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Usability of Digital Libraries

Usability of Digital Libraries. Sanda Erdelez & Borchuluun Yadamsuren Information Experience Laboratory University of Missouri – Columbia USA. Libraries in Digital Age May 28, 2007. Outline. What is Usability? Usability of Digital Libraries User-centered DL design

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Usability of Digital Libraries

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  1. Usability of Digital Libraries Sanda Erdelez & Borchuluun Yadamsuren Information Experience Laboratory University of Missouri – Columbia USA Libraries in Digital Age May 28, 2007

  2. Outline • What is Usability? • Usability of Digital Libraries • User-centered DL design • Methods of Usability Evaluation • IE Lab @ UMC

  3. What is Usability? • Usability is the degree to which an actual customer can use a product or service, such as a Web site, software application, or online store - to perform a typical task or achieve a particular goal.

  4. What is Usability? cont. Jacob Nielsen’s definition: • Learnability • Efficiency • Memorability • Minimum errors • Subjective satisfaction

  5. Usability of Digital Libraries Important components: • Content • Functionality • Interface

  6. User-centered DL Design It is challenging because: • Human information behavior is complex and highly context dependent • Digital library technologies are rapidly evolving

  7. Changing Information Environment • From physical structures ….

  8. Changing Information Environment cont. …to an integrated electronic environment in motion • Always accessible • Hyperlinked • Multimedia • Wireless • Mobile

  9. How to Approach DL Design? • Understand users’ information needs and information seeking behavior in their everyday life context • Design process should be process-oriented and iterative, not product-oriented and summative

  10. How to Approach DL Design? cont. • Identify your users (not only regular suspects) • Find out what is being done to know the users (you may be already doing a lot) • Take a dynamic/holistic look at the users (pay attention to their lifecycles, transitions, multiple roles)

  11. What is a DL Usability Evaluation? • It is NOT a single THING • It is NOT a single EVENT • IT IS a PROCESS integrated with all the stages of DL development AND maintenance

  12. Methods of Usability Evaluation • Participatory design • Focus group research • Surveys • Design walk through • Paper-pencil evaluation • Expert evaluation • Usability audit • Usability testing • Field studies

  13. Usability Testing Measures usability by giving a close-up look at an individual user’s experience while navigating a site or software application, right down to the user’s verbal and facial expressions.

  14. Integration of Design & Evaluation • Study users continually and involve them in all stages of the DL design and evaluation process • Conduct usability testing before, during and after designing new services of DL • Be alert to new applications and new user communities

  15. Integration of Design & Evaluation … cont. • User-centered DL design • Rapid prototyping • Iterative design

  16. Information Experience Lab @ UMC • We conduct researchin human information behavior, human-computer interaction and usability methods • We consult information system developers and researchers at and outside of University of Missouri in usability and information behavior studies. • We teachstudents in usability evaluation techniques and information behavior research methodologies.

  17. Information Experience Lab @ UMC • Established in 2003 • Includes the Information Experience Room (data collection) and the Control Room (research & analysis) • Experience Room is set up with five desktops • Portable lab with five laptops • Remote data collection

  18. Control Room

  19. Experience Room

  20. Morae • An integrated software application for usability testing • Enables developers to measure how usable is their website or information system • Pinpoints specific problem areas, and easily share the results

  21. Modern software-based lab • All-digital software solution • - Eliminates costly, complex hardware • and videotapes • Truly portable • - Take it anywhere on a laptop • Identify areas for improvement faster • - Exclusive Rich Recording Technology • Easy to implement and use • - Usability implemented throughout

  22. Data Analysis

  23. Project examples MU Libraries Website Study Task: Usability evaluation of the MU Libraries website IE Lab helped the library usability team to collect data with Morae.

  24. Project Examples UMC Admissions Website study (2006 CASE award winner) Task: Usability evaluation of the new student admissions website. IE Lab provided the development team with remote, real-time observation of how prospective students and their parents use the website.

  25. Project Examples UMC Office of Research – Illumination study Task: How useful is the research magazine website - Illumination to the target audiences? IE Lab conducted one-on-one user interviews and a focus group interview to identify users’ needs for research information and their interaction with Illumination .

  26. Project Examples UMC College of Education Website Task: Content and task oriented evaluation of the CoE website. IE Lab applied moderated and non-moderated group data collection methodology, enabling better efficiency in Lab space use and short turn-around time for project completion.

  27. Current and Future Projects • Usability of the MOBIUS website. http://mobius.missouri.edu/.MOBIUS is a consortium of academic libraries with 68 member colleges and universities in the state of Missouri. It provides a virtual collection of 18 million items. • Usability of the library website of the TamKang University, Taiwan http://www.lib.tku.edu

  28. Questions? Thank you for your attention!

  29. Contact Us • Dr. Sanda Erdelez, IE Lab Director: erdelezs@missouri.edu • Borchuluun Yadamsuren, IE Lab Senior Coordinator: by888@mizzou.edu • Information Experience Laboratory: http://ielab.missouri.edu • School of Information Science & Learning Technologies: http://www.sislt.missouri.edu

  30. Selected Resources • Marchinonini, G., et al. The People in Digital Libraries • Nielsen, J.(2006). Prioritizing Web Usability • Nielsen, J.(1993). Usability Engineering • Norlin, E., & Winters, C.M.(2002). Usability Testing for Library Websites. American Library Association • Rubin, J.(1994). Handbook of Usability Testing • Palmquist, R.A.(2001). An Overview of Usability for the Study of User’s Web-based Information Retrieval Behavior. Journal of Education & Information Science. 42(2). 123-136 • www.useit.com/alertbox • http://www.usabilitynet.org/ • http://www.hcirn.com (Human-Computer Interaction Resource Network) • http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~DL/iDLR/sitelist1.php (Interactive Digital Library Resource Information System)

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