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Usability testing and design of a library website: An iterative approach
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of the usability studies used by the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries during the redesign of their website.
Design/methodology/approach
The Libraries used a web‐based survey to determine needs, proceeding to the prototype design, and completing the process with the final design and user testing. Think‐aloud protocols, used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the final design, asked participants to verbalize their thoughts as they completed a series of tasks.
Findings
The results of the protocols indicated several key weaknesses with respect to navigation, screen design and labeling, leading to more revisions and the final release. Testing indicated that color and graphics attract attention; font, labels, and placement increase visibility; chunking and leading with keywords increase readability; and consistency increases usability.
Research limitations/implications
This is a case study and therefore not necessarily representative to the general population of library website design efforts.
Practical implications
This paper describes several methods of gathering feedback during website design or usability testing with an emphasis on think‐aloud protocols.
Originality/value
The techniques used here may be useful to others who are approaching redesign and usability testing of their own sites and interested in creating a user‐centered design.
... According to Steinau et al. [81], systems with these features are known to be learned more rapidly by the users and increase the users' satisfaction. George [83] also argued that all elements used during the design of websites should express a cohesive whole and be consistent with each other. Accordingly, a consistent website not only attracts in terms of visuality but also shortens users' learning curves and increases the overall usability of the website. ...
... George [83] argued that all elements used during the design of websites should express a whole and be consistent with each other [81][82][83][84] UI regions should be consistent across devices while adapting to different breakpoints of different screen sizes Feedback Educational content helps users understand what an app will be able to do once it has content Wichansky [87] demonstrated that feedback is an element that should be included in usability tests [85][86][87][88] An acknowledgement should notify the user about system actions occurring in the background Help Help content should be easy for users to find and it can be placed at various points in your navigation Roy et al. [91] underlined that assistance support should be integrated into the process when users need it and while performing their tasks [90,91] Users should have the opportunity to submit comments, report bugs, and ask questions that are not already answered by the help content Interaction Selected items should be distinct from unselected items Kang [95] found that the interaction has an indirect effect on usability as a supportive factor for factors such as visualization and orientation in mobile devices [6,66,[72][73][74][75][76] It should be noted how much emphasis should be placed on the different types of states Navigation and motion system Make transitions quick and easy to follow ...
... George [83] argued that all elements used during the design of websites should express a whole and be consistent with each other [81][82][83][84] UI regions should be consistent across devices while adapting to different breakpoints of different screen sizes Feedback Educational content helps users understand what an app will be able to do once it has content Wichansky [87] demonstrated that feedback is an element that should be included in usability tests [85][86][87][88] An acknowledgement should notify the user about system actions occurring in the background Help Help content should be easy for users to find and it can be placed at various points in your navigation Roy et al. [91] underlined that assistance support should be integrated into the process when users need it and while performing their tasks [90,91] Users should have the opportunity to submit comments, report bugs, and ask questions that are not already answered by the help content Interaction Selected items should be distinct from unselected items Kang [95] found that the interaction has an indirect effect on usability as a supportive factor for factors such as visualization and orientation in mobile devices [6,66,[72][73][74][75][76] It should be noted how much emphasis should be placed on the different types of states Navigation and motion system Make transitions quick and easy to follow ...
This study aims to conceptualize mobile application usability based on Google’s mobile application development guidelines. A survey instrument is developed and validated to measure the concepts evolved from conceptualization. A three-step formal methodology has been used like domain development, survey instrument development, and evaluation of measurement properties. In the first step, the guideline on the material.io website prepared for mobile applications has been examined with line-by-line analysis for conceptualization. In the second step, a survey instrument has been developed according to the open codes derived in the first step and the literature. In the last step, explanatory and confirmatory evaluations of the survey tool have been made by collecting data from users for mobile shopping applications. A total of 12 constructs and their open codes that define mobile application usability were revealed with an iterative systematic approach. The survey instrument was tested with a face validity check, pilot test (n = 30), and content analysis (n = 41), respectively. Then, explanatory factor analysis ensures factor structure in the first sample with a total of 293 questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis verifies the scale characteristics with the second sample with a total of 340 questionnaires. For nomological validation, the effects of twelve usability constructs on brand loyalty, continued intention to use and satisfaction were also shown. The findings indicate that this study is significant for practitioners working in the field of mobile applications. The concepts and the survey instrument for mobile application usability may be used during mobile application development or improvement phases.
... These efforts include granting access to traditional services (e.g., journal and book searches, room reservations, instruction, consultations) using a variety of mobile applications and Web 2.0 tools (e.g., social networking sites, blogs, wikis). The intent is to create and maintain intuitive and effective websites that meet users' needs and preferences adapted to a wide variety of devices (Aldrich, 2010;Fang, 2007;George, 2005;Houghton, 2000;Kroski, 2008;Tullis & Stetson, 2004). ...
... Iterative website evaluations and continuous improvement are essential to meet users' needs in times of rapid changes in technology. Researchers describe the importance of identifying current patrons' needs and providing responsive designs so evolving library websites are effective and relevant to patrons (Aldrich, 2010;George, 2005;Kroski, 2008). Iterative website upgrades and improvements require constant evaluation of patrons' use patterns and needs (George, 2005). ...
... Researchers describe the importance of identifying current patrons' needs and providing responsive designs so evolving library websites are effective and relevant to patrons (Aldrich, 2010;George, 2005;Kroski, 2008). Iterative website upgrades and improvements require constant evaluation of patrons' use patterns and needs (George, 2005). Evaluation tools used for such efforts include observations, built-in analytics, surveys, talkalong tasks, and usability testing. ...
Objective – When the Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) at Brigham Young University released a new website with same-look capabilities for computers, tablets, and smartphones, we undertook a summative assessment to review website features and to determine baseline measures of website access via device and patron group.
Methods – The study used a mixed methods approach using three levels of assessment (focus groups, an online survey, and a usability test), with each level informing the subsequent level.
Results – The website changes were well-received by the overwhelming majority of patrons. Device usage was associated with the type of task for which patrons were accessing the website. Computers were used primarily for research-related tasks (e.g., accessing journals, databases, and the main search bar). Smartphones were used primarily for on-the-go tasks (e.g., accessing personal accounts, finding library hours, and reserving group study rooms). Tablets fell between these two. Several website services were identified as being underused. Study results were moderated by time of release (i.e., only half of survey participants had viewed the new website) and access to device (i.e., many patrons did not have access to a tablet or a smartphone).
Conclusions – The summative assessment of the HBLL’s new website was well-received and viewed as a positive change. While most patrons were initially unaware of the same-look feature across devices, this was considered to be a positive change. As devices become more accessible for patrons, it is believed that website access by device will change. A follow-up study is planned to assess any changes in use patterns or use of access devices.
... Liu, 2004;Rogers & Preston, 2009;Turnbow, Kasianovitz, Snyder, Gilbert, & Yamamoto, 2005). Problems in implementing this process are also indicated by some researchers (George, 2005;VandeCreek, 2005). However, the implication of reasons for this redesign process is not mentioned much in literature. ...
... Library change could be in a specific service (circulation, reference, et cetera) or in the organizational structure (for example, the change from one manager to management board, merging of two small libraries into one). Recently, a type of library change which is mentioned widely is academic library website redesign (George, 2005;King & Jannik, 2005; H. Liu, 2004;Rogers & Preston, 2005;VandeCreek, 2005 Brinkley (1999) on her paper stated the reasons which make library website become an ideal connection between library and users: "Technically the Web is a perfect medium for providing easy, seamless access to information resources from any location" (Brinkley, 1999, p. 18). And the library sites, together with other archival websites, have "large amounts of great content, graphical user interfaces that encourage exploration" (Shelstad, 2005, p. 209). ...
