Presented at LibTech Conference, March 15, 2018. Creating and maintaining research guides that students use and find helpful is an ongoing challenge. On deciding that our subject guides were due for a significant update, librarians at Kennesaw State University realized we needed to learn what our students wanted from these resources. We conducted a study focused on learning what information students expect to find on research guides, as well as how they would organize it. During this presentation I will share the study results and how that information was used to design a new subject guide template in LibGuides CMS. Additionally, I will explain beta-testing the new template prior to updating all subject guides for the fall 2018 semester. Attendees will take away recommendations for transferable design characteristics for your own guides, card sorting, and usability testing methodologies you can use to learn what your own community is looking for.
The document summarizes a project to redesign the website of a university library to improve usability and accessibility. It describes conducting user research through interviews, surveys and observations to understand user tasks and problems. Based on the analysis, wireframes and designs were created with a task-centered approach and tested through discount usability testing. The testing provided feedback that informed further modifications and additions to address underlying issues identified. The lessons learned included how user research was effective in getting staff buy-in and involvement, and using prototypes to try out ideas.
D4D session d21 - Really baking it in integrating the ux design process with...Suhui Ho
The UX design process strives to create the best experience for users while meeting an organization’s business goals. The UC San Diego Library consciously applied this process in its most recent website redesign, from initial planning to the design and build stages of the project. We will discuss our decisions about selecting and using multiple UX tools and methodologies and the effect this approach has had on the project. Presentation was given in Designing for Digital 2017
NCompass Live - March 9, 2016.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/
Librarians put hours into creating research guides, but usage studies show that they're often confusing, intimidating and generally under-used by students. Learn some effective techniques of instructional design and web usability that any librarian can apply to make online guides better and more useful to your students, whether you are using LibGuides or a home-brew system.
Presenter: Jason Puckett of Georgia State University is the author of the new book Modern Pathfinders: Creating Better Research Guides from ACRL Publications.
Library Service Design - Website Prototype IntroductionTroyDeRego
After the initial research phase of work on the Mississippi State University Libraries website, we created a working prototype of the site and explained out process to the faculty and staff before releasing it to them for review.
This session will focus on the development of digital leadership
skills for librarians in the area of collection management.
Within this context digital leadership refers to leadership as a
responsibility as opposed to a role. It will demonstrate a digital
leadership model that can be reused in different work contexts
and the use of online training to develop core competencies.
The document summarizes the process of migrating a library's database resources from an old system to a new LibGuides platform. It describes usability testing conducted before and after the migration to evaluate how users interacted with the pages. The migration involved importing database descriptions, updating links, and reviewing content with various stakeholders. While the user interface did not significantly change, post-migration usability testing provided feedback on layout and search options that could be improved. Next steps include addressing issues like taxonomy, redesigning pages based on feedback, and focusing on interdisciplinary research needs.
Tao Zhang's UX research portfolio summarizes his background and experience in UX research. It highlights two main projects: researching student needs for a new active learning center library space through observations and interviews, and usability testing of a university library website redesign. The portfolio also describes analytics of library database search logs and e-book usage, as well as a usability study of e-books identifying issues for different experience levels.
Demystifying Ethnography: Exploring Student Use of Library SpacesAmy Gratz Barker
This presentation was given at the Minnesota Library Association 2010 Annual Conference by Julie Gilbert, Amy Gratz, Anna Hulseberg, and Sarah Monson. Please note that all images are copyright to the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library at Gustavus Adolphus College, with the exception of images on slide 37 (Image Association). These images are creative commons licensed and belong to their respective creators: Dalboz17, chris5aw, jisc_infonet, and Christopher Chan.
The document summarizes a project to redesign the website of a university library to improve usability and accessibility. It describes conducting user research through interviews, surveys and observations to understand user tasks and problems. Based on the analysis, wireframes and designs were created with a task-centered approach and tested through discount usability testing. The testing provided feedback that informed further modifications and additions to address underlying issues identified. The lessons learned included how user research was effective in getting staff buy-in and involvement, and using prototypes to try out ideas.
D4D session d21 - Really baking it in integrating the ux design process with...Suhui Ho
The UX design process strives to create the best experience for users while meeting an organization’s business goals. The UC San Diego Library consciously applied this process in its most recent website redesign, from initial planning to the design and build stages of the project. We will discuss our decisions about selecting and using multiple UX tools and methodologies and the effect this approach has had on the project. Presentation was given in Designing for Digital 2017
NCompass Live - March 9, 2016.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/
Librarians put hours into creating research guides, but usage studies show that they're often confusing, intimidating and generally under-used by students. Learn some effective techniques of instructional design and web usability that any librarian can apply to make online guides better and more useful to your students, whether you are using LibGuides or a home-brew system.
