Websites as Artefacts: a New Model for Website Analysis

Until now, analyses of the internet, the web and various online activities have devoted little or no attention to websites as autonomous studyobjects. This paper introduces an approach to ‘websites as artefacts’ applying perspectives from design research, material culture and communication studies. The purpose is to draw attention to websites as design objects in their own right and to the contextual aspects of development, distribution and socio-cultural features that condition their use and consumption. The paper discusses how to define websites as analytical entities and then proposes a coherent analytical model with which to analyse a website. It suggests that a website analysis considers purpose, technology, interaction and use, appearance, experience and the socio-cultural use context. Following, the applicability of the model is demonstrated through an analysis of the design and use of Facebook, focusing on one user profile. We conclude that the analysis of Facebook reveals a rather conservative design approach, aimed at presenting the site producers as serious and trustworthy, and allowing the users to present themselves through self-produced content rather than graphical design.