... Liu, 2004, p. 28). George (2005) depicted three design phases followed to achieve the aim. Those are: ...
... Changes to it would affect them too and were therefore outside the scope of our project. Other libraries that performed usability testing have reported similar findings regarding the importance of understandable terminology (3,4), the visibility of links (3)(4)(5), or the use of colour (3,5). Kupersmith reviewed studies evaluating terminology and provides lists of "what didn't work", "what did work" and best practices (6). ...
... Changes to it would affect them too and were therefore outside the scope of our project. Other libraries that performed usability testing have reported similar findings regarding the importance of understandable terminology (3,4), the visibility of links (3)(4)(5), or the use of colour (3,5). Kupersmith reviewed studies evaluating terminology and provides lists of "what didn't work", "what did work" and best practices (6). ...
Since the University of Zurich required all departments to use the same content management system, a makeoverof our Main Library’s website was planned for 2017. Following Steve Krug’s book Don’t make me think, revisited,we reduced the contents and tried to build an easy to understand and straightforward navigation for the users. Toverify our concept, we arranged “do-it-yourself” usability tests. Three test sessions with three persons each weresufficient to find out what had to be improved on the website, and were more helpful than hours of discussionamong the team. Usability testing helped us to understand our customers' search behaviour and expectations fornavigation. It was also entertaining and a novel way of interacting with our customers.
... Several user studies were conducted as part of library website redesigns or with the goal of examining usability characteristics across different academic library home pages. Many library home page usability issues have been explored in the literature, such as the presence of particular design elements, the use of white space and the visual presentation of particular design elements, the priority users place on the presence of certain links, and the placement of search features and user behaviours regarding them (Jones & Leonard, 2011;Kasperek, Dorney, Williams, & O'Brien, 2011;McHale, 2008;George, 2005;Swanson & Green, 2011). Polger (2011) also compared librarian and student terminological preferences for library websites (p. 1). ...
... The Favourites menu and the Archives link also held little appeal to the distance students as they did not seem to relate to their primary reasons for using the website. Indeed, the prominence of the search feature on the library website's home page accorded with the priorities established by the participants (i.e., searching for resources) (George, 2005;Swanson & Green, 2011;McHale, 2008). ...
Many academic libraries conduct extensive user studies when redesigning their websites, considering characteristics such as design features, information architecture, and link and information placement. One of the less studied aspects impacting library website usability is choice of language. This article presents the results of a usability study conducted at a small Canadian academic library that assessed the impact of word choice on user interactions with its library website. The author provides an overview of the relevant literature and explores the role that word choice, especially on a library website’s home page, can play in user experience.
Plusieurs bibliothèques universitaires effectuent des études d’utilisabilité lors des refontes de sites Web pour tenir compte de caractéristiques telles les particularités techniques, l’architecture de l’information ainsi que le placement des liens et de l’information. L’un des aspects les moins étudiés concernant l’utilisabilité d’un site Web de bibliothèque est le choix du langage. Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude d’utilisabilité effectuée à une petite bibliothèque universitaire canadienne qui a tenté d’évaluer l’impact du choix des mots et les interactions des usagers avec son site Web. L’auteur fournit un survol de la littérature pertinente et explore quel rôle le choix des mots, surtout sur la page d’accueil d’un site Web de bibliothèque, peut avoir sur l’expériences des usagers.
... As outlined by George (2005, p. 167), the services provided by "University Libraries have extended well beyond those offered at an on-site facility". However, as the requests, services and numbers of items available increase in online availability, off-site (Web site) use increases (George, 2005). Furthermore, on a global scale, the design, usability and functionality of Web sites are critical if academic libraries are to continue providing vital services to their users in an efficient, effective and timely manner. ...
... Usability evaluations of library Web sites study all aspects related to how users find information on these sites (Vassiliadis and Stimatz, 2002). George (2005) advocated for academic libraries to see having a Web site as a competitive edge. He noted that Web sites need to provide users with access to information through a user interface that facilitates easy access and is visually appealing, functional, with easily navigable links, as well as easily identifiable search features. ...
Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment of the usability of the University of the West Indies, Mona, Main Library’s Web site by Master of Arts students of the Department of Library and Information Studies (D.L.I.S.) for the identification of major strengths and weaknesses of the site and to incorporate the results and participant feedback into a redesign that reflects users’ intuitions rather than those of the site developers and library staff.
Design/methodology/approach
– One method was used to collect data; Observation. Its instruments included a list of activities executed by students followed by a checklist, which reflected day-to-day usage of the Main Library’s Web site by Master of Arts students in the D.L.I.S. In addition, both usability heuristics and International Standards Organisation (ISO) guidelines were used to assess effectiveness, learnability, usefulness, functionality, navigability and user satisfaction. Respondent strategies used a sample size of five participants in the focus group sessions. Experimental strategies combined observation of five individual participants who performed the usability tests.
Findings
– The findings identified challenges in the site’s navigation, user satisfaction and learnability.
Research limitations/implications
– There can be further assessment, as this study did not speak specifically to students with disabilities or took into consideration the views of the librarians. Additionally, more ethnographic approaches are required to elicit distinctive Caribbean user behaviors.
Practical implications
– The study concludes that usability training should be incorporated into the culture of the library organization as well as more usability testing needs to be done on a more regular basis and on a more student interactive basis.
Originality/value
– The paper presents issues of usability and the impact of technology on information access, memorability, learnability and functionality of an academic library’s Web site.
... Usability testing is a method used to identify problems and look for opportunities to improve a design (Moran, 2019). It has previously been used to optimise the design of educational websites (George, 2005;Manzari and Trinidad-Christensen, 2006;Basic, 2018), infographics , and instructional healthcare material (Lonsdale et al., 2020a;Lonsdale et al., 2020b). The results showed that the 'good' design was effective in its purpose as there were no major design problems identified and the information was located efficiently. ...
Infographics are becoming a common tool in the communication of public-health information. However, research-based resources in how to create effective infographics are rare. The application of design principles in the creation of infographics has been shown to more effectively communicate information. Here, the research explores the adherence of 84 research-based infographic design principles on 3 designs of varying levels of application. A multi-method approach, including eye-tracking, was used to record information location efficiency, memorability and user perception. Support was found in favour of utilising design principles in the creation of public health infographics; resulting in improved user opinion and information location.
... An experimental study was designed to assess people's eye movements when exposed to (simulated) websites of family and non-family businesses in the hotel industry to close this gap. Visual attention to the headings of different websites was similar to the experiment performed by Cortinas et al. (2019) and George (2005). In this way, it was found that visual attention to the web stimulus (header) positively and directly influences the recognition of the FFI. ...
Communicating the identity of a family business generates positive results in consumer response. Therefore, understanding how the efficient transmission of family identity can influence consumer behavior is essential for designing family firms' marketing communication strategies.
An experimental study based on the eye-tracking technique was designed to determine how attention to (familiar vs. non-familiar) visual stimuli on a website influences consumer recognition of a family firm status and how it influences consumer behavior. A sample of 212 individuals was exposed to (simulated) websites of family and non-family firms in the hospitability industry to capture information about their eye movements and measure visual attention to specific stimuli that communicated family identity.
