Do I Have the Best Website on the Planet or

What?Rene ErlandsonDirector, Virtual ServicesUniversity of Nebraska Omaharerlandson@unomaha.edu

November 4, 2011Concurrent Session 2:00-

2:50JW Jones Student Union

Boardroom

Rachel ErbElectronic Resources

Management LibrarianColorado State Universityrachel.erb@colostate.edu

IS Your Website the “Best”?

• Info quickly accessible?• Understandable language?

• ILL, Catalog, Journal

• Useful?• Attractive?

How to find out the reality?

What is a Website Usability Study?

• Measures user interactions with and perceptions of a website.

Website Usability Study Components @ UNO

• Usability Test (Core Task List)• Survey• Multiple Card Sorts

Usability Study Team

• Identify stakeholders within the Library.

• What roles will team members play• Investigator(s), Study Session

Administrators, card sort administrators, etc

IRB / IEC / ERB

• Does your campus have an IRB?• Principal Investigator certification?• Research parameters

• Children=18 or younger

• Obtain appropriate forms (exempt)• Find out deadlines/when committee

meets

Usability Test• How often?• How will data be collected?

• Video• Screen capture• In-person observer

• Session Administration• Self-administered• One-on-one• Multiple people in a testing session

• Duration

Constructing a Core Task List: Considerations

• What do you hope to learn?• Who uses the site?

• Include user group specific tasks?

• Who do you want to use the site?• What do you want visitors to be

able to do within the site?

Core Task List (con’t)

• Tasks should be“do-able”• NO trick questions!!!

• Results should be measurable– Task: Does the library own a copy of

The Iliad by Homer? • Clearly defined answer = measurability

Core Task List (con’t)

• Test instrument BEFORE submitting IRB application

• How long does it take to complete all tasks?» Expect in-experienced users to take longer (for

purposes of estimating session length)

Study Participants• How many?

• Identify user groups» Students» Faculty/Staff» Library student assistants» Library faculty/staff

• Minimum: User groups x 5

• Call for participants

Usability Test Sessions

• Adult Consent form• Self-administered• Thank you

Core Task List Evaluation

• Define success• UNO Ultimate goal = participant successfully

completes each task in less than 4 steps with no frustration

UNO Survey

• Affiliation• Participant perceptions• Site usage• Open ended questions

http://l.unomaha.edu/brickclick2011

• Session Slides• Core Task List Instrument• Core Task List Evaluation Forms• Survey Instrument• Adult Consent Form

Card Sort