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1.
Abstract

Primo Analytics from two campuses of the California State University system has revealed that a dramatically low proportion of Primo searches originate from mobile devices. The current study focuses on usability concerns as one area that may be preventing students from searching the Primo mobile interface. The sample for this study includes students from two campuses with a variety of experience with library instruction and searching the library’s discovery system. Participants were given the same set of six common academic tasks to complete. Both mobile and desktop participants found three tasks relatively easy to complete. When there were differences in completion rates between the mobile and desktop users, the desktop users were overall more successful. No task was consistently difficult for desktop users to complete, while mobile users found two of the tasks very challenging to complete. Based on the findings, the authors make recommendations for improving the experience of mobile users.  相似文献   

2.
ABSTRACT

This article presents a case study in user-centered design that explores the needs and preferences of undergraduate users. An analysis of LibQual+ and other user surveys, interviews with public service staff, and a formal American with Disabilities Act accessibility review served as the basis for planning a redesign of the Brown University Library's Web site. Three testing phases were conducted: individual usability testing of the existing site and baseline data collection on Web use preferences; focus groups to respond to a functional prototype and search prototypes; and individual usability testing and interviews on revised functional prototypes. The delicate task of obtaining staff buy-in without letting their opinion drive the redesign was accomplished by keeping the project team small and nonrepresentational, submitting all conflicts to user testing, and promising an intranet that would meet the specialized needs of staff. A commitment to experimentation and a willingness to jettison design and functional elements which did not meet user approval kept the design process agile and flexible. Prototype testing of a variety of search options clearly demonstrated that the lack of integration in a library's information system makes it difficult to rationalize and optimize the user's search experience. Difficulties enlisting staff to edit existing Web content were solved by outsourcing content review and editing for Web-appropriate length and format. Except for this content review, the Web site redesign and usability testing were all conducted in-house with limited resources and a nine-month time-frame. The study's focus on user expectations and nomenclature largely confirmed the results of previous studies.  相似文献   

3.
ABSTRACT

Based on in-person, task-based usability testing and interviews, the authors' library Web site was recently overhauled in order to improve user experience. This led to the authors' interest in additional usability testing methods and test environments that would most closely fit their library's goals and situation. The appeal of card sorting methods became evident: learning more than users' points of confusion interacting with the site, but learning users' preferences for grouping pages or concepts and naming various library links. The appeal of the online venue for card sorting was first that testing could incorporate input from a larger base of users than in-person testing alone, and, additionally, that testing could include the university's online-only student population.  相似文献   

4.
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5.
ABSTRACT

Digital libraries and collections are a growing facet of today's traditional library. Digital library technologies have become increasingly more sophisticated in the effort to provide more and better access to the collections they contain. The evaluation of the usability of these technologies has not kept pace with technological developments, however, and the end-user has in some cases been left behind. This research study evaluates the usability of digital collections created using the CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management System, a software system used by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Specifically, this study addresses the following questions: Does CONTENTdm meet users' needs? Is the interface sufficiently intuitive for them to use it? Is the experience of exploring digital collections using CONTENTdm satisfying to users? Employing usability testing techniques with actual-end users, this study attempts to assess the efficacy of the CONTENTdm public interface as well as user attitudes toward it. Ten participants from three user groups—faculty, library science graduate students, and the general public—performed eleven tasks designed to test the key functions of CONTENTdm-created collections and then answered a series of questions about their experiences. Key findings from this study indicate that while the included digital collections are useful and desirable to end-users, the interface generated by CONTENTdm can be confusing even for those who have considerable experience using the Internet. Results from this study may be used to improve this software system and add to the literature surrounding the usability of digital libraries in general.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract

This case study explores the concept of the design cycle as a guiding principle for choosing usability methods. It discusses the stages of the design cycle alongside the strengths and weaknesses of usability methods commonly used in libraries. Hollins University applied the design cycle principles to the redesign of the library’s website, which involved various methods (e.g. analytics, card sorting, content audit, surveys, and usability testing). This article argues that using the design cycle encourages an effective practice of mixing different usability methods, which leads to a more informed approach to improving usability. It concludes with recommendations for application of the design cycle to library projects.  相似文献   

7.
Abstract

The MetaLib Library Portal (MetaLib) is a federated search tool that enables simultaneous searching of multiple electronic resources in a single interface and provides links to resources' native interfaces. Many libraries have already implemented this library portal or various components of it. Prior to launching MetaLib at the University of Florida, the authors conducted a usability study to ensure MetaLib features implemented were appropriate for UF's research community. A total of fifteen faculty researchers and graduate and undergraduate students participated in testing and discussing the product during the spring 2006 semester. This paper illustrates the process used to evaluate MetaLib, which included determining a timeline, developing scenario-based and focus group questions, recruiting participants, and conducting usability tests and focus groups. In addition, the authors describe some of the major findings of the study and the solutions recommended in the formal “Usability Test Report for MetaLib,” and provide an analysis of the challenges associated with usability testing of a federated search tool.  相似文献   