Visual attention has a direct and positive influence on recognizing family firm identity. Through family firm identity, visual attention has an indirect positive effect on trust in the company and attitude toward the brand. Trust in a firm positively affects purchase intention.
It is known that consumers can perceive a family firm's identity; however, there is no study on the sensory mechanisms operating in consumers' perceptions of family identity. This study contributes to understanding how consumers can perceive a family firm's identity. This study proposes a novel method for evaluating consumer responses by transmitting family business identity on digital platforms.
... A website design that provides a positive user experience across computers, tablets and smartphones is a critical aspect of academic libraries' efforts that ensures patron access with ease anywhere and anytime (Aldrich, 2010;Fang, 2007;George, 2005;Houghton, 2000;Kroski, 2008;Tullis and Stetson, 2004). Responsive design automatically adjusts a website layout based on the access device's screen size making it possible for a library's website to serve a variety of devices equally well (Rennick, 2019;Tidal, 2017;Zaugg et al., 2015). ...
Purpose
Four years after the release of a responsive design website that provides a dynamic screen layout across three access devices (computer, tablet and smartphone), a repeat study was conducted to determine changes in the way that library website functions are and are not accessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey, similar to the original study, was used to determine the rate of access of 20 website functions by three access devices (computer, tablet and smartphone) and a “did not use” (DNU) category. A two-proportion Z -test was used to determine significant differences in the rate of access for each website function and the “did not use” (DNU) category by each access device from 2014 to 2018.
Findings
The computer is still the primary tool used to access website functions, but its rate of use is declining, while access via the smartphone is increasing, including research and for learning functions traditionally accessed only by computer. Access by tablet, with poor website function access rates in 2014, declined in use, with some rates approaching zero. Increases in the DNU category for website functions occurred, but reasons why were not determined. The increases raised questions about the relevance of some of the website functions and if other actions are needed to increase use.
Originality/value
Repeating the 2014 study provided insights into the changing landscape of device preferences for accessing library website functions. The number of significant changes identified demonstrates the importance of recurring studies to determine how online access to library website functions evolves over time.
... It is worth to note that Genov proposes a general scheme for applying control system theory to iterative usability testing at early stages of design. There is also related work that shows how an iterative usability testing process was applied successfully in the context of a Library website (George 2005). However, they performed ad hoc usability evaluation for a very specific domain while we propose a method that could fit on any website, and also full supported by a specific tool at each stage. ...
Usability evaluation is an essential task in web application development. There have been several attempts to integrate user-centered design with agile methods, but it is hard to synchronize their practices. User testing is very valuable to learn from feedback of actual use, but it remains expensive to find and solve usability problems. Furthermore, the high cost of usability evaluation forces small/medium-sized companies to trust the first solution applied, without actually testing the success of the solution or considering a possible regression in usability, as could be highlighted by an iterative testing method. In this article, we advocate for a usability improvement cycle oriented by user feedback, and compatible with an agile development process. We propose an iterative method supported by a toolkit that allows usability experts to design user tests, run them remotely, analyze results, and assess alternative solutions to usability problems similarly to A/B testing. Each solution is created by applying client-side web refactorings, i.e., changes to the web pages in the client which are meant to improve usability. The main benefit of our approach is that it reduces the overall cost of user testing and particularly, A/B testing, by applying refactorings to create alternative solutions without modifying the application’s server code. By making it affordable for usability experts to apply the method in parallel with the development cycle, we aim to encourage them to incorporate user feedback and try different ideas to discover the best-performing solution in terms of the metrics of interest.
... Visibility and matching the system with the real world situation are the real determinant to examine difficulty and means of evaluating the webpage (Yates, 2005;McGillis and Toms, 2001). Navigation and Consistency of the website are essential if the library want to maintain the role of its service provision to its clientele on time and at its fastest possible time (George, 2005). A very good suggestion that was made by McGillis and Toms (2001) on the usability study that will enhance the site performance is to minimize the number of text and increase link sources which is very vital since users do not wish to spend their limited time in reading. ...
This work tried to evaluate three National Library Websites from three different African countries which includes; National library of Nigeria website, National library of Uganda website and National library of Namibia website, using the ten heuristic evaluation criteria suggested by Danino. This study tried to look at other evaluation criteria as evaluated by other researchers. The research design that was adopted for this study is the descriptive research design. Method of data collection was through observation, instrument for data collection is heuristic checklist, findings showed that the library websites were adequately designed and contained all the relevant information although one of the website appeared more organized and quick linking than the others the architecture to this websites will help the visitors to the site to navigate the web easily and be able to access and retrieve information as at when due. Introduction Information exists for the sole purpose of satisfying its users and all the activities and totality of its functions is geared towards this purpose. The achievement of this purpose is measured in the effectiveness and usability of its information services. The National library as a golden gate for unlimited Nations Information richness and Cultural Heritage is highly expected towards quick and readily accessible Information of all kinds (Mohamadesmaeil & Koohbanani, 2012). In this information technology era, Libraries are facing many challenges because the new technologies and current trends have immensely influenced the user perceptions, expectations and requirements towards Information. The manual library routine gets so tedious daily due to its slow pace in making Information readily available and accessible which actually deteriorates the jet age attraction to library. It then becomes important for the libraries (National) in particular to rethink their mission and policies to provide a way for retrieving and exploring the information through websites. A website can be described as the collection of related pages which may include multimedia content, identified with a common domain name which is published in a common server or site. A website has many functions and can be used in various ways. A website can be designed for a particular group of people, organizations or NGOs but the common thing is that what will be contained in the website must be related issues meant for that particular purpose, which either could be for education or entertainment. The public websites are accessed through the internet while that of the company is done through intranet. Website can be divided into two categories and there are static and interactive website. In a nut shell, an interactive website is the website that allow visitors or users to interact with the system or the owner of the website, example of the interactive website is web 2.0 mostly used in the library. While the static website is the site where information is captured but do not allow the user to edit or delete anything hence denying the visitors of the website the opportunity to interact Elsevier Library Connect (2003). The National library has the role of collecting, maintaining and preserving intellectual resources, all the nations literally output for forthcoming generation, promotion of education, culture and research, National
... Visibility and matching the system with the real world situation are the real determinant to examine difficulty and means of evaluating the webpage (Yates, 2005;McGillis and Toms, 2001). Navigation and Consistency of the website are essential if the library want to maintain the role of its service provision to its clientele on time and at its fastest possible time (George, 2005). A very good suggestion that was made by McGillis and Toms (2001) on the usability study that will enhance the site performance is to minimize the number of text and increase link sources which is very vital since users do not wish to spend their limited time in reading. ...
