Multidimensional evaluation approach for an e-government website : a case study of e-government in Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the refinement of an evaluation framework for e-Government websites. The aim of the research was to determine how an existing evaluation framework, which recommends the use of multiple usability techniques, could be used to obtain usability data that would indicate how to improve e-Government websites and satisfy users' needs. The framework describes how common techniques, such as heuristic testing and user testing, can be used with the emerging discipline of web analytics to provide a comprehensive and detailed view of users' interactions on e-Government websites. The original framework was refined in the light of the findings and the refined framework should facilitate the improvement of e­Government websites depending on users' demands and interactions. The work involved implementing the original multi-dimensional framework in e­Government websites in Saudi Arabia. A case study method was used over two implementations. In the former implementation, the evaluation methods consisted of heuristic evaluation followed by usability testing then web analytic tools. However, in the later implementation, refinements to the evaluation framework were proposed and the order of methods was amended: web analytics was used first, followed by heuristic evaluation then usability testing. The framework recommends specific usability methods for evaluating specific issues. The conclusions of this study illustrate the potential benefits of using a multidimensional evaluation framework for e-Government websites and it was found that each usability method had its own particular benefits and limitations. The research concludes by illustrating the potential usefulness of the designed evaluation framework in raising awareness of usability methods for evaluating e-Government websites in Saudi Arabia.