closer user needs assessment
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by John Kaye to the CLOSER leadership team Nov 2012TRANSCRIPT
User Needs Assessment
John Kaye – British Library
November 2012
www.slideshare.net/johnkayebl
Overview
Timescales, aims, approach and outcomes Proposed Report Structure Identifying the Users Initial Findings – User Behaviour Initial Findings – Disciplines and Topics Data to be collected & Analysed Questions and Discussion
Timescales & aims
First Draft February 2013, Final April 2013 Identify the potential major user groups of the USP
and outline their characteristics. Examine their goals, purposes, and objectives in
using the USP:
what do users want to accomplish?
what are their overall aims?
how can the USP help to accomplish these aims?
Approach & Desired Outcomes
Desk based analysis and literature review based on existing data sources
The main outcomes of this report will be: A review of the current situation
Typical user groups and their characteristics and aims
A set of use scenarios to aid the design of the USP
Recommendations for the design of the USP
Recommendations for future research
Proposed Report Structure Introduction (scope, method and context) Who are the users? Current Situation Location type and use of resources Disciplines and topics trends Other initiatives User Group Needs
Needs for Academic Researchers
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Career
Needs for Educational Teachers (School and University)
Needs for Policy Makers
Needs for Funders Use Scenarios Recommendations
Identifying the Users
The Cohort Studies and their outputs have a range of potential users, they are used in academic research, teaching and as evidence in forming policy in the public sector.
Academic research: Undergrad, Postgrad, Doctoral, Post-Doc, Academic, non-institutional researchers
Educational Teaching: School, Undergrad, Quant skills Funders: ESRC/MRC Policy: Education, Health, Social, Central Govt,
Organisational Policy (NHS, LEA etc.)
Identifying the Users Government department (policy) users include (From Longitudinal
Champions): Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Communities and Local Government
Department for Education
Department for International Development
Department for transport
Department of Health
Department for Work and Pensions
Food standards Agency
Government Equalities Office
Home Office
Ministry of Defence/Defence Analytical Services and Advice
Ministry of Justice
Office for National Statistics
Scottish Government
Welsh Government
Identifying the Users
3 categories of web users search needs: Navigational search, the immediate intent is to
reach a particular site (e.g., ESDS Homepage);
Informational search, the intent is to acquire some information likely to be contained in one or more web pages (e.g., cohort studies);
Transactional search, the intent is to perform some web-mediated activity (e.g., download dataset).
Initial FindingsUser Behaviour
Researchers of Tomorrow: The research behaviour of Generation Y doctoral students:
“In a survey enquiry asking about their last incident of information-seeking activity, the majority of all doctoral students (including Generation Y) across all subject disciplines were looking for text-based and secondary, pre-published research resources (journal articles, books etc) and not primary source materials.”
Initial FindingsUser Behaviour e-journals dominated. Of the total survey sample, 30% used Google or Google
Scholar as their main source to find their research information Google sources were strongly favoured above other sources by
arts and humanities, social science and engineering and computing science students.
Students rarely seemed to be aware of the actual publisher or e-information source itself when searching for e-journal articles, for example relying on their libraries’ own e-resource interface or a Google application to locate and access resources, without being particularly interested in the names or nature of the originating organisations..
Initial FindingsTopics &Disciplines
Use search data to inform users needs as some of the best data comes from what users type into search boxes themselves.
Initial FindingsTopics &DisciplinesESDS Top 20 Catalogue, Variable and Question Bank Searches
Initial FindingsTopics &DisciplinesESDS Longitudinal Page Visits – Total Unique visits 45,013
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
GUS
UKHLS
FACS
LSYPE
BCS70
MCS
ELSA
NCDS
BHPS
Unique page views
Initial FindingsTopics &Disciplines
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
LSYPE
MCS
BCS70
ELSA
NCDS
Understanding Society
BSA
BCS
HSE
BHPS
LFS
Downloads Dec 2010 - Sept 2012
ESDS Longitudinal Download Statistics December 2010 to Q3 2012
Initial FindingsTopics &Disciplines
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Early years/
Sport and Culture
Immigration
Neighbourhood and housing
Crime
Food Safety
Social mobility
Travel
Young people
Personal w ealth and poverty
Well-being
Education
State Pension reform
Children/ Families
Health and disability
Older People
Employment
Number of questions
Longitudinal Champions priorities – Policy users needs:
15 Government departments or bodies17 topic areas99 questions
Data to be collected & Analysed
Carry on literature review Paper abstract analysis from CLS bibliography CLS web views, search, download statistics MRC web views, search, download statistics ESRC DTC new PhD subjects HALCyon cross cohort analysis Biobank Search Terms BL catalogue and web search data BL ‘Explore’ user needs analysis Referral sources e.g. wikipedia Govt. Department needs via UKDF
……and anything else we can find!
Questions & DiscussionJohn Kaye – Lead Curator Digital Social Sciences
The British Library96 Euston RoadLondon NW1 2DB
Twitter: @johnkayebl
Telephone: 020 7412 7450
Blog: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/socialscience/