Presenter: Jason Puckett of Georgia State University is the author of the new book Modern Pathfinders: Creating Better Research Guides from ACRL Publications.
Library Service Design - Website Prototype IntroductionTroyDeRego
After the initial research phase of work on the Mississippi State University Libraries website, we created a working prototype of the site and explained out process to the faculty and staff before releasing it to them for review.
This session will focus on the development of digital leadership
skills for librarians in the area of collection management.
Within this context digital leadership refers to leadership as a
responsibility as opposed to a role. It will demonstrate a digital
leadership model that can be reused in different work contexts
and the use of online training to develop core competencies.
The document summarizes the process of migrating a library's database resources from an old system to a new LibGuides platform. It describes usability testing conducted before and after the migration to evaluate how users interacted with the pages. The migration involved importing database descriptions, updating links, and reviewing content with various stakeholders. While the user interface did not significantly change, post-migration usability testing provided feedback on layout and search options that could be improved. Next steps include addressing issues like taxonomy, redesigning pages based on feedback, and focusing on interdisciplinary research needs.
Tao Zhang's UX research portfolio summarizes his background and experience in UX research. It highlights two main projects: researching student needs for a new active learning center library space through observations and interviews, and usability testing of a university library website redesign. The portfolio also describes analytics of library database search logs and e-book usage, as well as a usability study of e-books identifying issues for different experience levels.
Demystifying Ethnography: Exploring Student Use of Library SpacesAmy Gratz Barker
This presentation was given at the Minnesota Library Association 2010 Annual Conference by Julie Gilbert, Amy Gratz, Anna Hulseberg, and Sarah Monson. Please note that all images are copyright to the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library at Gustavus Adolphus College, with the exception of images on slide 37 (Image Association). These images are creative commons licensed and belong to their respective creators: Dalboz17, chris5aw, jisc_infonet, and Christopher Chan.
A webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson that uses mostly online resources. It has five key characteristics: it is classroom-based, emphasizes higher-order thinking, preselects sources to emphasize use over gathering of information, and is often group work with roles. Webquests are compelling for teachers because they easily incorporate the internet, encourage collaboration and sharing, can be interdisciplinary, develop critical thinking skills, and motivate students with authentic tasks. A webquest has six essential parts: introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion.
This Powerpoint presentation provides information about conducting research for an international aid evaluation paper. It discusses constructing a research strategy, identifying relevant resources through databases and search tools like POLAR and OhioLINK, evaluating sources found online, and managing citations using RefWorks. Key databases and library services are highlighted, including subject specific databases, interlibrary loan, and asking a librarian for assistance.
In early 2014, Michigan State University Libraries’ User Experience Work Group set out to determine why patrons value the Main Library facilities. Seating sweeps and surveys were conducted to gather quantitative and qualitative data, which was combined with existing data such as gate counts, chat transcripts, and computer logins, to learn about patrons’ interaction with library spaces. Join three members of the UXWG to discuss design, implementation, and analysis of a space study in a library that supports social, academic, and community activities. Attendees will be encouraged to share and reflect upon the “space value” of their library facilities.
The document outlines the agenda for a town hall meeting of the BIA Club at Stevens Institute of Technology. The club's mission is discussed, which is to help close the gap between students' technical skills and industry needs through various events like workshops, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. A list of future events is also provided, including small talks with companies, interview tips sessions, and a networking event with poster presentations.
This document summarizes the evaluation of the iSkillZone, an online information literacy resource launched by UWE Library Services. It provides statistics on usage and outlines the methodology used, which included usability testing with students, questionnaires for staff and students, and interviews with academic staff. Key findings are that navigation and terminology need improvement, structured introductions improve student response, and there is demand to incorporate study skills resources. Changes implemented based on the evaluation include redesigning navigation and sections, and plans are in place to further develop resources in collaboration with academic staff.
This document summarizes research conducted at the University of Rochester to understand how undergraduate students work on research papers. Various methodologies were used including interviews, photo surveys, mapping, and diaries. Key findings included that students work on papers in chunks over long periods of time, ask friends and family for help, use Google but also evaluate other sources, and don't always remember library instruction sessions. Late night observations in the student union and dorms found students studying in groups late at night using technology and snacking as they worked. The research helped the library understand student needs and informed renovations to create more collaborative study spaces.
