usability & the connecticut state library web site
DESCRIPTION
Presentation for content providers at the Connecticut State Library on usability. Review the concepts of usability and the user experience, describe a usability project at the University of Connecticut, and assess other state libraries' web sites based on information covered in this session.TRANSCRIPT
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Usability & the Connecticut State Library Web Site
Stephanie Willen Brown Electronic Resources Librarian
University of [email protected]
860.486.4855
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Act Like a User: Find an Obituary
Uncle Joe died in the 1950’s. I want to see his obituary!
What’s the first thing you see?How would you go about getting
Uncle Joe’s obituary?
Site 1Site 2Site 3
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http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/
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http://www.lib.az.us/
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http://www.library.ca.gov/
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TodayDefine UX, usability
Why do they matter?Discuss elements of UX as they affect
web sitesUConn’s usability test
Assessment TestResults
BreakReview state library web sites
Complete common scenariosAssess based on new knowledge
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Why Should We Care About UX?
“Your web site is the embodiment of your library ... For customers to feel they have a good relationship with your library, they must first feel they have a good relationship with the web site — and that begins with the user experience.”
Paraphrased from Garrett, J.J. “Customer Loyalty and the Elements of User Experience”
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The Elements of User Experience
Peter Morville, Ambient Findability
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What is Usability?
Usability … assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word “usability” also refers to
methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process.
Jakob Nielsen, Usability 101
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Components of Good DesignLearnabilityEfficiencyMemorabilityError recoverySatisfaction
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How to Achieve Good Design
Think like a
user
Consistent
design
Tweak text
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Thinking Like a User“… let’s acknowledge the vital importance of empathy for the user. Only by understanding and caring about the perspective of the individual can we design useful, usable solutions.”
Peter Morville, Ambient Findability
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ConsistencyConsistency
Color, graphicsColor, graphics
Orientation & Orientation & navigationnavigation
LanguageLanguage
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Above the Fold
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Reading Online: ProustFor a long time I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say "I'm going to sleep." And half an hour later the thought that it was time to go to sleep would awaken me; I would try to put away the book which, I imagined, was still in my hands, and to blow out the light; I had been thinking all the time, while I was asleep, of what I had just been reading, but my thoughts had run into a channel of their own, until I myself seemed actually to have become the subject of my book: a church, a quartet, the rivalry between Francois I and Charles V. This impression would persist for some moments after I was awake; it did not disturb my mind, but it lay like scales upon my eyes and prevented them from registering the fact that the candle was no longer burning. Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separate itself from me, leaving me free to choose whether I would form part of it or no; and at the same time my sight would return and I would be astonished to find myself in a state of darkness, pleasant and restful enough for the eyes, and even more, perhaps, for my mind, to which it appeared incomprehensible, without a cause, a matter dark indeed.
Swann’s Way / Marcel Proust
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Text-heavy Home Page
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TypeBooks | Journals | Reports | Videos | Web Sites
SciencesBiology | Chemistry | Microbiology | Physics | Zoology
Which is Easiest to Understand?
BiologyBooksChemistryJournalsMicrobiologyPhysicsReportsVideosWeb SitesZoology
Type Sciences• Books • Biology• Journals • Chemistry• Reports • Microbiology• Videos • Physics• Web Sites • Zoology
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Arguably …
Why?Content arranged logically, with clear headings &
bulletsAlphabetical within groupsContent goes down, as it does in traditional printWords are “chunked” into pieces for easy scanning
Type Sciences• Books • Biology• Journals • Chemistry• Reports • Microbiology• Videos • Physics• Web Sites • Zoology
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Satisfaction??
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/mssc/posters.htm
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Jargon to Library Users“ERIC, I think it’s
some kind of journal … some kind of citation.”
Reference Shelf “[It’s] very general. You don’t know what to expect as it could be anything.”
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Jargon for TravelersYou need the cheapest round-trip
ticket from Boston to London.You go to These are your options – which is
right? Flights & Prices Fares 3 Best Itineraries
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How Identify Site Problems?Objectively evaluate siteFocus group of
Current / typical usersNon-users!
Surveys of Current / typical usersNon-users!
Usability studies
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Usability TestingDefine usersCreate tasks to mimic what users would realistically do on site
Do usability testing early & often3-5 users highlights 85% of errorsBetter to test several small groups
than 10-15 at onceNote errors, redesign and retest
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Facilitator
Participant @ computer
Note-taker 2
Note-taker 1
Suggested Usability Setup
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Read to the “Tester”
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UConn’s Database Locator
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UConn’s Redesign GoalsDatabase usage statistics outweighs f2f
library-user contact in 2006:f2f contact with patrons: 55,629Database sessions: 470,327
UConn Libraries Plan 2010 “Scholar’s Portal:“Provide immediate, unmediated, and
comprehensive access to digitized research and scholarly collections worldwide.”
Peter Morville: Make Things Findable
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Usage Log AnalysisMarch - May 2006, UConn patrons …Used the subject
browse 18,000 times.
Performed a keyword search 15,800 times; and
Clicked on Databases by Title 6,600 times;
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Query Log AnalysisDatabases
america history and lifelexus nexusinfotrack
Subjects educationpharmacy medicine anthropologyu
Topicshamlet insaneadopted children of same sex
couples“why doesn’t the us have a
eurpean-style welfate state?”
