An exploration into the practices of library Web usability in ARL academic libraries

Abstract

A survey of the 113 academic libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) was administered to investigate whether Web usability Policies/Standards/ Guidelines (PSGs) are in place, the levels of difficulty surrounding implementation, the impact of PSGs on actual usability practice, e.g., testing, resources, etc., and the relationship between ARL ranking and usability practice or PSGs. The response rate was over 74%. Results show that 25 (30%) libraries have PSGs dedicated to Web usability. Seventy-one (85%) libraries have conducted usability testing on their main Web sites, online public access catalogs (OPAC), or lower-level pages. Nevertheless, only seven libraries performed iterative testing of these platforms at pre-, during, and post-design stages. Statistical analysis indicates that having PSGs does not affect the amount of usability testing performed or the resources available for library Web usability initiatives. In addition, ARL ranking has no or little impact on PSGs, testing, or resources.

Factors Affecting University Library Website Design

“…Research shows that supervisors' lack of knowledge about websites inhibits user-centered website design. 17 A respondent from Chen et al's study reports, "It's really a pain trying to connect with our administration on the topic of Web design and usability, because even definitions are completely out the window" and "the dean and the associate directors know little about the need for usability and view it as a last minute check-off, so they can say that the Web site is tested and usable." 18 Lack of supervisor support inhibits website usability.…”

“…Identified secondary sources are consultations with experts, other divisions within the library, webmasters, web committees, and focus groups. 20 The most widely used method is consultation with experts. 21 Experts uncover technical flaws and any obvious usability problems with a design, 22 facilitate focus groups, 23 and create new information architecture.…”

“…31 To discover users' genuine needs, designers can conduct a regular user survey and/or seek out users' input. 32 By surveying users' needs, one can overcome criticism such as, "most websites are created with assumptions of more expert knowledge than the users may actually possess," and can address users' needs more effectively. 33 Discovering users' needs goes beyond usability testing because information obtained directly the same industry face similar problems or issues, mimetic decisions can reduce uncertainty and secure legitimacy.…”

“…More specifically, existing studies report that input from experts and website committees is incongruent with what users really want, while feedback from focus groups can assist in understanding users' needs. 42 …”

Invoking the User from Data to Design

“…In a survey of the 113 ARL libraries with a 74 percent response rate, Chen, Germane, and Yang found that 85 percent performed usability testing on some aspect of their website. 6 Ward and Hiller note that, in the past decade, "usability testing has become an integral component of Web design and development in libraries." 7 Defined in a number of ways, usability testing is generally used to assess the design effectiveness of an interface.…”