal’s vulnerability to hacking as well as the authorized usage of personal information. The Web portal must protect the confidentiality of the customer’s private information; normally an assurance of the use of appropriate security measures and procedures will help to instill confidence in the user. Additionally, such procedures should also be made known to be reviewed regularly by independent accounting firms.
These refer to resistance to denial of service attacks. The Web portal’s server should be protected from unauthorized control and access. Hardware and software combinations such as gateways and firewalls should be used to protect servers. Servers must also be constantly upgraded to meet up with increased traffic especially in cases where new services are launched. To our knowledge, all 3 portals are quite reliable and robust.
This refers to the Web portal’s indemnity clauses. Expedia.com consistently attempt to limit their customer’s liability.
From the minute the user make a reservation or purchase on Expedia.com, the credit card they used for the reservation or purchase will be protected from unauthorized charges.
If unauthorized charges appear on the periodic statement for that card at any time within 12 months of their Expedia.com transactions, and they are held liable for those charges, Expedia.com will cover their liability up to $50—the usual limit of their liability as a cardholder—so long as certain terms and conditions are met. Expedia.com is committed to making sure the users are covered.
Privacy statements should include the following criteria:
· What information is collected?
· How the information is used?
· Who the information is shared with?
· Provide choice and control over the use of information collected?
· What marketing communications are received?
· How the information is protected?
In terms of privacy, all three portals seemed to be able to meet the basic requirements.