This work tried to evaluate three National Library Websites from three different African countries which includes; National library of Nigeria website, National library of Uganda website and National library of Namibia website, using the ten heuristic evaluation criteria suggested by Danino. This study tried to look at other evaluation criteria as evaluated by other researchers. The research design that was adopted for this study is the descriptive research design. Method of data collection was through observation, instrument for data collection is heuristic checklist, findings showed that the library websites were adequately designed and contained all the relevant information although one of the website appeared more organized and quick linking than the others the architecture to this websites will help the visitors to the site to navigate the web easily and be able to access and retrieve information as at when due. Introduction Information exists for the sole purpose of satisfying its users and all the activities and totality of its functions is geared towards this purpose. The achievement of this purpose is measured in the effectiveness and usability of its information services. The National library as a golden gate for unlimited Nations Information richness and Cultural Heritage is highly expected towards quick and readily accessible Information of all kinds (Mohamadesmaeil & Koohbanani, 2012). In this information technology era, Libraries are facing many challenges because the new technologies and current trends have immensely influenced the user perceptions, expectations and requirements towards Information. The manual library routine gets so tedious daily due to its slow pace in making Information readily available and accessible which actually deteriorates the jet age attraction to library. It then becomes important for the libraries (National) in particular to rethink their mission and policies to provide a way for retrieving and exploring the information through websites. A website can be described as the collection of related pages which may include multimedia content, identified with a common domain name which is published in a common server or site. A website has many functions and can be used in various ways. A website can be designed for a particular group of people, organizations or NGOs but the common thing is that what will be contained in the website must be related issues meant for that particular purpose, which either could be for education or entertainment. The public websites are accessed through the internet while that of the company is done through intranet. Website can be divided into two categories and there are static and interactive website. In a nut shell, an interactive website is the website that allow visitors or users to interact with the system or the owner of the website, example of the interactive website is web 2.0 mostly used in the library. While the static website is the site where information is captured but do not allow the user to edit or delete anything hence denying the visitors of the website the opportunity to interact Elsevier Library Connect (2003). The National library has the role of collecting, maintaining and preserving intellectual resources, all the nations literally output for forthcoming generation, promotion of education, culture and research, National
... Study shows that users experienced difficulties in 6 understanding the site's information architecture . George discussed the use of web-based survey and think-aloud protocol to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the original design 7 during redesigning the academic library website . King & Jannik described the usability testing of the library website and 8 incorporating the feedback from user testing . ...
Libraries have made their presence on the Web in the form of library website to cater the information needs of its users. User-centered usable website is the need of the present day. Library websites are evolved as the information gateway to the resources acquired or subscribed by the library, whether it is in print form or in electronic form. This paper describes the efforts made for improving the usability of the website of the Central Science Library (CSL), University of Delhi. Improvements made in the website were based on the outcomes of the usability evaluation of the library website. Information architecture of the redesigned website homepage; reorganization of the content and addition of the new features are discussed in this paper.
... In the last few decades, several usability evaluation studies have been conducted by applying variety of alternative approaches in different countries. For example, studies by Joo, Lin and Lu [9] have developed a usability evaluation model including three dimensions along with 18 measurement items for library websites and tested its reliability and validity from actual users; McGillis and Toms [10] have evaluated academic library website usability with having given task completion from library users; Raward [11] has introduced a user centred design model with usability checklist based on human computer interaction principles for library websites evaluation; George [12] has conducted a usability study for enhanced the Carnegie Mellon University Library website following the think aloud protocol to determine the strengths and weaknesses; King and Jannik [13] have expressed the usability testing process which they followed for evaluate the Georgia Institute of Technology Library; Turnbow et al. [14] have discussed the usage of structured analyses, think aloud protocol, user surveys, and card sort protocol while evaluating the usability of the UCLA Library website; Kim [15] has established a usability evaluation framework for institutional repository systems; Buchanan and Salako [16] have introduced a multi method approach usability evaluation framework for digital libraries; Hariri and Norouzi [17] have proposed 22 usability evaluation criteria for digital library user interface usability evaluation; Raju and Harinarayana [18] have made an attempt to identify the usability features of library websites of top science universities around the world. In summary, the importance of website usability evaluations among the perceptions and behaviours of web users can be well identified from the past website usability studies. ...
... In the last few decades, several usability evaluation studies have been conducted in different countries and a variety of alternative approaches to website usability evaluation have been proposed in previous works. For example, studies by Joo, Lin and Lu have developed a usability evaluation model including three dimensions along with 18 measurement items for library websites and tested its reliability and validity from actual users (Joo, Lin, Lu, 2011); McGillis and Toms have evaluated academic library website usability with having given task completion from library users (McGillis, Toms, 2001); Rawardhas introduced a user centred design model with usability checklist based on human computer interaction principles for library websites evaluation (Raward, 2001); Hammillhas conducted a usability test at Florida International University library website based on multiple evaluation criteria (Hammill, 2003); George has conducted a usability study for enhanced the Carnegie Mellon University library website following the think aloud protocol to determine the strengths and weaknesses (George, 2005); Jeng has proposed a usability evaluation model for digital libraries on the basis of effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction and learnability (Jeng, 2005); King and Jannik have expressed the usability testing process which they followed for evaluate the Georgia Institute of Technology Library (King, Jannik, 2005); Turnbow et al. have discussed the usage of structured analyses, think aloud protocol, user surveys, and card sort protocol while evaluating the usability of the UCLA Library website (Turnbow et al., 2005); Dee and Alain have pointed out that the easy to use and intuitive were the most effective factors for website usability (Dee, Alain, 2006); Kim has established a usability evaluation framework for institutional repository systems (Kim, 2011); Raju and Harinarayana have made an attempt to analysis of usability features of top science university library websites around the world (Raju, Harinarayana, 2008); Buchanan and Salako have introduced a multi method approach usability evaluation framework for digital libraries (Buchanan, Salako, 2009); Rogers and Preston have conducted the usability evaluation of the University of the West Indies library website to identify the major strengths and weaknesses in user perspectives (Rogers, Preston, 2009); Hariri and Norouzi have proposed 22 usability evaluation criteria for digital library user interface usability evaluation (Hariri, Norouzi, 2011).In summary, past website usability studies provided a well understanding of the effects of website usability constructs on insights and behaviours of web users. However, there is space for further studies because each study used different number and types of usability dimensions with different environments and measures similar dimensions using different measurement items. ...
... This result is in line with those reported in previous studies (e.g. Ebenezer, 2003;George, 2005;Stephan et al., 2006;Alasem, 2013;Okhovati et al., 2016). In this study, inconsistencies in design and content were found to be the most violated usability problems as in other previous studies (e.g. ...
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the usability of the National Library of Turkey website developed for all citizens in the country to retrieve information available in a wide range of areas.
Design/methodology/approach
The evaluation performed by 57 undergraduate university students involved the identification and analysis of usability problems in the selected website. The assessment process was mainly based on Nielsen's Heuristics. The data obtained in the evaluation process was enriched using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to conduct a more detailed analysis.
Findings
The participants identified many usability problems concerning the evaluated website and considered it as having low usability characteristics. The most violated heuristic item was found to be “consistency and standards” whereas the least violated heuristic item was “match between system and the real world”. The total number of the usability problems in heuristic evaluation correlated significantly and negatively with the SUS and the NPS results indicating that the more participants identified usability problems, the less they considered the website as usable and recommendable.
Research limitations/implications
The participants were not usability experts, however they were selected from among the students who received the Human Computer Interaction course to ensure that they had sufficient information and experience concerning the evaluation of a website with heuristics. Besides, the study was limited to a small number of university students. The implication is that results of this study have potential to guide libraries, which plan to adapt themselves to the digital world by delivering web services, by addressing critical points influencing users’ points of views toward library websites and their usability evaluation result.
Practical implications
Depending on the changes in user habits regarding the retrieval of information, libraries have made considerable investments in web technologies to meet their users’ demands, and recently, digital libraries have begun to take over physical libraries. Users always need to perform tasks efficiently, effectively and satisfactorily when using websites. As one of the most crucial sources of digital materials, library websites are expected to have usable characteristics that satisfactorily meet user requirements. Therefore, the practical implication is that the findings of the study will guide designers, developers and practitioners in the development of library websites.
