The results of this study provide a scale and model that can be used as a basis for future research. Research opportunities include the exploration of the Career Relevance construct, and how it may predict or interact with Attitude, Brand Reputation, and the use of Heuristic cues and Systematic cues as a result of the website experience. Career Relevance may have an effect on Attitude and Brand Reputation before and after website evaluation. How relevant is the university website to the user’s needs or interests? Unfortunately, due to a Qualtrics system problem, participant responses on the survey items associated with the Career Relevance construct were lost. This study, therefore, did not produce data to suggest how Career Relevance might play into the university website user’s experience. Also of interest in the model would be the construct of Behavior post-website evaluation. If future researchers find the model predicts Attitude, can it predict
Running Head: UWES 85
Behavior as well? For example, a practical application would include a university interested in finding whether the model predicts increased chance for application in prospective students. Therefore, I encourage other researchers to capitalize on these opportunities.
Future researchers could also explore how participant characteristics impact variability in the website user experience. Do the relationships between factors hold consistent across diverse populations? What participant characteristics moderate or mediate the website user experience or the consequential website attitude or university appraisal? For example, systematic cues about the overall experience include items regarding multiculturalism and internationalism at the university as perceived by the website. One may hypothesize that if a website is particularly appealing in this respect, users are from traditionally marginalized populations may appraise the university differently than others as a result of the website experience.