PBS Member Stations Case Study

Business Need: The Public Broadcasting System has an array of member stations across the United States, each of which has a Web site. Site quality varies widely, influencing the user perception of both the local member station and the national organization. Additionally, member stations seek to drive pledges online--and away from costly call centers--but this is hampered by poor usability.

Process and Solution: We used the principles of heuristic evaluation on a dozen representative member-station sites, doing a thorough analysis of their architecture, content, interactions, and interfaces. We interviewed Web staff at different-sized member stations, asking them what worked, what didn't, and how they managed to publish online despite the numerous constraints they faced.

We compiled our notes into a best practices guide that provided examples of what seemed to be working well at these sites, along with tutorials for how to implement the solutions. To validate the best practices, we created a prototype station Web site using the guidelines we'd written, and conducted a series of usability tests across the country in broadcast markets of varying sizes.

Benefits: The value of our work became clear from the moment we delivered our best practices guide and prototype station Web site. Within days, a few member stations finished redesigns based on the recommendations, drastically improving their sites with minimal cost. As word of their success spread, more and more stations followed suit, using the best practices framework to ensure a good experience for their audience. Member stations that have adopted the guidelines have reported a 100 to 200 percent increase in online pledging.