Originality/value
In the context of usability evaluation of digital libraries, this is the first study to analyze effects of usability problems identified by users during the heuristic inspection on their overall evaluation score and willingness to recommend the website to their friends or colleagues.
... According to [6], the severity ratings from one evaluator are not reliable, so three evaluators are recommended. This evaluation has been used in several usability evaluations [7,8] and gives guidelines and standard reviews for making a judgment when TTSR is implemented with end users. ...
When an evaluation for detecting usability problems is conducted in low-cost thermostat interfaces, several usability problems can show up in one evaluation, and sometimes results are difficult to interpret to correct those problems. If an expert is not implementing, evaluating, and analyzing the test, part of the information could be lost. In addition, designers of interfaces need support in order to provide the most important usability problems. On the other hand, it is important that consumers of low-cost thermostat interfaces use the interface in a correct manner to save energy and time when they are installing and programming the thermostat. Therefore, the usability problems must be eliminated in interfaces before the consumer uses the interface. Thus, the critical usability problems, which drive thermostats to a catastrophe usability problem in the interfaces, have to be found and solved during the design stage to get a successful interface design in the early stages. This paper presents a framework based on information from experts and consumers to solve usability problems. Moreover, it gives a structure and guidelines for designing and evaluating thermostat interfaces. This proposal assumes that it is possible to use information from experts and consumers for detecting and solving usability problems. The framework includes information from experts who rank the usability problems, and then this information is used to design the time on task and success rate evaluations for end users during the design process.
... The range of services offered by university libraries have expanded well ahead of those offered purely at an on-site facility. Off-site use has increased in pace with the demand and availability of online journals, books, materials, search options and services (George, 2005). Today patrons not only visit the library physically, but also electronically through library websites (Emde, Morris and Wilson, 2009). ...
Purpose
Library websites serve as gateways to the information resources and services of their libraries. In today’s digital age, the development of websites is inevitable for libraries as a means to provide users with online services at their desktops. This case study reports the findings of a usability study of an academic library website from the user’s perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey on the efficacy of the website and statistical reports from Google Analytics were used as tools to assess and track the use of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) Institute of Information Technology’s (CIIT’s) library website resources by national and international users. A sample of 550 users was invited by e-mail to respond to the questionnaire covering various usability features of the website.
Findings
Findings reveal that users are largely satisfied with the usefulness, convenience, design and quality of CIIT library website. Moreover, the users are mostly making use of the website for accessing research papers through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) digital library, exploring free online open access journals, searching for e-books and examining the library collection via online public access catalog (OPAC). This shows that the library website has a significant role in the pedagogical activities of the CIIT community.
Research limitations/implications
The results are limited to a case study of CIIT, Islamabad campus library website.
Practical implications
The findings of this study will help the library administration to overcome existing deficiencies in the CIIT library website.
Originality/value
The study is a foremost usability evaluation of CIIT, Islamabad campus library website from the user perspective.
... As part of the content and keyword argument, George (2005) discovered that images and Flash graphics are aesthetically pleasing to visitors. Prior to the visitor looking at a Web page's text sequentially (as when reading a book), visitors first and foremost are attracted to colours, images and graphics. ...
Introduction. The objective of this research was to prove that implementing search engine optimisation elements that are in contradiction to Website usability attributes is essential to improve rankings. Method. Three Websites were use: the control Website was used for benchmarking purposes; the experimental Website was created to conduct additional experiments for Website usability and triangulation purposes; and experimental Website two integrated all on-page search engine optimisation elements but ignoring all contradictory Website usability attributes. Analysis. Quantative statistical analysis was conducted on the data by means of the univariate analysis of variance test, the linear regression analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. Experiments indicated that the implementation of search engine optimisation elements is essential to improve rankings and that Website usability attributes are essential to increase conversions (such as purchases) and thus return on investment. Conclusions. We confirm that on-page search engine optimisation elements have a direct impact on how commercial search engines interpret Web pages in terms of ranking. Secondly, search engine optimisation elements that are in contradiction to Website usability were identified. Finally, we conclude that the application of both search engine optimisation elements and Website usability attributes are essential for maximising conversion generation.
... It validates the clarity and the conciseness of the website. A study conducted by George (2005) entitled "Usability testing and design of a library website: an iterative approach", provided a case study regarding on redesigning the University's Library Website that surveys for determining the needs, prototype designs, and the process of finalizing the design and user testing. The study also regards the strengths and weaknesses of the website for the application of redesigning. ...
Usability is a major concern of cognitive ergonomics, which is the study of the behavior of human mediated by the cognitive devices and tools. This study identified that the online academic portal has an average level of usability. It observed a significant 59.61% satisfaction rating from the users utilizing the mentioned portal. A sample size of 281 rated the contributory factors of the portal's usability through a deployed questionnaire. The 10 independent factors under the constructs of Attractiveness, Controllability, Efficiency, Helpfulness, and Learnability significantly affect the general factors (dependent) of the portal's usability, namely user-friendliness, service effectiveness, and service efficiency. The Logistic Regression identified the independent factors namely Accessibility to Immediate Information, User-Interface, Voice of Customer, Ease of Navigation, and Account Security as critical to the portal's usability. The Accessibility to Immediate Information ranked as the most critical among all of the independent factors. On the other hand, the Service Efficiency emerged as the most essential general factor of usability that the users consider on the portal. The Structural Equation Modeling validates that the identified critical factors are really determinants of the portal's usability. Recommendations such as improving and taking advantage of the major contributory factors are expected to improve the usability of the academic portal.
... As part of the content and keyword argument, George (2005) discovered that images and Flash graphics are aesthetically pleasing to visitors. Prior to the visitor looking at a Web page's text sequentially (as when reading a book), visitors first and foremost are attracted to colours, images and graphics. ...
Introduction. The objective of this research was to prove that implementing search engine optimisation elements that are in contradiction to Website usability attributes is essential to improve rankings. Method. Three Websites were use: the control Website was used for benchmarking purposes; the experimental Website was created to conduct additional experiments for Website usability and triangulation purposes; and experimental Website two integrated all on-page search engine optimisation elements but ignoring all contradictory Website usability attributes. Analysis. Quantative statistical analysis was conducted on the data by means of the univariate analysis of variance test, the linear regression analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. Experiments indicated that the implementation of search engine optimisation elements is essential to improve rankings and that Website usability attributes are essential to increase conversions (such as purchases) and thus return on investment. Conclusions. We confirm that on-page search engine optimisation elements have a direct impact on how commercial search engines interpret Web pages in terms of ranking. Secondly, search engine optimisation elements that are in contradiction to Website usability were identified. Finally, we conclude that the application of both search engine optimisation elements and Website usability attributes are essential for maximising conversion generation.
... The characteristics and extension of the documents provided created two separate effects. Ségolène Royal's website scored highly in the downward (Castells 2007) and large amounts of text reduce a website's usability and readability (Nielsen 2004;George 2005). The 'Notebooks' are in reality a metaphor of the participative democratic proposal that is behind the inclusive discourse in However, the interactivity presented is again closer to the definition of parasocial interactivity than that of interactivity as defined by Kiousis (2002). ...
