Usability testing for a community college library website

Abstract

Purpose This paper details a usability testing case study on a simplified homepage for [Library]. The usability testing was completed in Spring 2017 to meet the needs of diverse user groups and shifting trends in Web design and development. At the conclusion of the usability testing, recommendations for change informed the design decisions and a new homepage was implemented in October 2018. Design/methodology/approach The researcher performed eight usability tests with a combination of the different library user types; full-time faculty, students, an administrator and members of the public. The usability test consisted of 13 specific tasks. After testers completed the tasks, users filled out a 30-question Likert-scale questionnaire and answered a set of 8 open-ended questions. Findings This paper discusses the recommendations for change which the researcher discovered at the conclusion of the usability testing period. The research found the need to improve and include specific navigational, visual and easy-to-use elements to best meet the needs of the users in the usability tests. Changes were ranked and implemented on a scale of catastrophic to cosmetic. Research limitations/implications As websites, technology and user preferences continually evolve, the homepage will need to be tested for usability again in the next several years. Researchers are encouraged to adapt the methods to their own institutions. Practical implications This paper discusses findings specific to [Library], which in turn has proved to increase usage of certain features and functions by the user community. Originality/value This is the first time usability testing has been done for the [Library’s] website. It was the first time the design of the homepage was informed by real user preference. This paper is valuable to those looking to create a simple, easy-to-use homepage that best benefits their own unique community of users.

Role of Web Usability in Online Customer Experience: A Case of Saudi Arabia

“…Chong and Law (2018) carried out a rigorous literature review on airline website evaluation studies and found that the websites of airlines need major rework. Valenti (2018) carried out usability testing of a community college library website and found major issues on the website, which need to be fixed to make usage of users more convenient. Danielson et al (2014) have carried out a usability testing of an HIV prevention website in Africa and found that users feel website helpful but there is need to fix some usability aspects such as navigation design.…”

Library Websites During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…For instance, the use of websites has impacted information sharing and communication among business owners and their customers (Devi and Verma, 2018; Okechukwu and Anunobi, 2020 ). In the libraries, websites are used as an important gateway to various information resources and services such as access to scholarly databases, online public access catalogue, research tools and useful links for research and academic purposes ( Arshad and Ameen, 2015 ; Dominguez et al, 2015 ; Devi and Verma, 2016; Gohain, 2019 ; Valenti, 2019 ). The library websites are used to give general information such as library history, facilities, working hours, staff and contact information ( Herring, 2007 ; Sife and Tandika, 2014 ; Gohain, 2019 ).…”

“…Moreover, the library websites represent their respective libraries at the local and international level ( Okechukwu and Anunobi, 2020 ). Therefore, effective management of the library websites is essential to facilitate its accessibility, ease of navigation and information discovery as well as communication between libraries and their users ( Valenti, 2019 ). This paper intends to present how websites of the universities and research libraries in Tanzania had responded to the outbreak of COVID-19.…”

Melhorando a experiência do usuário com testes de usabilidade: compreensão, aplicação e análise

“…De maneira geral, observa-se no mercado brasileiro que os testes de usabilidade moderados costumam levar de 30 minutos a 1 hora de duração. Conforme mencionado, é bastante comum e uma boa prática entregar algum tipo de recompensa ao usuário no final da avaliação, como uma forma de agradecimento pela sua participação e tempo dedicado ao teste (VALENTI, 2018;VANDECREEK, 2005).…”

“…Medir tempo de tarefa é uma importante métrica de usabilidade, pois permite acompanhar de forma simples até que ponto a velocidade e a eficiência da experiência se apresentam para os usuários (VALENTI, 2018;MADRIGAL-CADAVID, 2020). Isso pode significar o quanto os usuários estão entendendo a tela ou fluxo, se a carga mental é grande ou não para executar a tarefa, se as informações estão claras etc.…”