可用性评价之启发式评价法在图书馆网站设计中的应用

对网站设计进行可用性评价,是成功的界面设计的必经阶段.在众多的评价方法中,启发式评价法是一种经典的可用性诊查方法.文章详细介绍了将可用性测试与启发式评价法运用于图书馆网站设计,以提高网站质量,提高可用性,更好地满足用户需要.     

远程可用性评价及其在数字图书馆评价中的应用综述

介绍远程可用性评价的类型和优缺点,总结远程可用性评价的一般过程,对比分析较有代表性的软件,针对远程可用性评价在数字图书馆评价中的应用现状,提出促进数字图书馆远程可用性评价发展的相关建议。     

网络出版物页面可用性设计原则研究

网络出版物的重要优势之一在于其信息传递的双向性,在于是否搭建起与出版物受众之间友好互动的平台。受众在接触网络出版物时往往有一定的目的性和自身的交互行为规律,出版物页面的可用性设计与受众的这些规律是紧密相联的。通过研究可以发现网络出版物页面可用性设计应该遵循易懂原则、行为原则和视觉原则3个主要原则。     

国外数字图书馆可用性评价研究综述

总结国外对于数字图书馆可用性评价的总体研究概况，数字图书馆可用性评价的理论研究和数字图书馆可用性测试的报告，以及数字图书馆可用性评价研究中的几个热点问题；对数字图书馆可用性评价方法进行归类；提出国外数字图书馆可用性评价的特点和对我国相关研究的启示。     

图书馆站点可用性研究及案例分析

本文介绍了可用性方法和可用性测验在图书馆站点设计中的作用,并以北京理工大学图书馆主页为例,阐述了可用性测验的具体实施方法、过程和评价结果。     

生物医学开放存取网站可用性评价的实证研究北大核心CSSCI

文章利用可用性测试的方法对两个国内外代表性生物医学开放存取网站进行可用性评价,并对测试结果进行对比分析以发现可用性问题,从八个方面给出提高生物医学开放存取网站可用性的建议。     

图书馆站点可用性研究及案例分析

本文介绍了可用性方法和可用性测验在图书馆站点设计中的作用,并以北京理工大学图书馆主页为例,阐述了可用性测验的具体实施方法、过程和评价结果。     

数字图书馆的可用性研究

本文在讨论数字图书馆可用性的概念及其意义的基础上，着重探讨了评价数字图书馆可用性的原则和内容，并提出了增强数字图书馆可用性的一些看法。     

数字图书馆可用性评价方法研究

本文介绍了数字图书馆可用性的含义和数字图书馆可用性评价的内容,从可用性检查、可用性测试、可用性调查三个方面分析了数字图书馆可用性评价的主要方法。     

从用户界面看数字信息产品的可用性——以公共图书馆提供的两个数字信息产品为例

公共图书馆提供用户使用的数字信息产品必须重视可用性,文章以两个数字产品的用户界面问题为例,对数字信恩资源的可用性进行若干方面的讨论,涉及可用性问题产生根源的分析、用户界面可用性法则等。     

Web Site Usability with Remote Users

ABSTRACT

Incorporating usability into any Web site creation or redesign is essential. Capturing the perspective of the user makes the site more efficient and effective for the people who will actually be using it. There are a number of usability techniques and several can be incorporated in a study of remote users. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how the traditional usability techniques of focus groups and formal usability studies can be extended to studies involving off-campus users.     

Side by Side: What a Comparative Usability Study Told Us About a Web Site Redesign

Library Web sites must compete against easy-to-use sites, such as Google Scholar, Google Books, and Wikipedia, for students’ time and attention. Library Web sites must therefore be designed with aesthetics and user perceptions at the forefront. The Music and Performing Arts Library at Urbana-Champaign's Web site was overcrowded and in much need of a user-focused redesign. This article presents a usability study that compared participants’ use of the old site versus the new site to determine if performance improved on the redesigned site. Participants were asked to complete library-related tasks on both the old Web site and on the redesigned Web site to determine if they could both complete more tasks and complete tasks more quickly on the new site. Participants showed a marked improvement on the new site, and their “think-out-loud” responses to the tasks helped further improve site design and wording. Participants were also surveyed about their perceptions of ease of use and navigation on the old and new sites, and in general, the new site was preferred by participants and seen as a great improvement. Future studies will aim to further involve students and faculty in addressing terminology and site organization.     

Measuring Law Library Catalog Web Site Usability: A Web Analytic Approach

ABSTRACT

Although there is a proliferation of information available on the Web, and law professors, students, and other users have a variety of channels to locate information and complete their research activities, the law library catalog still remains an important source for offering users access to information that has been evaluated and cataloged by experts. The usability of the catalog needs to be effectively measured before any necessary improvements can be made. This study was undertaken to investigate the information retrieval patterns of users of the Rutgers Law Library Online Public Access Catalog and to develop the catalog into a more effective search tool for these users. This study used an experimental approach to measure the usability of our catalog by analyzing the transaction logs from the OPAC system and the results from Google Analytics. The findings provided not only important information on user demographics and their computer systems, but also more insight on the search behaviors of users. The specific findings included the following:

1. As a Web-analytic tool Google Analytics provided extensive information on the OPAC and the navigational behaviors of users.