The Internet first played a minor role in the 1992 U.S. Presidential election, and has gradually increased in importance so that it is central to election campaign strategy. However, election campaigners have, until very recently, focused on Web 1.0: Websites and email.
... Website usability enhances the site's credibility and increases the usage. In European countries, numerous studies have been carried out on library website usability evaluation and redesign projects [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . However, the Asian countries are far behind their Western counterparts in this regard 10 . ...
The usability of the website of the main library, University of Colombo was measured for its effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction through usability testing technique and post-test questionnaire. The study found that overall effectiveness of the library website was 88.69% while efficiency was 1.35 minutes/task. Overall, the users were very satisfied (3.94) with the library website. © 2015, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR). All rights reserved.
... users " levels of frustration or anxiety) [Benbunan-Fich, 2001]. This enables the evaluator to understand how the users view or interpret the website interface being evaluated, and to identify any major problems that they may experience when using the interface [George, 2005]. ...
This dissertation is concerned with a comparative study of traditional in-lab usability testing method and synchronous remote usability testing method. These two methods were compared through an evaluation of a social networking site, which involved four points of comparison: number and type of problems discovered, overall task performance, test participants‟ experiences, and the researcher‟s experience. The results of the study showed that there were no significant differences between the two usability test methods with respect to the criteria mentioned above. Therefore, usability researchers who are interested in evaluating social networking sites can use both in-lab and remote testing methods to do so. Recommendations for conducting such research are included at the end of this dissertation.
... Toutefois, il ne s'agit pas là d'un moyen assuré, car l'étudiant doit de se rendre sur le site Web de la bibliothèque et doit remarquer ces informations. L'emplacement des renseignements sur un site Web a fait l'objet de nombreuses études permettant aux bibliothécaires de mieux comprendre comment l'étudiant utilise un site afin de repérer des pages particulières (George 2005;Stephan, Cheng et Young 2006). Mais, en plus de promouvoir les ateliers sur le site Web de la bibliothèque, il importe de cibler d'autres sites universitaires consultés par les étudiants : les portails, la page d'accueil, les calendriers d'activités, les associations et les pages départementales représentent d'autres espaces d'affichage pouvant accroître la visibilité et l'importance des ateliers. ...
... Results indicated a number of problems with the existing design of the web site; for example starting points for searches and help links could not be easily identified. George (2005) conducted a usability study of the Carnegie Mellon University library web site in which nine participants were asked to complete a set of tasks. Variables measured included the functionality, usability, strengths, and weaknesses of the site. ...
This paper examines how library users access, use, and interact with two social discovery systems used in two Canadian public library systems. How do public library users interact with social discovery systems? How does usage between the two social discovery systems compare? Daily transaction logs of the social discovery systems used by the two libraries were compiled from May-August, 2010. Fifty sets of bibliographic records were compared to evaluate user-contributed content. Results indicate that features that allow for user-generated content are underused in both systems. Future research will thus focus on clients' motivations for engaging with the social features of social discovery systems, and their perceptions of, and satisfaction with, the benefits of these features.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to share the process, findings and conclusions from one library’s iterative usability study of its website design to inform other libraries as they perform their own assessments.
Design/methodology/approach
A task-completion usability study was conducted with eight undergraduate students across two iterations: the first gauged the usability of a redesigned library website and the second gauged the effectiveness of the first iteration’s findings.
Findings
We found that users performed better when the site provided multiple access points to the same information, displayed a prominent chat feature, limited the amount of text on a given page and avoided library jargon. Not only was the second round of testing important for confirming that first-round recommendations were effective but also it proved useful in catching a problem with the site that was unintentionally created during the time between tests.
Research limitations/implications
No demographic data were collected during the study, thus hindering our ability to analyze our users through these data points.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates the value of iterative usability testing, especially when untested changes made between site versions may produce usability issues.
The purpose of this study was to explore the users' experience of web content of the National Library and Archive of Iran. To investigate the user experience, a contextual inquiry was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of users and the context of their real work. Data analysis was also used to complete the results. Contextual inquiry is an interpretive and qualitative approach in the form of semi-structured interview which is based on conversation with users. "Sentence completion" is a kind of UX method in which users completed some statements about the website of the national library and archive of Iran. The results revealed eight general categories about the user expectations and experiences on the web content of National Library and archive of Iran, including search, research utilities and knowledge development, personalization and customization, library space and in-site location, interaction, events, information architecture, and design and appearance. The results provide proper basis for the development of the website of national library and archive of Iran and similar libraries as well as digital library software. These results, along with suggestions for improving the user experience of the National Library Web site, provide valuable ideas for entrepreneurs and business startups and app designers about real
Big retailers with deep pockets offer an extensive array of merchandise to persuade customers. Offering wide variety of products to capture diverse buyers may look like an eye-catching opportunity. Nevertheless, this may not always be the paramount tactic especially for small and mid-size businesses, as it often requires big investments. The research aims at evaluating the attributes of some prominent niche websites like Big Small, Chumbak, etc. This evaluation is based on the user’s perspective of what and how they feel and experience about these niche e-retailer’s website. The objective of the research is to identify the factors influencing efficiency of niche Indian retail websites and rank them on the basis of the factors identified in influencing efficiency.A two-phase methodology is adopted for the assessment of niche websites strategies. The two phase methodology adopted includes, identification of the factors for measuring website efficiency. Analytical network process (ANP) is utilized for evaluating these prominent niche websites. The study is based on the information gathered from users of online unique gifting websites. This study suggests a ranking of a set of assessment criteria that can be applied to measure efficiency of niche e-commerce websites. Based on the identified evaluation criteria the niche retailers are also ranked by applying ANP. The outcome will enable e-retails to identify the crucial attributes and align the website with the customer’s preference to provide them with enriched customer experience It will also help the e-retail companies in developing a responsive and performance driven e-commerce website.
Introduction. This article evaluates library websites of world class universities in Indonesia from several aspects including features, responsibility, and speed. One library website overseas is explored as a reference: Harvard University.
Data Collection Method. This is a literature study exploring features on library websites of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Telkom University.
Data analysis. The study used Harvard University library website as a reference. The results were presented into tables to discuss library websites of UGM and Telkom University.
Results and Discussion. Harvard University library webiste has 21 features except gallery, UGM has 11 features and Telkom University has 12 features similar to Harvard University library webiste. Our result showed that Library website of UGM and Telkom University still need to be improved as required to be a world class university. All three websites has an adjustable display depending on devices in accessing websites. Those three websites were considered as responsive websites. Based on PageSpeed Insight, they showed good performance.
Conclusion. Information on the websites are well-managed, informative, efficient, and accessible. Universities in Indonesia may use several overseas university library websites as a reference.
A few years ago, artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent manufacturing process have been growing exponentially. A Forbes insight survey regarding artificial intelligence shows that the manufacturing sector classifies AI as highly important to the manufacturing functions in the last five years so AI has a predominant place in the manufacturing process and it will continue growing up. Sometimes, AI is always linked only with robots or humanoids because they could be deployed in productions lines.
Chronic health conditions in children and youth are important health problems that seriously affect all aspects of their everyday lives. There is growing recognition of the need to promote disease self-management in youth with chronic health conditions. While there is evidence of the effectiveness of self-management programs to improve health outcomes in pediatric chronic illnesses, there are barriers to youth receiving these services. Internet-based programs offer an innovative approach to improve the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of these programs. This chapter provides an overview of Internet-based chronic disease self-management treatment programs for children and youth. It defines and describes the underlying theories, processes, and content elements of Internet-based self-management programs. Practical tips for program development and evaluation in terms of improved health outcomes are also discussed based on the authors’ experience with developing the “Teens Taking Charge: Managing Arthritis Online” self-management program for adolescents with arthritis. Future directions for theory, research, and clinical practice are also described.
