Yale University
Library Web Site Usability Study (10/09/01)
October
2001
The
Front Door Committee ran a small usability study to test some elements of the
Front Door that staff or patrons had identified as potentially confusing or
difficult to find or understand. The questions were targeted to discover whether
the presumed problems were indeed problems.
Three
members of the Front Door Committee constructed and administered the survey.
Five people were surveyed – two undergraduates, two graduate students, and one
new staff member. We chose to follow the advice of Web usability expert Jakob
Nielsen, whose studies of qualitative user testing has indicated that testing
five users yields enough data for decision-making in an iterative design process.
In this survey, we found that results from five respondents were inconclusive
for a couple of questions, but were useful in helping us determine how to recast
questions for a future survey.
The
text of the survey is below. The italicized section after each question provides
the reason for asking the question, a summary of responses, and any resulting
decisions or changes made by the Front Door Committee.
Yale
University Library Web Site Usability Study (10/09/01)
October
2001
[Greeting] I’m ____________________, position, of the
Yale University Library. Would you be
willing to spend 10 minutes or less on a study to analyze the Library’s Web
site? The information gathered in this study is confidential and it will be
used by the Library’s Front Door Committee to:
·
Understand how people are using the library’s Web site
·
Pinpoint problem areas
·
Identify ways to improve the library’s Web site.
[They
must consent.]
Thank
you for taking the time to participate in this study. Your feedback is extremely helpful as we look for ways to continue
improving our Web site.
I
will ask you to complete four tasks using the Library’s Web site. I will look over your shoulder as you work.
Please also think out loud as you work through the tasks. This is not a test
of your research ability. Your actions and your thoughts will help us ascertain
how people approach and use the library’s Web site. For certain questions I
may ask you to elaborate or explain your actions in more detail. Following the
four tasks, I will ask you a few other questions about you and your use of the
Web.
******************************************************************************
PART
1
1.
Find the phone number for the Sterling Memorial Library Reference Desk.
This
question is in response to a patron complaint that he couldn’t find the SML
Reference Desk number anywhere on the site. Some respondents did find it through
“Libraries & Collections A-Z” and then “Sterling Memorial Library”(the SML
page includes a link to Contact Information, which gives the Reference Desk
phone number). Two respondents tried the “Reference Services” link on the Front
Door. That page provides a link to “Sterling Memorial Library,” which is the
RSC Reference Services page, which did not include the phone number. RSC immediately
added complete contact information to that page.
2.
How would you determine if the Library has a copy of To
the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf?
We wanted to know whether
people saw and used the Orbis search box on the Front Door, and if so, whether
they chose a search type before launching the search. Some respondents did use
that box and chose a search; others clicked on the “Orbis and Library Catalogs”
link and launched the search from that page. One of those who clicked to the
Orbis page commented that he didn’t realize the search box on the Front Door
was an Orbis search; he just assumed it was a site search. Given the prevalence
of “search this site” boxes on Internet sites, this may be a common assumption.
We decided to re-test this question in a future survey, and to take no action
now based on limited data.
3.
Imagine that you will be away from New Haven for some time and you want
to be able to access the Library’s databases while you’re gone. How can you
do this?
This question tested
how patrons find proxy server information, and whether our links to it and the
language we use make sense. Some respondents were familiar with the term “proxy
server” and found the link on the “Databases & Article Searching” page.
Another was not familiar with the term, but went to a specific database description
page and found the appropriate link (which reads “Off-campus Access: Using the
Remote Authentication Proxy Server”). Some respondents were not familiar with
the concept – perhaps rewording the question to clarify that the issue is being
off the Yale network, or using a different Internet Service Provider, would
help. We decided to make no changes to the language or link placement, but will
revisit this question in a later survey.
4. Search
the library’s Web site for information about photocopying in the library.
This question attempted
to determine whether people saw the “Search this Site” link. Most of the respondents,
however, tried to “search the library’s Web site” by clicking on links, and
had to be prompted to find a search engine. They all did so, after scanning
the page. This question should probably be reworded and retested again.
PART
2
1.
How often do you use the library’s Web site?
Most
respondents used it fairly frequently, for very specific tasks (Orbis and databases).
2.
How easy/difficult do you think it is to use this Web site?
All
said easy, that the site was well organized. One respondent commented that the
font was quite small and might be difficult for people with poor eyesight.
3. What is your affiliation?
____
Yale Faculty
____
Yale Graduate Student
____
Yale Undergraduate
____
Yale Staff
____
Other (please elaborate)
Two
undergraduates, two graduate students, one staff member.
TESTER: Thank you for taking the time to help us with
this usability study.
© 2007 Yale University Library
This file last modified 10/18/06
Send comments to libweb@www.library.yale.edu
