University of Leeds

School of Media and Communication

COMM1730 Interface Design

Assessment 1

Evaluation Report

Website

Leeds food aid network - https://leedsfoodaidnetwork.co.uk/

Student Number: 201922533

Word count: 3228

Introduction

The website selected to evaluate in this report is the Leeds Food Aid Network, which aims to link food aid providers, institutional staff, the Leeds City Council and the wider public, and to address food poverty in the Leeds more effectively. It is essentially an information integration and guidance platform to provide users with emergency food assistance, food donation information, advice and support services, and low-cost food selection and other resources. These core function entrances are also clearly presented on the home page of the website, such as 'Donate Food and Items', 'Find emergency food', 'Advice and Support' and 'Find Low-Cost Food and Meals'. The purpose of this evaluation report is to analyse the web design, usability, accessibility and technical performance of the Leeds Food Aid Network website, and whether it can effectively support its target users. And as a public-oriented service website, it must enable users to quickly understand the purpose of the website, easily find key information, and complete important tasks without confusion or additional burden. Therefore, this report will comprehensively evaluate the website through heuristic evaluation, trunk test, user test, code analysis, and cross-browser and cross-device testing. These methods also pay attention to the user experience and the technical quality of the website, focussing on its usability, accessibility, technical robustness and professionalism.

Methods of Testing and Evaluation

This report evaluates the Leeds Food Aid Network website by combining heuristic evaluation, user testing, code analysis and equipment testing. Among them, the heuristic evaluation part refers to the method introduced in Week7, The Week 7 workshop identified initial impressions, the trunk test, the seven stages of action, and the usability checklist as four key methods of analysis and indicated that they could form part of the expert-led heuristic analysis used in the evaluative report. For this report, these methods can enable the website to be analysed more systematically before user testing and when combined with user testing. First, this report records initial impressions, which are used to analyse the feelings of users when they first enter the website. This method helps to capture the user's first impression of the website, for example, what the website seems to do, whether the overall feeling is clear, and whether it gives people a highly credible and reasonable impression of the website. This kind of analysis can be compared with the initial impression of other users. Second, this report uses trunk test to check whether users can quickly establish a sense of direction in the website. This test can focus on whether users can make judgements in a short time, such as what kind of website they are entering, what the current interface is, what are the main columns of the website, what are the options under the current level, and whether they know how to search. This method is very suitable for websites like Leeds Food Aid Network, because users usually enter the website with urgent and more practical needs and need to understand the website with almost no hesitation. Third, this report adopts the idea of seven stages of action to avoid staying only on the surface of the interface but further think about the relationship between user goals and website functions. This method explores what the user goals of the website are, what operations they need, whether they can complete these operations, and whether these functions are prominent enough, easy and understandable. This analysis is more suitable for a website that aims to help users find support services quickly. Fourth, this report uses useability checklist to review the home page and key pages of the website. According to the given document, the checklist contains homepage clarity, visual hierarchy, naming conventions, clearly defined areas, obviously clickable, minimising noise, navigation and needless words, etc. This framework provides a more orderly basis for analysing whether the website can clearly express its own purpose and effectively support users to complete tasks. In addition to these heuristic methods, this report also uses user testing to observe the process of real users completing representative tasks, and evaluates the technical quality, compatibility and professionalism of the website through code analysis and device testing. Overall, these methods together constitute a relatively complete evaluation framework.

