One Site to Rule Them All, Redux: The Second Round of Usability Testing of a Responsively Designed Web Site

Abstract

This article examines the usability testing of a responsively redesigned library website. Responsive design provides a unified user experience regardless of the device used to view a site. The study's aim is twofold: to determine if the responsively designed site and its external 2 online services supports users' information seeking needs, and to discover if there is a singular experience across different devices. A cognitive walkthrough was the main testing instrument used in gathering input. Over two rounds of testing, students of various class years and technological skill from the New York City of Technology (City Tech), CUNY participated in the study. The first round of testing for this usability study on the library website was previously documented (Tidal 2015). This paper presents the findings and comparisons between the first and second round of usability testing. The study found not only numerous improvements that could enhance the library website, but also the lack of a unified experience between tablet, smartphone, and desktop users, despite using a responsive design. Smartphone users were at a disadvantage in utilizing library resources. The study also found there was a significant usability impact in using a mobile-optimized discovery tool among users in comparison to its web OPAC predecessor.

A Study of Mobile App Use for Teaching and Research in Higher Education

“…A number of academic libraries promote the use of mobile software to academics through digital or technological literacy training (Canuel & Chrichton, 2015;Hennig, 2014). However, research in the area of mobile application in academic libraries almost exclusively focused on the delivery of library services to mobile devices (Aher et al, 2017;Breeding, 2019;Singh Negi, 2014) or the integration of responsive design in webbased service (Kim, 2013;Tidal, 2017). A sample scan of university library websites indicates that it has become increasingly common for research university libraries to include guidance and instruction on the use of mobile apps for research.…”

Comparison of library website function access tools 2014–2018

“…A website design that provides a positive user experience across computers, tablets and smartphones is a critical aspect of academic libraries' efforts that ensures patron access with ease anywhere and anytime (Aldrich, 2010;Fang, 2007;George, 2005;Houghton, 2000;Kroski, 2008;Tullis and Stetson, 2004). Responsive design automatically adjusts a website layout based on the access device's screen size making it possible for a library's website to serve a variety of devices equally well (Rennick, 2019;Tidal, 2017;Zaugg et al, 2015).…”