8.
《图书馆管理杂志》2013,53(3-4):517-547
ABSTRACT

Incorporating usability into any Web site creation or redesign is essential. Capturing the perspective of the user makes the site more efficient and effective for the people who will actually be using it. There are a number of usability techniques and several can be incorporated in a study of remote users. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how the traditional usability techniques of focus groups and formal usability studies can be extended to studies involving off-campus users.  相似文献   

9.
ABSTRACT

As the World Wide Web has advanced since its inception, librarians have endeavored to keep pace with this progress in the design of their library Web pages. User recommendations collected from focus groups and usability testing have indicated that the University of Scranton's Weinberg Memorial Library's Web site was not working as intended, and the library's home page, in particular, was cluttered. Focus groups indicated that the process of accessing the library's databases from off-campus took too many steps, key resources were not located in key areas of the page, links were too close together, and the font was too small. Library staff determined it was necessary to rethink and redesign its pages. Self-reports from focus groups were insufficient to get at the mechanics of Web page use. Through usability testing, librarians were able to observe students and faculty completing simple research and directional tasks. Before “going live” with the new page in January 2007, users who had participated in the focus groups and in the usability testing were surveyed about the redesigned library Web page. The users indicated that the new Web page was less confusing, easier to use, and somewhat more intuitive than the previous library Web page. Web sites are always works in progress, and academic librarians should be proactive about making changes to their library Web sites to take advantage of emerging technology and to meet user expectations.  相似文献   

10.
St. John Fisher College's Lavery Library's Access Services and Systems departments began a pilot project in which students with overdue fines tested usability of library Web sites in exchange for fine waivers. Circulation staff promoted the program and redeemed fine waiver vouchers at the Checkout Desk, while Systems staff administered testing and provided vouchers to participants. Staff evaluated the pilot to be a success, as qualitative data were collected to enable iterative changes to library Web sites, and users had a positive customer service experience. The piloted method may be applied in the future to assess other programs and services.  相似文献   

11.
ABSTRACT

Growth of their college's off-campus and online course offerings led librarians at SUNY Oswego to run usability tests with off-campus students to compensate for a lack of responses from this population during earlier usability testing. Constraints on testing with off-campus students included lack of funding and librarian time, as well as difficulty in attracting student participation. A brief usability study that could be completed by students in the first 10 minutes of class was devised, consisting of a first click test, a survey question, and a top task analysis activity. The study was conducted with 22 students from a satellite-campus Master's in Education program. Discussion includes selecting appropriate tests, analysis of study results, and application of data for improving Website design and information literacy instruction in an academic library.  相似文献   

12.
ABSTRACT

Web site usability concerns anyone with a Web site to maintain. Libraries, however, are often the biggest offenders in terms of usability. In our efforts to provide users with everything they need for research, we often overwhelm them with sites that are confusing in structure, difficult to navigate, and weighed down with jargon. Dowling College Library recently completed a redesign of its Web site based upon the concept of usability. For smaller libraries in particular, such a project can be a challenge. The Web site is often maintained by one or two people, and finding the time and resources to conduct a usability study is difficult in that situation. Additional demands of a site redesign, from restructuring page layouts to adding visual appeal, only add to the burden. However, our team of four librarians was able to do it. We focused on vocabulary and organizational structure using a card-sort analysis. This analysis taught us how our users approach the information on our site. Task-based testing confirmed what the card-sort analysis had taught us and smoothed out design problems. Incorporating user feedback at nearly every stage of the process allowed us to create a site that more closely mirrors how our users look for information on our site. This study details how using testing and analyzing results throughout the redesign process created a better, more user-friendly Web site.  相似文献   

13.
ABSTRACT

User feedback on Web site design can be vital to understanding what issues library users may encounter when visiting a Web site, but obtaining this feedback can be time consuming, difficult to structure, and expensive. In past years, staff working on the Cal Poly Pomona University Library Web site collected user feedback from surveys and usability testing. This team was interested in acquiring a more basic understanding of how users interact with the Web in general, whether for research or other purposes, and how such experiences could inform design decisions. This article will discuss what focus groups are, why libraries should consider conducting focus groups for Web site testing and development, how focus groups can complement usability testing, and if focus groups are worth the time and effort. Results from focus group sessions will also be shared and discussed including information that fueled design decisions and benefits that participants gained from the experience.  相似文献   

