Analysing the key factors of web design: A heuristic evaluation

Abstract

Due to the rapid growth of the electronic commerce and consequently the increase of the competence, a special interest among the specialized literature is arising focusing on the critical factors which could lead to the e-commerce success. In this sense, the web design has been revealed as a critical aspect in order to achieve positive outcomes of the users. Consequently, this research is focused on analyzing the importance of web design for the success of a virtual store. A heuristic evaluation has been developed in order to identify the good and bad design practices of three well-known websites. This method is particularly useful for our study, since the opinions from multidisciplinary experts give us a more complete understanding about what is the most important for the design of the websites. The results of the test, together with a review of the specialized literature, allowed us to offer some managerial implications and recommendations for designers in order to carry out a successful virtual store. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008.