Student Usability Test #2 (July 2004)

Summary Results from July 2004 Usability Testing

Who we tested: 2 undergraduate and 1 graduate student workers from the Performing Arts Library.

How we tested: We gave the participants a list of questions and showed them an on-screen image of draft #4 of the Libraries’ home page. Participants were not able to navigate through the site (since the page was an image rather than an HTML page), but we asked them to pretend the site was live and use the cursor to point to links they would us. We asked them participants to think out loud and explain the choices they made. We also asked some questions before and after the test.

Does the library have the book Harry potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? How would you find out?

1. Books under Catalog, would then type in the book title or author.
2. Catalog
3. Catalog, because I see that it says books under there

A librarian named Lily Griner came to your class to talk about library research. You want to reach her again; how would you find contact information for her?

1. Staff and organization, or Phone numbers, for contact information. Or, More information for faculty and grad students
2. More information for faculty and grad students in hopes of finding a directory, or Phone numbers – scratch the first, I’d go with Phone numbers
3. More information for faculty and grad students, I guess if she’s a librarian she’s faculty, and type in her name if there’s a search box

A library instructor for one of your classes showed you a guide to research materials that might be helpful for your homework. You don’t remember where on the Web site the guide is located. How would you find it from the home page?

1. I have no idea (questions what a guide is – a database?). Research Port, I can only assume it will be under there, because it says “research”
2. I guess for the research materials I’d hit up Research Port
3. I would go to Search immediately, because that’s the easiest way to find stuff

You want to make a color photocopy of an article. How would you find out how much a color photocopy costs?

1. Ask Us!, and then whichever of the three options is fastest, phone or chat.
2. Phone numbers and call the copy center or under More information for faculty and grad students
3. Search, and type in photocopy at the university

Your professor has asked you to write a paper on human cloning using a variety of sources. Where would you start?

1. Journal titles under Catalog, then books, then videos and other materials. (The student was questioned as to why s/he selected journal titles under Catalog as opposed to journal articles under Research Port and said it was the first thing s/he saw, although s/he added that journal articles may be a better choice because s/he may not know the title. S/he also said they didn’t look at that side of the page because her/his attention was caught by the Catalog.)
2. Catalog for books and journals.
3. Research Port, and I would search the various databases that the University has

Does the library have the move To Kill a Mockingbird? How would you find out?

1. Catalog (but also indicates videos and other materials owned by the libraries). Or use Other libraries to get to the Hornbake library to search for materials there.
2. UM Digital Collections, and I’d also check out the Catalog.
3. Catalog

It’s 100 degrees out and you don’t want to leave your room to go to the library, but you need help with your research. Can you get help from a librarian without leaving home? How?

1. Ask Us! Or you can look up a librarian if you know their name – indicating Staff and organization
2. Yes you can, you can do the Ask Us! thing, which is really cool.
3. (Scans page) Ask Us!

Your T.A. asked you to find newspaper articles using LexisNexis. Where would you start?

1. I never remember where LexisNexis is, but I assume it’s somewhere on the research, databases (indicates databases under Research Port). Then would type LexisNexis in the search box.
2. I have no idea what that is, is that the online journal? A database? I’d hit Research Port and go to database, I suppose.
3. I don’t know what LexisNexis is, so I would type it in the Search box first

You’re reading the Washington Post Opinion section and you see a reference to “that most fundamental of American values, pragmatism.” How would you look up the definition of “pragmatism” to make sure you know the precise definition?

1. Reference shelf
2. Reference shelf
3. Reference shelf, possibly the Site index, although…I guess just Reference shelf

You’re going to do some research in the library, but want to get a cup of coffee before you start. How do you find out what time McKeldin’s Café opens?

1. Hours
2. Phone numbers, and probably Visitors
3. Hours

Suggestions?

1. Make it more spread apart, because the page is small and cramped.
2. Not really, it’s kinda hard without the links working, because a lot of times drop down menus can be very helpful. If you dragged down Faculty and grad students or People with disabilities it would hopefully say where the elevators or ramps were, rooms with special reading lights, for example. So far it looks cool to me.
3. I think the Search thing is good, because that’s immediately there and a lot of people would come to the site to search for things

What’s missing from the page?

2. Everything I think I would use is here.

What do you like best?

1. The layout is fairly straightforward
2. Straight ahead in the middle is the Catalog and Research Port. I probably wouldn’t use the Reference shelf too much. I do think this Ask Us! section is really great.
3. (Indicates Search box and Catalog) That these things are accessible right here

Impressions of the search box.

2. This is cool. It seemed like on the last page you had to search for things you wanted to find, like library hours. I know I had a difficult time finding people in binding, I had trouble finding people and I had to go through the UM Directory, you know like the home page (student may be referring to the UMD home page).
3. The search thing is good, a lot of the time I don’t see it on University web sites. (Student is asked what type of results they would expect to receive from the search box and how they would use the search box) I think I would get stuff from the University, and I would search for anything for the University, not just library things, like stuff for the school of music or financial stuff.

General Comments.

1. It’s a little small. Some web pages fit the screen better. It just kind of seems cramped. It looks very University of Maryland with the red and yellow. And, it looks like a library web page.
2. I dig the Events page, I never get on this side of campus much so it’s nice to see if there’s an event that will catch my eye, like the Jim Hensen exhibit.
3. (Student initially does not see the Special Collections link at the bottom of the page, and is looking for it along the left side bar. The student later sees it along the bottom bar, and is asked why s/he did not see it earlier). It’s too small, it’s not really eye-catching I guess. It’s easy to navigate around (referring to the site).

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