14.
In 2016, Utah State University (USU) Libraries redesigned the library website’s main menu and underlying information architecture (IA) in response to a number of known usability problems and limitations. Card sorting studies were conducted with a group of USU undergraduate students and a mixed group of faculty and graduate students to help develop a better understanding of users’ mental models of library-related research and service tasks. Participants worked in teams to sort, rank and label cards pertaining to the content and feature of the library’s website. Afterwards, participants discussed and performed usability tasks on each other’s categories. Results were used to inform the design of a new IA and menu structure, while best practices from usability studies and trends in academic library website design were used to help with menu and link labeling. The final design was validated through follow-up discussions with staff, usability tests, and category/reverse category tests.  相似文献   

15.
A mobile site redesign was conducted at a medium-sized academic health sciences library with the goal of creating a site that meets the mobile information needs of its users. The redesign phases included (1) needs assessment, (2) usability testing, and (3) site design. The survey results showed that Apple devices were the most prevalent; the most desirable activities performed on a mobile site were searching for articles, accessing full-text articles and e-books, searching databases, and searching the catalog. These activities guided the development of the usability testing tasks and the redesign. All phases were completed within six months, and the total project cost was $50 for incentive purchases.  相似文献   

16.
《资料收集管理》2013,38(1-2):225-234
SUMMARY

Electronic resources (ER) constitute an increasingly significant portion of library collections, both in usage and cost. It is vital to design easy, efficient access to these collections as users have other online options to meet their information needs. Thus, an important goal for ER librarians is to provide a usable ER site. Formal usability testing is a powerful tool to help librarians create the most useful site for their customers. This chapter will cover the basic components of usability testing and suggest ways in which ER librarians can lead efforts in their institution to improve the customer experience with library Web sites. ER librarians can create buy-in from library staff for usability testing as a worthwhile method to improve access to ER through involvement in the process and sharing results of the testing. The responsibilities of ER librarians vary from one institution to another, but all share in the mission of the profession to serve its customers' information needs. This chapter addresses the possibilities of usability testing as a force to maximize the user experience with the collections ER librarians manage.  相似文献   

17.
SUMMARY

This article highlights the California Cultures Project as a case study examining the architecture and framework required to support the deployment of digital objects as virtual collections at the California Digital Library. Chronologically arranged, it describes the Online Archive of California (OAC) Working Group's functional requirements for access to digital objects independent of parent finding aids, and the development and implementation of infrastructures supporting this vision. Discussion includes project organization and content selection for digitization, Web site service vision for K-12 teacher target audience, best practices for encoding, data standards, lesson plans, metadata requirements, METS creation tools, project manuals, repositories, search engines, tools enabling customizable interfaces, user assessment, and usability testing.  相似文献   

18.
Boopsie, Inc. develops mobile applications for libraries, universities, conferences, and businesses. The researchers in this study investigated the usability of the Boopsie mobile application for a medium-sized academic library. Based on data collected from a series of qualitative interviews with undergraduate students, this research captured the users' experiences finding several types of information using a mobile application created by Boopsie. Three thematic findings emerged from seven study participants: Libraries should carefully select resources and features for inclusion in mobile applications; the simplicity of the mobile application interface offers some advantages over a conventional library Web site; and users may find the application more compelling for in-depth research than for answering quick questions. As result of this research, one library made modifications to its Boopsie application to improve usability. The results offer librarians or libraries practical advice about the promises and pitfalls of implementing a mobile library application.  相似文献   

19.
ABSTRACT

Academic libraries have been working diligently to provide device neutral mobile access to key elements of their library websites, like hours, contact information, and catalogs. But once a mobile user makes it through these access points on his mobile device, what happens beyond that point? Can he or she use the library’s links to third-party content, like interlibrary loan forms, the institutional repository, and databases, on a mobile device? Laura Turner, Head of Technical Services at the University of San Diego’s Copley Library, recently performed basic mobile testing of third-party content links on her library’s website. She relied on resource reports generated by Alejandra Nann, Copley’s Electronic Resources and Serials Librarian, as well as Nann’s troubleshooting of access issues during the testing. Their presentation reviewed the efforts and outcomes of testing links to the resources on mobile devices as well as workflow suggestions and promotional ideas for incorporating mobile access as a library service.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract

Three sources indicated the need for designing a usability study of the Western Michigan University Libraries' Web site: the results of the 2004 LibQUAL+ survey; the completion of the library's new strategic planning document; and suggestions by library customers and library staff. LibQUAL+ findings and customer comments suggested customers desired more independent use of the library site; better and easier electronic access to library resources, allowing customers to search for and find content on their own; and improved online help. A usability analysis was conducted with graduate and undergraduate students. The results from a task-based questionnaire, observations by investigators, and follow-up discussion sessions are presented. Investigators found usability testing alone may not be adequate to gain the qualitative data necessary for ascertaining the site's ease of use and usefulness and that a multipronged approach might be needed when evaluating a library Web site.  相似文献   

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