Usability and User Experience

The useability and user experience of the Leeds Food Aid Network website can be evaluated from the following levels. First, whether it can clearly help users find information. Second, whether the user can understand the purpose of the interface. Third, whether the user can complete the core tasks. As an information and support website, its success depends not only on whether it is visually neat, but also on whether visitors can browse the website efficiently and confidently. This is especially important, because many users usually have urgent or practical needs when visiting the website. The homepage of the website has set up multiple prominent task-based entrances, such as 'Find emergency food' 'Donate Food and Items' 'Advice and Support' and 'Find Low-Cost Food and Meals', which allows the website to clearly convey its actual function from the beginning. From the perspective of useability, one of the advantages of this website is that its main purpose is relatively clear. The home page can let users know that this website is related to food aid and community support in Leeds, and the main navigation options basically correspond to users' common goals. This is in line with the principle of 'clarity'. Users can usually quickly judge what the website does and see several possible next steps. This is especially important for first-time visitors, because they usually don't want to spend too much time guessing the meaning of the column, or trying back and forth between multiple pages before understanding the purpose of the website. In terms of task orientation, this website also has obvious advantages. It does not only use abstract or institutionalised column names but provides more action-oriented links to meet the real needs of users. This will improve useability to a certain extent, because what users see is 'what I want to do' rather than 'what is the name of this column'. For example, the expression 'Find emergency food' is easier to understand than vague classification titles, and it can also help users act immediately. This direct naming method helps to improve navigation efficiency and reduce the cognitive burden of users, especially for users who are under pressure or in urgent need of help. However, the useability of this website also has some areas that may affect the overall experience. Although the home page provides multiple useful entrances, there is a relatively large amount of information on the page, which may reduce the clarity of the page and allow users to spend more time scanning information. When a website contains more modules, links and content blocks at the same time, users often need to additionally judge which route is most suitable for their needs. For service-oriented websites, this situation may cause problems, because most visitors expect to find practical help very quickly. From the perspective of useability, this shows that the visual hierarchy and information priority of the page are parts that deserve to be focussed on. Another problem is that although the content provided by the website is generally helpful, some users still need to spend time to distinguish between emergency food, low-cost food and support services. If the boundaries between these columns are not clarified immediately, users are likely to hesitate before choosing or enter a column that does not fully meet their needs. This does not necessarily mean that the classification itself is problematic, but it does mean that the website needs to rely on clearer labels, page introductions and consistent guidance to help users make judgements faster. In terms of user control and navigation, this website uses more common, recognisable page naming and conventional website structure, which helps users build a psychological model of the website and predict where the information may appear. At the same time, if users need to enter multiple interfaces at the same time to finally find the specific information they really need, the overall experience may still not be as efficient as the homepage looks. Therefore, user testing is very important here, because it can help detect whether users can complete representative tasks, or whether there will be hesitation, detours or uncertainty in the browsing process. In general, the Leeds Food Aid Network website reflects a clear and task-oriented design idea in useability. Its most obvious advantage is that the home page link revolves around real user tasks and is strongly related to actual needs. However, at the same time, the overall user experience may still be affected by factors such as the high information density of the homepage, the need to further strengthen the visual hierarchy, and the need to be differentiated faster in the classification of related services. For a public support website, the most ideal useability state is that users can immediately identify the correct path and reach relevant information with the least time and cognitive cost.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a very important part when evaluating the Leeds Food Aid Network. Because this website provides practical support information for a very wide range of user groups, including those who may be under pressure and need help, or who are not strong in digital use. As a support website for the public, it should not only be 'information', but also ensure that this information can be perceived, understood and obtained by as many users as possible. The main content of the website, such as emergency food, donation information and advice and support, also shows that its core task is to guide users to key services, this makes accessible communication especially important. The website also supports accessibility through relatively clear subject classification. It divides food provision, donations, support and contact information into easier-to-identify sections, which helps users gradually build an understanding of the website structure. It is also beneficial to useability and accessibility, because predictable information architecture can reduce confusion and help users who rely on repetition and consistency to complete navigation. However, there are also some possible restrictions on the accessibility of this website. Because the overall amount of information on the website is relatively large and there are multiple navigation routes, some users may find it more difficult to scan pages, especially when using small-screen devices, in a state of tension, or relying on assistive technology. From the perspective of accessibility, pages with high information density will increase the cognitive burden of users. This is especially important for a service-oriented website, because users may need to quickly access emergency food, food banks, pantries, drop-in or more extensive support services. Make a judgement between. If the differences between these contents cannot be understood immediately, the website may transfer more pressure of interpretation and judgement to users. Another important accessibility consideration is the use of pictures, graphic links and visual elements on the website. The home page and related pages contain pictures and graphical entrances, such as the diagram used to explain Leeds FAN, and food aid map. These elements may be visually helpful, but whether they are truly barrier-free depends on whether they are supported by clear text instructions, alternative text and clear links. If an important operation relies too much on users to click on pictures or relies on users to understand the content of the diagram by themselves, then some users are likely to encounter obstacles, especially users who use screen readers, or users with limited visual ability. Keyboard accessibility and focus visibility are also very important parts, even if they are not necessarily obvious immediately in surface browsing. A public service website should allow users to operate between links, menus and forms without relying on the mouse or touch screen. This is still an aspect that needs to be focussed on until further technical tests are clearly verified. Similarly, colour contrast, title hierarchy and form labels are also key issues in accessibility, because they can directly affect whether users can effectively read, understand and navigate the entire website. These factors are especially important for a website with more content and service guidance function. Overall, the Leeds Food Aid Network website shows some obvious advantages in accessibility. It uses more direct language and service-oriented link naming, which also makes the website easier to understand and play a practical role immediately. However, at the same time, the barrier-free performance of the website may also be affected by factors such as high information density, multiple similar service classifications requiring users to distinguish by themselves, and some paths relying more on pictures or diagrams. Therefore, the strongest place of this website in terms of accessibility is the simple and direct text and clear service entrance, while the relatively weak point is that when users have to make more judgements and explanations, the website may not support users with different abilities enough.

