Reflecting Our Users: How Usability Testing Improved Our Web Page Jane Nichols with Team 200 and the U-team, Oregon State University Libraries Corvallis OR 97331

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Reflecting Our Users How Usability Testing
Improved Our Web PageJane Nichols with Team 200
and the U-team, Oregon State University
LibrariesCorvallis OR 97331
Introduction OSU Libraries conducted two rounds
of usability testing on its web site in Spring
2007 and Fall 2007. Methods employed included
card sorting, the use of personas and scenarios
and the think aloud protocol. Results were used
to redesign OSU Libraries web site and to improve
weaknesses of each design iteration. Usability
results showed continued points of confusion and
revealed challenges with meeting users wide
ranging needs.
Methods Personas ScenariosCard Sorting Think
aloud protocol
Results Card Sort Team200 facilitated the card
sort and some members of the U-team participated.
Results showed that participants both mirrored
library terminology and suggested new phrasing.
Common terms and phrases included catalogs,
library services and collections (other,
specific, library). Unique phrasing included
checking things out or stuff to check out,
library partners, involving you and other
departments in building. Participant groupings
influenced the contents of the navigation menu.
For example, the Round 1 menu adopted the
categories catalogs, services, learning spaces
and collections.
Personas Scenarios Team200 created and wrote
detailed Personas and Scenarios for 6 types of
key users novice student, expert student
(international), faculty researcher and
instructor, e-campus student, community member
and an on-call librarian. The Usability Team
developed primary tasks from the personas and
scenarios and formed them into usability
tasks. Persona description of a specific
person who is a target user of a
site Scenario description of target users
interactions with a site
Context This work was made possible because of
the close working relationship of two teams Team
200 and the U-team. Team 200 oversees the OSU
Libraries web presence and the U-team ensures the
usability of the OSU Libraries and its affiliated
web sites.
Results Round 2 Usability Many tasks were
completed by using an efficient path. Changes to
the navigation menu labels and the addition of
explanatory text helped with some tasks and did
not present new problems. Tasks done with ease
were find ILL, a database, a DVD, a web page
helpful to your discipline or major renew a book
and chat with a librarian. The Find Other
Resources link now explains how to access
magazines and newspapers, this helped some.
Hours are more visible in the page
footer. Summit was moved to Find Books
Articles. Find books link lists OSU Libraries
catalog, Summit catalog, WorldCat and other
options. Can still find even though not a
navigation menu option. The scrolling news bar
was not visible.
Results Round 1 Usability Many used an optimal
path to find a book, the library hours, an
e-journal, a database, information about
reserving a room to practice a presentation and
to chat with a librarian. Hidden information was
find your departmental librarian and how to
recommend a book for purchase. Tasks completed
successfully albeit with a long path included
finding the reference desk phone number, a
library tutorial, loan period information. Course
reserves links were misleading because it was
not clear which was for students to find a
reserve and which for faculty to place a
reserve The library hours placed in the middle
of the page were not visible to several
participants.
Round Two
Round One

• Card Sort
• Ten participants sorted 51 cards. The cards
  represented links on the OSU Libraries home page
  and navigation menus.
• Participants grouped the cards into categories
  that they created.
• Team 200 used the results to make decisions about
  the new site architecture and navigation.

Continued Challenges Points of
Confusion Finding journal articles continues to
challenge novice users. There are several issues
where to start, distinguishing between journal
titles and article titles, how to get to the
latest print journal issues in the library
catalog. A related issue is the continued
confusion of having to select Journal Title to
find magazines and newspapers. Although
participants ultimately succeeded in finding a
known journal article, there isnt always a
quick, direct path. In Round Two, three routes
were used library catalog, databases and the
search box. Details about the catalog are not
clear abbreviations like Lib Has, finding recent
issues, material type. and revealed challenges
with meeting users wide ranging
needs. Participants who get lost sometimes stay
lost. Typical problems are not finding journal
articles or confusing the Summit and the OSU
Libraries catalogs. OSU Libraries continues to
balance providing enough explanatory text on the
web page so new and infrequent users can
understand terms and find their way and so
frequent users or those who know what they need
and want have efficient, clear paths to resources.
Usability Sessions Think Aloud Protocol Round
1 4 undergrads and 4 grads completed 18
usability tasks, 3 faculty did 8 tasks Round 2 4
undergrads and 4 grads completed 22 tasks, 3
faculty did 13 usability tasks. All participants
completed 5 demographic computer/library use
questions before doing the tasks and an 8
question satisfaction post-test questionnaire
afterwards.
Improving Weaknesses Weaknesses in each round
were improved by changing navigation menu labels,
having a navigation menu that users could learn
from and by providing more explanatory text for
novices. The label Using the Library helped
participants quickly find information about
policies and services that were previously
difficult to find. Several participants in Round
Two said they had seen links in the navigation
bar during a prior task and that helped them
complete later tasks. Participants took advantage
of explanatory text to find books, magazines and
newspapers.
Timeline Personas 2/2007 Task analysis
creation Round 1 usability sessions
4-5/2007 Card sorting 8/2007 New Interface with
left navigation bar chat 9/2007 Round 2
usability sessions 11/2007-1/2008