Simple and informative is what college students are looking for in websites. Students are interested in obtaining detailed information without being overwhelmed by blocks of text, according to user advocate, Jakob Nielsen. Unlike teenagers who prefer engaging and pictorial form, college students prefer more “goal-oriented” websites that serve a purpose.
College students want to find informative websites that allow them to find what they are looking for without investing too much time on any given website. College don’t mind interactive website as long as it allows them to reach the intended objective. College students are able to differentiate between play and work, which permits them to focus and use websites as helpful tools.
Students appreciate text from “websites that are easy to scan.” They want information that is detailed and informative but simple to read. According to Jakob Nielsen, “students were frustrated by sites that provided shallow information. College students demanded more evidence than teenagers do.” Students do not believe everything they see online. Websites that failed to answer questions or lacked details is a turn-off for many college students according to the Nielsen.
Multitasking is an activity that allows people to keep many website open at the same time. College students multitask by switching from site to site if one slows down or is unresponsive. Students exhibit low patience according to Nielsen. If they find a website too busy or complicated, Facebook may be a better option for them.
Age-appropriate content is also a desirable when creating websites. College students are “strong readers” and have “high literacy skills,” however, other groups such as older professionals obtain higher literacy skills than college students.
While college students do acquire high literacy skills, this does not mean that students are “technology experts.” Students do not like to waste time on websites that do not offer “immediate payoff for their efforts.”
Similarly, college students do not desire flashy or fancy designs when it comes to websites. According to Nielsen’s research study, college students prefer “clean and simple” than loud and busy websites. Detailed, simple and informative information is sought from college students.
Social media is present when students multitask or search for online information. Different social media tabs are open when students search for information but students do not want everything on social media. Social media sites are linked to “private discussions” for students and not marketing or information gathering tool. Search engines dominate when students search for information. Although social media is used frequently by students, it is not a place where students “want to learn about a company, university, government agency, or non-profit organization.”
Jakob Nielsen’s research study, “College Students on the Webs,” took 43 college students from four different countries to examine the practices that young adults aged 18-24 performed on the web. Out of the 43 students, 18 men and 25 women, researchers saw no international differences when it came to what students wanted and expected from websites. Simplicity and informative websites increases the attention of college students for a longer period of time.
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