The growth in the Indian retail sector, specifically the online retailers, is coaxing the industry to look for innovative ways to attract customer attention. To respond to these changing market dynamics, the focus of the online retailers is diverted towards improvising their online portals. Modern Websites must accommodate a number of factors that can enhance the user experience. Thus, it is very imperative for the online retailers to understand the factors that affect the buying behaviour of Indian consumers. Contemporary studies in the field of e-retailing have mainly focused their attention on giving the customers the buying experience which can ultimately be culminated into seeking their loyalty. However, a systematic and effective overview of factors influencing the buying behaviour of e-commerce users is still lacking in the literature. In this regard, the present study focuses on developing a quantitative assessment framework in order to identify and evaluate the relationships between the factors that can lead to enhanced online user experience using fuzzy set theory and DEMATEL technique. The fuzzy set theory helps us to incorporate the vagueness in the decision-making, while DEMATEL method is used to portray the contextual relationship among the identified factors. The study is based on the data collected from users of online grocery retail Website. The results help the e-retail companies to identify the crucial indicators for developing a responsive and performance-driven e-commerce Website.
Website usability is an important aspect for a website of electronic commerce as main objective of it lies in presenting the information as vividly as possible without any scope for ambiguity. Moreover the items should be placed appropriately under various heads along with the versatility of being operated on various browsers and gadgets. Hence the final goal of a website operator is to provide an unmatched experience to the users. Apart from developing websites for various objectives, they also cater to various different functions like information, business, services etc. There has been an explosion of e-commerce websites over the past few years that have changed the way business houses and customers engage in commerce related activities. Electronic Commerce can simply be stated as a method of purchasing, exchanging and selling in commerce related activities via internet. The websites of electronic commerce are divided into B2B, B2C, C2C and C2B. The prime aim of paper here is analyzing impact of a website's usability on customer's attitude. So to meet the objectives and infer the results, exploratory and descriptive research designs were used. To capture the data from the respondents, a survey was done with the help of a well structured questionnaire. A total of 350 respondents were approached for data collection. The data was captured using convenience and judgment sampling techniques. SPSS software was used to interpret the result.
Big retailers with deep pockets offer an extensive array of merchandise to persuade customers. Offering wide variety of products to capture diverse buyers may look like an eye-catching opportunity. Nevertheless, this may not always be the paramount tactic especially for small and mid-size businesses, as it often requires big investments. The research aims at evaluating the attributes of some prominent niche websites like Big Small, Chumbak, etc. This evaluation is based on the user’s perspective of what and how they feel and experience about these niche e-retailer’s website. The objective of the research is to identify the factors influencing efficiency of niche Indian retail websites and rank them on the basis of the factors identified in influencing efficiency.A two-phase methodology is adopted for the assessment of niche websites strategies. The two phase methodology adopted includes, identification of the factors for measuring website efficiency. Analytical network process (ANP) is utilized for evaluating these prominent niche websites. The study is based on the information gathered from users of online unique gifting websites. This study suggests a ranking of a set of assessment criteria that can be applied to measure efficiency of niche e-commerce websites. Based on the identified evaluation criteria the niche retailers are also ranked by applying ANP. The outcome will enable e-retails to identify the crucial attributes and align the website with the customer’s preference to provide them with enriched customer experience It will also help the e-retail companies in developing a responsive and performance driven e-commerce website.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated list of heuristics and an information architecture (IA) framework for the heuristic evaluation of the IA of academic library websites as well as an evaluation framework with practical steps on how to conduct the evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
A set of 14 heuristics resulted from an integration of existing usability principles from authorities in the field of usability. A review of IA literature resulted in a framework for dividing academic library websites into six dialogue elements. The resulting heuristics were made applicable to academic library websites through the addition of recommendations based on a review of 20 related studies.
Findings
This study provides heuristics, a framework and workflow guidelines that can be used by the various evaluators of academic library websites, i.e. library staff, web developers and usability experts, to provide recommendations for improving its usability.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of the usability principles is the evaluation of the IA aspects of websites and therefore does not provide insights into accessibility or visual design aspects.
Originality/value
The main problem that is addressed by this study is that there are no clear guidelines on how to apply existing usability principles for the evaluation of the IA of academic library websites.
The rapid development of information technology and persuasive use of Internet in every aspect of an individual’s life changed the way library users use libraries and what content and services they expect from their library website. Library users often complain that library websites are not user friendly and do not allow customers to find information they need by themselves due to the clutter of the content and technical jargon understood only by librarians. For a library website to meet the needs and expectations of its customers, it needs to be designed using User-Centred Design. Following this approach, this paper proposed a process necessary to understand the library users, benchmark other library websites, conduct user needs assessment, define content strategy, conduct task analysis, card sorting, prototyping, heuristic review and usability testing to ensure the website is designed with its customers in mind. The process described in this paper is based on author’s experience in the UX industry.
Bilgisayar ve internet teknolojilerindeki hızlı değişim insanların hayatlarında bir takım değişikliklere neden olmuştur. İnsanlar günlük
hayatta yaptıkları işleri bilgisayar sistemleri aracılığıyla artık daha kolay ve kısa yoldan gerçekleştirebilmektedir. Tüm bu kolaylıkların yanı sıra geliştirilen sistemlerin kullanıcı odaklı olmaması, kullanıcıların bu sistemlerde sorunlar yaşamalarına sebep olmaktadır. Bu sorunlar kullanılabilirlik kavramını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Kullanılabilirlik, bir ürünün belirli kullanıcılar tarafından belirli amaçlar doğrultusunda etkili, verimli ve belirli bir kullanım çerçevesinde memnuniyetle kullanabilme derecesi
olarak
tanımlanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada kullanılabilirlik değerlendirme yöntemleri ve türleri ile literatürde yer alan çevrim içi öğrenme ortamlarında yapılmış olan kullanılabilirlik çalışmaları ele alınmıştır. Yapılan araştırma sonucunda, incelenen çalışmalardaki kullanılabilirlik değerlendirmelerinin birçoğunun uzman temelli ve kullanıcı testleri yaklaşımlarıyla gerçekleştirildiği görülmektedir.
Purpose
With the rise of virtual library users and a steady increase in digital content, it is imperative that libraries build websites that provide seamless access to key resources and services. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Usability testing is a valuable method for measuring user habits and expectations, as well as identifying problematic areas for improvement within a website.
Findings
In this paper, the authors provide an overview of user experience research carried out on the University of Toronto Scarborough Library website using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods and detail insights gained from subsequent data analysis.
Originality/value
In particular, the authors discuss methods used for task-oriented usability testing and card sorting procedures using pages from the library website. Widely applicable results from this study include key findings and lessons learned from conducting usability testing in order to improve library websites.
