Factors Affecting University Library Website Design

Abstract

Existing studies have extensively explored factors that affect users’ intentions to use university library website resources (ULWR); yet little attention has been given to factors affecting university library website design. This paper investigates factors that affect university library website design and assesses the success of the university library website from both designers’ and users’ perspectives. The findings show that when planning a website, university web designers consider university guidelines, review other websites, and consult with experts and other divisions within the library; however, resources and training for the design process are lacking. While website designers assess their websites as highly successful, user evaluations are somewhat lower. Accordingly, use is low, and users rely heavily on commercial websites. Suggestions for enhancing the usage of ULWR are provided.

Library Homepage Design at Medium-Sized Institutions

“…Usability studies take time and money, and given the large Library Home Page Design 23 number of potential designs, it is prohibitive to study all of the various design options and services that a library Web site could offer. Yong-Mi Kim (2011) noted that libraries often lack sufficient training and resources to support the design process. In addition, Kim found that academic library Web designers often review other library Web sites when developing their own designs, because the design of other libraries exerted a mimetic force.…”

“…questionnaires, usability tests, and focus groups), one method is to examine multiple library Web sites to determine common practices. Yong-Mi Kim (2011) argued that library Web design should involve not solely usability testing but also the review of other library sites as well. Employing content analysis to study a large number of Web sites to determine Web design best practices is well-established.…”

Building a new academic library Web site

“…She understood the pros, cons, pitfalls, and gray tape involved in that process. Kim (2011) affirmed the value of input from immediate stakeholders in addition to that of the "secondary sources" (p. 100), i.e., the webmasters and consultants who would identify technical flaws and contribute to design. Three undergraduate student workers rounded out the team.…”

“…User-friendly navigation without library jargon was the first priority. Kim (2011) noted that Web site design and Web site performance are closely correlated and that user orientation is essential. "If a Web site helps users complete their tasks, they are likely to use (it)" (p. 99).…”

“…The Informatics Librarian was familiar with university and library policies and procedures that applied to the look and feel of the Web site (Kim, 2011), as well as of other crucial factors that governed the process. These included: 7.…”