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Usability Testing: 3 RoundsWho?
3 undergraduates, 1 grad, 1 faculty in each
Storrs & regional campusesWhat?
First tested old systemMajor redesignTested redesignTweaked designTested again
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Usability TasksFind a business database Your professor said “use a database
named ERIC”Find articles about diabetes for your
nursing classFind a newspaper article
from the day you were born… plus 5 more …
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• Subject browse: ~ 18,000; • Keyword search 15,800; and • Databases by Title: 6,600
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Browse by Topic Business
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Find a Database Named ERIC
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Diabetes Article, I
diabetes
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Diabetes Article, II
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Focus Groups vs. Usability Testing In response to question “Rate this site, 1-5 s”Testers rated to
In response to question “would you recommend this to a friend?” Testers said yes
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What We DidDesigned for “lowest common denominator”
Inserted “affordances” for advanced users which are…
Harmless to users unfamiliar with siteRemoved search boxCreated topical arrangement that students
would expect (UConn major)Limited to 5 databases per page (Best Bets)
Sorted by relevance: 1st database would be good enough in most cases
Offered more databases if they clicked on “more”
Best bets marked on the longer database pageShortened written descriptions
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UConn’s Database Descriptions, IABI/Inform Global ABI/Inform Global Full-text articles from 1800 journals covering business, finance, management and related functional areas. ABI/INFORM Global indexes a total of 2700 major publications. Subject coverage includes: business and management, including all functional areas.
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Database Description, Essential InfoABI/Inform Global ABI/Inform Global Full-text articles from 1800 journals covering business, finance, managementand related functional areas. ABI/INFORM Global indexes a total of 2700 major publications. Subject coverage includes: Business and management, including all
functional areas.
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UConn’s Database Description, II
ABI/INFORM GlobalArticles in business, finance, management, accounting, advertising, banking, insurance, marketing, public administration, real estate, and telecommunications. 1991-current (fulltext); 1971-current (index & abstracts).
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Final Round of Testing
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Tech NotesRDL is public view of data elements
from “home-grown” electronic resource management system (ERM)
ERM written inPHPMySQL Some javascript
Ajax
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UConn Redesign TeamStephanie Willen Brown, electronic resource
librarian & liaison to Communication SciencesSusanna Cowan, undergraduate education &
outreach librarian Kate Fuller, reference collection maintenance
coordinator and / administrative assistant Jill Livingston, reference librarian/liaison to the
school of allied health Tom Wood, applications developerCo-authors: “Making Unmediated Access to E-
Resources a Reality: Creating a Usable ERM Interface,” Reference and User Services Quarterly, Summer 2009
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Break
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@ CSLib.org
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Visits to Conn. State Library, 2008 ytd
2008 ytd visits to Conn State Library
38,169
702,809
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
in-person contact online visits
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Most Popular Queries CSLib.orgConn* 56,000Librar* 52,300Statute* 13,000Histor* 9,800Newspaper* 7,800
Law* or legisl* 7,700
Genealog* 3,200
Obit* 2,152Blind 2,008Archiv* 1,700Felon* 1,600
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Most Visited Pages1. index.htm 235,244 (main page)2. psaindex.htm 70,832
(Public & Special Acts & General Statutes of Connecticut)
3. handg.htm54,522 (History and Genealogy)4. publicrecords49,175 (Public Records Administrator)5. nickname.htm 48,568
(A Listing Of Some 18th and 19th Century American Nicknames)
6. law.htm 46,436 (Connecticut Law and Legislation)
7. faq.htm42,566 (CSL Research Resources)8. history.htm33,845 (Connecticut History)9. jobs.htm26,919 (State Library Job Openings)10.finespenalt.htm 26,043
(State Of Connecticut Table On Fines And Penalties)
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3 Scenarios; Volunteers RequestedScenarios; 2-minute limit
Find library services for the blind in Michigan
Find Pennsylvania statutesFind records retention & disposal
guidelines in MaineVolunteers attempt to perform taskAudience
Note the first thing you seeNote problems encountered
by volunteer
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Library Services for the Blind
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Find Pennsylvania Statutes
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Discuss Testing ProcessDiscuss
Scenario completionProcess of usability testing?
Value of process to …Site designersContent providersObservers
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Group Assessment of More SitesLet’s look at more state library sites.
Based on what we’ve discussed today What do you like & whyWhat don’t you like & why
Assessment criteria?
Patron hat Librarian hat
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http://www.library.state.ak.us/
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http://libraries.vermont.gov/
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http://www.aclin.org/
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http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/home.html
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http://winslo.state.oh.us/
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Pretty But Not Functional
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/
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http://www.kdla.ky.gov/
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For More InformationRecommended articles about usability testing
http://gslis.simmons.edu/mw/browns/UsabilityLinks to state library sites discussed here
http://gslis.simmons.edu/mw/browns/State_libraries
Link to presentation on SlideSharehttp://tinyurl.com/cslib-usability-Dec08
Keep in touch!Stephanie Willen Brown [email protected]: CogSciLibrarian