QW2002 Paper 3I1 Dr. John M. Ryan (Safe Shopping Network) Measuring and Improving Web Site Quality: A Consumer Focused System

Key Points

• Web site functions represent a series of process steps
• These process steps may be defined, tested and scored
• Scores may be used to improve web site performance

Presentation Abstract

The safeshoppingnetwork.com establishes consumer based standards for web site functionality (security, privacy, safety, usability, performance and availability). These standards are then used to develop and adopt test software capable of delivering scores to data bases. Web sites are then ranked based on the published scores thus providing the consumer with guidance in each tested area. For the merchant, the scores along with published web-wide statistics (over 1000 cases) provide guidance for improvement.

This paper explores the standards, test strategies and software, discusses resulting statistical distributions and provides guidance for web site quality improvement.

The need to explore configuration control as a key strategy to reducing variation is also discussed.

About the Author

Dr. John M. Ryan one of the company's co-founders and serves as the COO and Senior Vice President of Test Technology. Dr. Ryan's extensive background in statistics, network controlled quality and highly efficient flow systems led to his development of the company's Internet based across-the-web test technologies. This is Dr. Ryan's second Internet start-up having served as president of the Marine Network.

Dr. John Ryan has previously held a number of international management positions with Intel, Seagate Technology and Read-Rite Corporation and as a private consultant where he has developed and implemented world-class manufacturing and quality systems throughout Asia. Dr. Ryan is a frequently published author in several quality, factory of the future and software journals.