2. Fifty-eight percent of our users visited the Web site regularly.

3. The most popular search method, which was employed by 37% of our users, was by title.

4. Most patrons used computer systems with a high resolution and color depth monitor and visited the catalog Web site with a high-speed Internet connection.

5. Suggestions were made by the authors to improve the users’ search experience of the catalog Web site.

This study is significant to libraries with Web catalogs because it demonstrates the potential value of using Google Analytics as a Web analytics tool in combination with the OPAC transaction logs to measure catalog usability.     

Toward a Usable Academic Library Web Site: A Case Study of Tried and Tested Usability Practices

Usability testing is an important element when designing useful, usable academic library Web sites. Since 2001, members of the Florida International University Libraries Web team have worked toward establishing a process that identifies user needs through usability testing. Starting with the libraries’ first Web site redesign project in 2001, the team has taken an active part in improving Web site user experience. After engaging in multiple redesign efforts, the Web team has developed a process that supports awareness of user experience through continual usability testing and feedback gathering. This article presents strategies and practices to measure Web site user experience, including classic usability testing methods (e.g., card sorting activities, focus groups, and task-based user testing), as well as the team's latest effort to assess Web site analytics and content to identify Web site usage patterns and areas of concern. A history of the Florida International University Libraries’ Web site redesign process is presented to illustrate lessons learned and best practices to facilitate future redesign and testing efforts. Taking a longitudinal look at usability testing at one institution, the study aims to inform the development of an effective strategy for user research and content management.     

Focus Groups and Usability Testing in Redesigning an Academic Library's Web Site

ABSTRACT

As the World Wide Web has advanced since its inception, librarians have endeavored to keep pace with this progress in the design of their library Web pages. User recommendations collected from focus groups and usability testing have indicated that the University of Scranton's Weinberg Memorial Library's Web site was not working as intended, and the library's home page, in particular, was cluttered. Focus groups indicated that the process of accessing the library's databases from off-campus took too many steps, key resources were not located in key areas of the page, links were too close together, and the font was too small. Library staff determined it was necessary to rethink and redesign its pages. Self-reports from focus groups were insufficient to get at the mechanics of Web page use. Through usability testing, librarians were able to observe students and faculty completing simple research and directional tasks. Before “going live” with the new page in January 2007, users who had participated in the focus groups and in the usability testing were surveyed about the redesigned library Web page. The users indicated that the new Web page was less confusing, easier to use, and somewhat more intuitive than the previous library Web page. Web sites are always works in progress, and academic librarians should be proactive about making changes to their library Web sites to take advantage of emerging technology and to meet user expectations.     

User-Centered Design in Practice: The Brown University Experience

ABSTRACT

This article presents a case study in user-centered design that explores the needs and preferences of undergraduate users. An analysis of LibQual+ and other user surveys, interviews with public service staff, and a formal American with Disabilities Act accessibility review served as the basis for planning a redesign of the Brown University Library's Web site. Three testing phases were conducted: individual usability testing of the existing site and baseline data collection on Web use preferences; focus groups to respond to a functional prototype and search prototypes; and individual usability testing and interviews on revised functional prototypes. The delicate task of obtaining staff buy-in without letting their opinion drive the redesign was accomplished by keeping the project team small and nonrepresentational, submitting all conflicts to user testing, and promising an intranet that would meet the specialized needs of staff. A commitment to experimentation and a willingness to jettison design and functional elements which did not meet user approval kept the design process agile and flexible. Prototype testing of a variety of search options clearly demonstrated that the lack of integration in a library's information system makes it difficult to rationalize and optimize the user's search experience. Difficulties enlisting staff to edit existing Web content were solved by outsourcing content review and editing for Web-appropriate length and format. Except for this content review, the Web site redesign and usability testing were all conducted in-house with limited resources and a nine-month time-frame. The study's focus on user expectations and nomenclature largely confirmed the results of previous studies.     

To search or to browse: How users navigate a new interface for online library tutorials

As academic libraries create online learning objects, it is important to consider whether such resources actually reach and answer the questions of intended users. This study considers three points of inquiry for one academic library: How its users make their way to the library's tutorials; user preference for searching or browsing for resources, when given both modes of access; and the kinds of online learning objects or tutorials users are seeking. A close examination of Web analytics and users’ search terms within the tutorials interface helped to illustrate patterns of access and highlighted users’ needs for tutorials and online learning objects.     

基于信息构建的高校门户网站外部用户可用性测评——以江苏省高校为例

从高校门户网站的外部用户视角出发引入信息构建理论,在深入剖析基于信息构建的网站可用性内涵的基础上,提出可访问、无障碍的网站外部用户可用性的基本要素。并选取江苏省12所高校,以招生服务栏目为入口,运用基于web的自动测评工具进行门户网站的外部用户可用性的定量测度,以期归纳总结出江苏省高校门户网站在可用性上存在的问题及不同类型高校之间的水平差距。