Building and Sustaining a Culture of Assessment at Your LibraryMeredith Farkas
This document discusses building and sustaining a culture of assessment in instruction programs. It defines a culture of assessment as one where assessment is a normal part of practice, done for the right reasons like improving teaching and learning. Building such a culture requires administrative support, resources for staff education and time, and using assessment results to make changes. It also requires addressing staff concerns and overcoming resistance to change. The document provides strategies for implementing assessment at the grassroots level and establishing assessment practices as a core part of the organizational culture.
Developing a weighted library allocation formula charleston 2011Jeff Bailey
This document discusses the development of a weighted library allocation formula at Arkansas State University. It outlines the process of gathering relevant data, selecting appropriate factors, assigning weights to those factors, and using the formula to allocate funds across departments. The authors describe brainstorming data that could be used in the formula, evaluating what data was available, choosing factors like credit hours, faculty, and materials usage, and subdividing some factors. They explain how the formula calculates allocations based on the assigned weights and allow for adjustments after running the formula. The goal is to create an equitable means of allocating funds that can adapt over time to changing needs.
Nuanced and Timely: Capturing Collections Feedback at Point of Use (Online NW...Rick Stoddart
This document summarizes a presentation on injecting feedback surveys into electronic resources at point of use. It discusses testing pop-up surveys before articles to understand how collections connect to learning and productivity. Surveys of an Elsevier resource received over 1300 responses that provided insights into undergraduate, graduate, and faculty use for assignments, research, and publishing. Results indicated resources were used for both core and supplemental needs. The presentation explores using such evidence to inform decisions about collections, purchasing, and demonstrating return on investment to stakeholders.
The University of Huddersfield library created a module on the university's new virtual learning environment to provide library support and resources to students in a centralized online location. Previously, library information was inconsistently distributed across different platforms and guides. The new module contains videos, guides, and quizzes on topics like using the library catalog and referencing styles. It saw initial usage by 20% of students, with 3% completing quizzes. Usage was highest among first-year undergraduate students and those in health and business fields. Feedback was positive about the organization and videos, though some suggested making the content and quizzes shorter. Future plans include adding more academic skills content and promoting the module during student orientations.
The document provides an overview of a webinar on basic graphic design principles for library handouts and materials. It discusses important design concepts like contrast, whitespace, alignment, repetition, color psychology, font psychology, and using images over text. Examples are provided for each concept. Recommendations are made to find inspiration from trends, use design tools you are familiar with, and ensure designs match the purpose, tone, and brand of the library. Favorite design resources like stock image sites, color pickers, and font directories are also shared.
A webquest is a mini-project where students interact with and learn from online resources provided by the teacher. It follows a standard format including an introduction with background and vocabulary, a task for students to complete using specified internet resources, a process guiding students through activities and research, and a self-evaluation and teacher evaluation. Creating effective webquests requires research, analytical, and word processing skills to design inquiry-based learning activities for students using online materials.
This webquest guides middle school students through a research project on civil rights leaders to develop their skills in evaluating online sources. Students will work in pairs to research a leader, create a biographical video and presentation, and discuss what makes a quality source. Throughout the process, students will use evaluation questions to critically examine their and their partner's sources. The lesson is designed using constructivist principles to have students build on existing search skills and learn source evaluation independently before a teacher-led discussion. Potential challenges include lack of real-world relevance and engagement if authentication is not possible.
This document provides instructions for an assignment on using Northcentral University's library resources. Students are asked to conduct searches in databases to find 3 peer-reviewed articles, 1 book chapter, and 1 scholarly resource on a topic of their choice. They must fill out a chart documenting their searches and sources. They also write a 1-page reflection paper discussing the usefulness of databases, key ideas and scholars found, and how library searches can spark new ideas. The document offers tips on conducting thorough searches and properly completing the assignment.
Kara Jones (University of Bath) "Getting there from here: changes for academi...ARLGSW
Presentation from the 6th CILIP ARLG-SW Discover Academic Research and Training Support Conference (DARTS6). Dartington Hall, Totnes, Thursday 24th – Friday 25th May 2018
Presented by Chris Bulock and Lynn Fields.
Discovery is a key component of a library's services, and user expectations are high. Even if a web-scale discovery system isn't in the cards, there is plenty a library can do to improve discovery for their users. Librarians at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have been engaged in an ongoing discovery improvement project encompassing the website, catalog, database lists and more, all based on extensive user feedback. The presenters will share successful strategies for evaluating and improving discovery, no expensive software or programming skills necessary.