Technical Robustness and Professionalism

The technical robustness and professionalism of the Leeds Food Aid Network website can be evaluated from its underlying code structure, cross-browser and cross-device consistency, and whether it reflects good professional standards in the overall site maintenance of SEO. As a public-oriented information and support website, technical reliability is particularly important because users may visit the website in more urgent situations and rely on it to quickly obtain actual service information. The homepage presents more navigation links, service classifications, contact information and support information, so it must be stable, readable and useable under different end conditions. One of the advantages of the website's professionalism is that it seems to have a relatively mature and structured content framework. The home page contains clearly separated navigation areas, such as Food Providers, Food Donations, Advice & Support, News and Contact Us, and provides direct access to core tasks. Links, such as 'Find emergency food' and 'Donate Food and Items'. This shows that the website is not a temporary interface that can be spliced at will but is based on a relatively clear information structure. The footer also clearly states that the website is driven by WordPress, indicating that it is based on a widely used content management system, which is theoretically more conducive to daily updates and content maintenance. In terms of code quality, content management systems like WordPress do help to improve technical professionalism, because it can usually provide consistent template structures, reusable page frameworks, and plug-in-supported functions. But this does not mean that the website is automatically of high quality. Code analysis is still very necessary, because only through inspection can we judge whether the website uses clear semantic HTML, reasonable title hierarchy, meaningful link text, and well-structured page content. For a public service website with more content, these problems are very important, because even if there is no problem on the front-end surface, poor underlying structure will still affect accessibility, maintenance efficiency and search visibility. Browser compatibility and responsive performance are also the core parts of technical robustness. Websites like Leeds Food Aid Network must be available on desktop and mobile, as well as in different browser environments, because it faces a very wide range of user groups, and users may also access this information in different scenarios. The home page contains repeated navigation elements, multiple link blocks, pictures and interactive content, such as explaining the diagram of Leeds FAN. Therefore, a compatibility test must be carried out to check whether the page layout is stable and navigation in different screen sizes and browser environments. Is it still useable? If the page content is not rearranged well on small-screen devices, the menu performance is inconsistent, or some interactive elements are more difficult to use on mobile devices, the actual service effect of the website will be affected. The website also reflects a certain degree of professionalism in terms of trust and governance. It includes contact page, social media links, cookies and privacy notice, which help to make the website completer and more credible. These characteristics can convey that the website is a continuously maintained service platform, not a most basic or unfinished web page. This is important for a supportive website, because users usually need to confirm that the information provided by the website is reliable and still under maintenance. From the perspective of SEO, one of the advantages of this website is that it uses navigation naming and service classification that is relatively clear and highly consistent with user needs. For example, emergency food, food banks and advice and support. These descriptive words help support search visibility because they are more consistent with the search keywords that users may use when asking for help. The website also sets up relatively independent pages for these topics, which also shows that it has certain structural conditions to support the basic search engine index. However, the quality of SEO still depends on more detailed technical factors, such as page title, metadata, title structure, picture alt text and internal link method, so excessive conclusions should not be made without further code check. In general, the Leeds Food Aid Network website shows a certain degree of technical professionalism through its structured navigation, WordPress-based framework, privacy and contact information, and extensive service coverage. However, technical robustness cannot be judged only by the surface presentation. It also depends on the quality of the underlying markup language, the consistency of the website in different browsers and devices, and whether its structure really supports accessibility and SEO. Therefore, code verification and compatibility testing are still indispensable in this part of the evaluation.

Conclusion

In general, the Leeds Food Aid Network website reflects a relatively clear and service-oriented web design idea. Its most obvious advantage is that the website revolves around the needs of users from beginning to end, especially in the task-based entrance of the home page. These designs help the website clearly convey its own purpose and also help users identify the path to key information and services. For a support website for the public, this task-centred structure is an important advantage because it aligns the design of the website with the most likely goals of users. But at the same time, this evaluation also found that the overall effect of the website will still be affected by issues related to clarity, accessibility and technical consistency. From the perspective of useability, the large amount of information on key pages may make it more difficult for users to scan pages and make judgements, especially those who urgently need help. From the perspective of accessibility, although the website benefits from direct language expression, there are still obstacles when users must distinguish themselves from multiple similar service classifications or rely too much on visual elements. From a technical perspective, the website has a certain degree of professionalism in terms of structure and governance, but its underlying quality still depends on code verification, cross-browser and cross-device compatibility, and whether the technical implementation really supports SEO and accessibility. In general, the services provided by this website are valuable and highly relevant, but if the information hierarchy, page clarity and barrier-free navigation can be further strengthened, the design effect will be better. For a website for public support, its success depends not only on whether it provides the right content, but also on whether users can access this content quickly, clearly and at the lowest possible burden. Therefore, the core conclusion of this report is that Leeds Food Aid Network has a solid functional positioning, but it is still worth continuously optimising the design details to achieve a more efficient and technically professional effect.

Action plan 

References

Gube, J. (2010) ‘What is user experience design? Overview, tools and resources’, Smashing Magazine.

Krug, S. (2006) Don’t make me think!: A common sense approach to Web usability. 2nd edn. Berkeley: New Riders.

Leeds Food Aid Network (no date) Leeds Food Aid Network. Available at: https://leedsfoodaidnetwork.co.uk/ (Accessed: 30 March 2026).

Norman, D. (2002) The design of everyday things. New York: Basic Books.

University of Leeds (2026) COMM1730 Workshop: Usability and UX Design and Testing. Module materials.

Appendix

Appendix A: Trunk Test & Initial Impressions

Appendix B: Usability Checklist Notes

Appendix C: Accessibility Checklist Notes

Appendix D: User Testing and Browser/Device Testing

Part 1: User testing

Part 2: Browser/Device Testing