In the Eyes of the Mouse Holder: DMO Web Site Usability Case Study
by Rick Green — Partner, Adventurocity Inc.

[Note: since this article was published, the Singpore Tourism Board's Web site has been updated. Most of the problems identified below have been addressed. Nevertheless, you may still find this article useful for the principles it highlights.]

There are different schools of thought about what makes a good Web site. In the end, there is only one perspective that matters: the people using the site. Sure a site can win numerous awards and its homepage receive impressive hits. But if closer analysis shows that few people venture far into the site and never return after the initial encounter, it is all an illusion.

Let us consider the Singapore Tourism Board's official Web site as an example. It looks impressive with its vibrant design, bold message, and captivating multimedia. But let's put the imagery aside and try to understand it from a potential visitor's perspective. Why would someone go to the STB Web site?

Short of doing a usability test with a sample from the target market — which I recommend the STB do if they have not — you can make some basic deductions. People on the Web are largely goal-driven. They want to quickly find high-quality information that is relevant and kept up-to-date. To do so, ease of use and minimal page download times are important. This was not my experience navigating the STB site.

Singapore’s tourism site inadvertently throws up barriers with extensive use of javascript and multimedia. For those with slower connections and without the latest software, just simply navigating the site can be difficult. See how far you can go with images and javascript disabled in your browser.

For a large Web site, a search function is the most effective way to quickly get visitors to the information they need. On the STB site you need to click three times to get to a search dialogue, assuming that one notices the search link in the footer.

When I searched on "temples", results #15 & #16 were respectively, "Accommodation by Price Range" and "Accommodation by Location". What these had to do with temples I don't know. They were dead links. Nevertheless, according to the ranking scheme they were equal in relevance to the first result, "Chinatown Self-Guided Walking Tour - Route 1". Placement also indicates relevance, but these two came ahead of "City Tour" which I would assume to be more relevant.

Having a site index is also a useful way to help people narrow down their search and better understand the organization of the site’s information. The STB site index was also three clicks from the staging page. Clicking the link in the footer resulted in a server error.

These difficulties can be offset by comprehensive, high quality information. However, much of the site text seems to have come from a brochure while the videos, screensavers, and postcards are recycled adverts.

The site is also not maintained well. The "Events" search goes back to 1998 (what potential visitor to Singapore is interested in past events?). And while the "Snapshots of Singapore" section should have new photos added monthly, this hasn’t been done for over a year.

These are just some of the usability issues I came across, but it should underscore a fundamental point. You cannot approach destination marketing online the same way as traditional media. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of the Net and have an organization focused around that to effectively serve customers online. With an increasing number of people doing their trip planning on the Web, this is a strategic imperative.

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