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19. Discoverability and Understanding
“Two of the most important characteristics of good design
are:
Discoverability:
Is it possible to even figure out what actions are possible and
where and how to perform them?
Understanding:
What does it all mean? How is the product supposed to be used?
What do all the different controls and settings mean?”
20. This is from a brilliant book about the design of everyday
things.
23. He’s a funny guy. He calls it:
advanced common sense
24. The goal should be for each page or
screen to be self-evident, so that just
by looking at it the average user will
know:
•what it is
•how to use it.
25. This should sound familiar …
Because that is the same idea from
designing everyday things, not just
websites or databases.
•Discoverability (what it is)
•Understanding (how to use it)
31. User studies
What do they need?
(user surveys … ask a lot of students a few
questions)
Libraries are competing with a LOT of other
sources of information.
Are we giving them what they need?
Not what we think they need.
32. User studies
How do they use it?
(usability studies … watch a few students use the site)
Watch them use the library website to complete common
tasks.
Observe what they do, where they succeed, and where they
have difficulties
Are our offerings useful, usable, desirable, accessible and
valuable?
33. User studies vs heuristics
1. Heuristic review is not a replacement for user research.
2. Remember your users at all times.
3. They’re rules of thumb to get you started. User studies
will test if they work.
34. Design Goals:
Be useful with our offerings. Provide value.
Provide what students need. Useful information.
Create something that’s usable for them.
Our offerings should be understandable, navigable and accessible
Be efficient.
Optimize our current tools without having to build new ones.
Or … demand more and better service from our vendors.
Or … find tools that are already built that we can customize.
Pick and use tools that are easily manageable.
Use our human resources to build new tools only when necessary.
35. Design Goals:
• Utility = whether it provides the features you need.
• Usability = how easy & pleasant these features are to use.
• Useful = usability + utility.
From Usability 101: Introduction to Usability by Jakob Nielsen
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
36. My design philosophy:
EFFICIENCY & USEFUL
Building new tools can be fun but should be a last resort. I want
to be able go to Home Depot to buy a hammer not have to build a
whole new hammer. Use the tools available.
Use content management systems like WordPress and
Springshare.
Use Javascript frameworks like Bootstrap.
Lots of people are smarter than me.
Look to them for help, ideas and guidance. Find examples that
work.
MAKE SMALL IMPROVEMENTS TO GREAT IDEAS.
40. Use natural words
Our offerings should speak the users’ language rather than
system-oriented terms.
For example, textbooks rather than course reserves
41. Simplify
Every extra unit of
information in a dialogue
competes with the relevant
units of information and
diminishes their relative
visibility.
From 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design by Jakob Nielsen
43. User control, freedom and
Help!!!
Make it possible for the user to escape
easily if a wrong choice is made
Help should always be available … on
every screen
44. Consistency
Users shouldn’t have to wonder
whether different words, situations or
actions mean the same thing.
For example, does “menu” mean
choices in the library or the college web
site?
48. Accessibility
• Follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.0
• If there are problems, fix the problems that break the
high-priority rules first (Level A & Level AA)
• Follow CMS guidelines when creating pages. ARIA
• Test the pages with an accessibility evaluation tool, like
WAVE
• Look for help and attempt to stay up to date. This
changes with the changes in technology.
• California Government Code 11135 & section508.gov
• Updates were made in January 2017 to the Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and