A literature study was undertaken and it was concluded that no digital academic library exists that is easy to use, has no copyright issues and is optimized for academic use. Little is known about what quality criteria are deemed most important to a user when conducting an empirical test of the human computer interface, specifically under these circumstances. Academics and students seem to have special requirements in terms of interfacing with a collection of academic documents, and these have not been addressed in an empirical experiment. A comprehensive understanding of these criteria will shorten the testing and debugging phase of the project, as the design will be user-centric, focusing mostly on the crucial quality aspects as identified by the academic user of that HCI. It was decided to use the traditional approach of: Concept, Requirements, Design, Build, Test and Release. Early results seem to indicate that this design will be successful, and a pilot study has had positive results. Extensive user testing is still to be done.
The primary objective of this research project was to identify and investigate the website usability attributes which are in contradiction with search engine optimisation elements. The secondary objective was to determine if these usability attributes affect conversion. Although the literature review identifies the contradictions, experts disagree about their existence.An experiment was conducted, whereby the conversion and/or traffic ratio results of an existing control website were compared to a usability-designed version of the control website,namely the experimental website. All optimisation elements were ignored, thus implementing only usability. The results clearly show that inclusion of the usability attributes positively affect conversion,indicating that usability is a prerequisite for effective website design. Search engine optimisation is also a prerequisite for the very reason that if a website does not rank on the first page of the search engine result page for a given keyword, then that website might as well not exist. According to this empirical work, usability is in contradiction to search engine optimisation best practices. Therefore the two need to be weighed up in terms of importance towards search engines and visitors.
Although chronic pain is relatively common in childhood, many teachers feel ill-prepared to work with students with chronic and recurrent pain in the classroom and would like to learn more about supporting these students. A web-based eHealth intervention designed to provide information about pain and pain management in the classroom was developed based on input from clinicians, and usability was tested using three groups of stakeholders (i.e., youth with chronic pain, parents of youth with chronic pain, and teachers). Preliminary testing indicated that the usability goals were met, with the majority of participants in all groups indicating that the website was easy to use and that they would either recommend it to teachers or use it themselves. Minor design and content changes were suggested and made, whereas major changes will be made in the future. Results provide encouraging preliminary support for the utility of eHealth interventions as knowledge translation and dissemination tools for educators.
Proper design has become a critical element needed to engage website and mobile application users. However, little research has been conducted to define the specific elements used in effective website and mobile application design. We attempt to review and consolidate research on effective design and to define a short list of elements frequently used in research. The design elements mentioned most frequently in the reviewed literature were navigation, graphical representation, organization, content utility, purpose, simplicity, and readability. We discuss how previous studies define and evaluate these seven elements. This review and the resulting short list of design elements may be used to help designers and researchers to operationalize best practices for facilitating and predicting user engagement.
The Website is the trademark of the modern distance education (DE) system as DE is vastly dependent on the World Wide Web in delivering academic programs and student support services. DE authorities and administrators should make every effort to ensure that their Web interfaces are intuitive and easy to use for supplying “any time, any place” service. Unfortunately, we distance educators in Asia are far behind our Western counterparts in this aspect. This article explores the level of accessibility of Websites of members of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) in order to provide the results to the Asian DE authorities. The author's primary objectives in writing this article are to highlight the importance of Web accessibility for distance education institutions and their libraries in catering to a wide range of user groups and to point out how easily barrier-free Websites can be created if the basic rules of Web accessibility are followed.
Location-based services (LBS) provide users with customized information or functionality by considering users' current geographical locations. In this paper, we present an LBS architecture for facilitating information provisioning from multiple providers based on users' locations. The architecture includes a central component called service router whose main task is to forward information requests from the users' mobile applications to target information providers. The architecture assumes that information is stored in content management systems (CMSs). The architecture requires that the CMSs provide the same service interface as one in the service router. This interface is to allow programmable access to the information. This architecture offers three main benefits: (i) natural fit to real-world situation, in which an area is administered by an authority, (ii) consistent presentation by allowing the mobile applications to restructure and reformat information from the providers, and (iii) scalability by delegating the routing tasks to a composition of service routers in a hierarchical architecture.
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.
In 2008, University of California, Irvine (UCI) Libraries launched their first Find Science Information online tutorial. It was an innovative web-based tool, containing not only informative content but also interactive activities, embedded hyperlinked resources, and reflective quizzes, all designed primarily to educate undergraduate science students on the basic components of finding science information. From its inception, the UCI Libraries intended to update the tutorial, ensuring its continued relevance and currency. This article covers the authors' process in evaluating and revising the tutorial, including usability testing and the changes made to the tutorial based on findings. One particular discovery was a need to contextualize the tutorial by more thoroughly addressing the scholarly communication system of the sciences, which led to its being restructured around a science information life cycle model. A literature review and comparison images from the original and revised tutorial are included.
Chronic health conditions in children and youth are important health problems that seriously affect all aspects of their everyday lives. There is growing recognition of the need to promote disease self-management in youth with chronic health conditions. While there is evidence of the effectiveness of self-management programs to improve health outcomes in pediatric chronic illnesses, there are barriers to youth receiving these services. Internet-based programs offer an innovative approach to improve the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of these programs. This chapter provides an overview of Internet-based chronic disease self-management treatment programs for children and youth. It defines and describes the underlying theories, processes, and content elements of Internet-based self-management programs. Practical tips for program development and evaluation in terms of improved health outcomes are also discussed based on the authors' experience with developing the "Teens Taking Charge: Managing Arthritis Online" self-management program for adolescents with arthritis. Future directions for theory, research, and clinical practice are also described.
Purpose
– The paper aims to evaluate the usability of the website of Central Science Library (CSL), University of Delhi. Multi-method approach of evaluation is used with the use of standard checklist and questionnaire survey of representative users. Besides, the information architecture of the website under study is analysed in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
– Based on the literature review and the author’s experience, a usability assessment tool for library websites was developed by Pant (2013). It comprises standard checklist and questionnaire for users’ survey. In the present study, this framework was used to assess the usability of CSL website. The questionnaire survey of 35 representative users was conducted through random sampling. The results of both methods (standard checklist and questionnaire survey) were analysed for evaluating the website usability.
Findings
– Need for improvement of the website was realised in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and learnability for better usability. Notice board, site search facility, list of services, FAQs and user guides were the most sought after features among others as per the analysis of the questionnaire survey. Besides, the need to enhance the visual appeal of the website was felt. However, information resources provided through the CSL website were found useful for users.
Originality/value
– The paper presents an innovative multi-method approach of website usability assessment while considering six usability attributes: Usefulness, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Learnability, Satisfaction and Accessibility. The approach adopted in this paper is cost effective in comparison to formal usability tests and heuristic evaluation. Therefore, this framework is suitable for libraries having limited budget to ensure the user-centred library website with maximum usability. This paper encourages other libraries to conduct similar website usability evaluation to identify the usability problem areas and users’ perception for their respective website.
Personas, stemming from the field of user-centered design (UCD), are hypothetical users that represent the behaviors, goals, and values of actual users. This study describes the creation of personas in an academic library. With the goal of leveraging service-generated data, the authors coded a sample of chat reference transcripts, producing two numeric values for each. The transcripts were plotted on an X/Y graph where X represented the nature of the user's information need and Y represented the nature of the user's motivation. A k-means cluster analysis of the plotted points produced four clusters, which served as the personas' basis.
Student-centric site proposal – proposing key changes to the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries' website site to increase student usage
- J Anderson
- W Long
- N Los
- A Pottmeyer
- B. Sellner
Student-centric site proposal - proposing key changes to the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries' website site to increase student usage”, unpublished report
- J Anderson
- W Long
- N Los
- A Pottmeyer
- B Sellner