The 4 Parameters
Parameter I: Communication	Parameter II: Visual Appeal	Parameter III: Utility	Parameter IV: Engagement
Clarity Does the site communicate clearly and efficiently with logical organization? Does the site communicate how the user can benefit from the site? Does the site meet high-quality publishing standards by being error free?	Visual Richness Does the layout of the site look welcoming and interesting, combining graphic and text elements well? Do all the graphic elements balance well with each other rather than compete? Are graphics used effectively to increase the clarity and communication of the site?	Intuitive Interface Is the interface clear and predictable? Do users learn how to interact with the site without difficultly or frustration? Do users successfully accomplish what they came to do?	User Awareness Is it clear what types of visitors this site hopes to engage? Would the site draw these intended visitors and succeed at engaging them in interaction? Would these targeted users recognize immediately that this is a site with which they would benefit from interaction?
Legibility Is the font on the site easy to read? Do headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, and other textual components make the verbal content more graphic and thus easy to read and understand? Are text formats suitable in terms of color contrasts, fonts, and density of text?	Style Is the style of the page suitable for the purpose, content, and intended audience for the site? Do the various stylistic elements of the page seem to fit together, including color combinations, fonts, and graphic elements? Do the various stylistic elements create an overall effect that is attractive?	Navigability Is it immediately clear how users can move around the site? Are users able to move around the site, forward and backward, without encountering barriers, dead ends, or other frustrations? Are users able to make guided choices on the site, or are they forced to resort to trial and error?	User-Centered Purpose Is the site purposeful from a user viewpoint (for knowledge, decision support, accomplishing tasks, interconnectedness, enjoyable experience)? Is the user-centered purpose of the site immediately apparent from the entry page and forward? Will the site invite in and engage visitors who arrive to accomplish this purpose?
Readability Does the site provide a context for understanding the text, including familiar terms and phrases? Is the site’s language vivid, active, and personable? Is the reader able to follow the concepts being presented and remember them?	Unity Does the design present a simplified, visually oriented way of accessing the site and its content? Is an appropriate, consistent visual style used throughout the site (including buttons, colors, layout, typography, and the metaphor it might employ)? Do visual relations and contrasts create pleasing effects that help orient visitors to the site’s organization?	Value Are users able to accomplish tasks that are of value to them while visiting the site? Will users remember the site for providing something of value? Will users come back to the site the next time they need to accomplish a similar task?	Interpersonal Rapport Would visitors feel sufficient comfort, trust, understanding, and warmth to be drawn to relate to the site actively? Would they have the sense that they are appreciated and that they have entered into a positive relationship? Will this sense of relationship be sufficiently engaging to bring them back?