THE ICEBERG MODEL OF WEBSITE USABILITY

While usability is recognized as an important component to information systems design, there is an element of information overload that arises with this topic. Literally hundreds of usability guidelines have been proposed by experts yet these guidelines are often not followed in practice. This paper proposes a model to provide greater structure in thinking about website usability. As this model suggests, usability raises a gamut of issues that differ in visibility and severity. The model can be applied by information systems educators, researchers, and practitioners as a tool to generate insight and improve usability practices.