Discovery on a budget: Improved searching without a Web-scale discovery productNASIG
Discovery is a key component of a library's services, and user expectations are high. Even if a web-scale discovery system isn't in the cards, there is plenty a library can do to improve discovery for their users. Librarians at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have been engaged in an ongoing discovery improvement project encompassing the website, catalog, database lists and more, all based on extensive user feedback. The presenters will share successful strategies for evaluating and improving discovery, no expensive software or programming skills necessary.
Chris Bulock and Lynette Fields, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
A webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson that uses mostly online resources. It has five key characteristics: it is classroom-based, emphasizes higher-order thinking, preselects sources to emphasize use over gathering of information, and is often group work with roles. Webquests are compelling for teachers because they easily incorporate the internet, encourage collaboration and sharing, can be interdisciplinary, develop critical thinking skills, and motivate students with authentic tasks. A webquest has six essential parts: introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion.
This Powerpoint presentation provides information about conducting research for an international aid evaluation paper. It discusses constructing a research strategy, identifying relevant resources through databases and search tools like POLAR and OhioLINK, evaluating sources found online, and managing citations using RefWorks. Key databases and library services are highlighted, including subject specific databases, interlibrary loan, and asking a librarian for assistance.
In early 2014, Michigan State University Libraries’ User Experience Work Group set out to determine why patrons value the Main Library facilities. Seating sweeps and surveys were conducted to gather quantitative and qualitative data, which was combined with existing data such as gate counts, chat transcripts, and computer logins, to learn about patrons’ interaction with library spaces. Join three members of the UXWG to discuss design, implementation, and analysis of a space study in a library that supports social, academic, and community activities. Attendees will be encouraged to share and reflect upon the “space value” of their library facilities.
The document outlines the agenda for a town hall meeting of the BIA Club at Stevens Institute of Technology. The club's mission is discussed, which is to help close the gap between students' technical skills and industry needs through various events like workshops, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. A list of future events is also provided, including small talks with companies, interview tips sessions, and a networking event with poster presentations.
This document summarizes the evaluation of the iSkillZone, an online information literacy resource launched by UWE Library Services. It provides statistics on usage and outlines the methodology used, which included usability testing with students, questionnaires for staff and students, and interviews with academic staff. Key findings are that navigation and terminology need improvement, structured introductions improve student response, and there is demand to incorporate study skills resources. Changes implemented based on the evaluation include redesigning navigation and sections, and plans are in place to further develop resources in collaboration with academic staff.
This document summarizes research conducted at the University of Rochester to understand how undergraduate students work on research papers. Various methodologies were used including interviews, photo surveys, mapping, and diaries. Key findings included that students work on papers in chunks over long periods of time, ask friends and family for help, use Google but also evaluate other sources, and don't always remember library instruction sessions. Late night observations in the student union and dorms found students studying in groups late at night using technology and snacking as they worked. The research helped the library understand student needs and informed renovations to create more collaborative study spaces.
Building and Sustaining a Culture of Assessment at Your LibraryMeredith Farkas
This document discusses building and sustaining a culture of assessment in instruction programs. It defines a culture of assessment as one where assessment is a normal part of practice, done for the right reasons like improving teaching and learning. Building such a culture requires administrative support, resources for staff education and time, and using assessment results to make changes. It also requires addressing staff concerns and overcoming resistance to change. The document provides strategies for implementing assessment at the grassroots level and establishing assessment practices as a core part of the organizational culture.
Developing a weighted library allocation formula charleston 2011Jeff Bailey
This document discusses the development of a weighted library allocation formula at Arkansas State University. It outlines the process of gathering relevant data, selecting appropriate factors, assigning weights to those factors, and using the formula to allocate funds across departments. The authors describe brainstorming data that could be used in the formula, evaluating what data was available, choosing factors like credit hours, faculty, and materials usage, and subdividing some factors. They explain how the formula calculates allocations based on the assigned weights and allow for adjustments after running the formula. The goal is to create an equitable means of allocating funds that can adapt over time to changing needs.
Nuanced and Timely: Capturing Collections Feedback at Point of Use (Online NW...Rick Stoddart
This document summarizes a presentation on injecting feedback surveys into electronic resources at point of use. It discusses testing pop-up surveys before articles to understand how collections connect to learning and productivity. Surveys of an Elsevier resource received over 1300 responses that provided insights into undergraduate, graduate, and faculty use for assignments, research, and publishing. Results indicated resources were used for both core and supplemental needs. The presentation explores using such evidence to inform decisions about collections, purchasing, and demonstrating return on investment to stakeholders.
The University of Huddersfield library created a module on the university's new virtual learning environment to provide library support and resources to students in a centralized online location. Previously, library information was inconsistently distributed across different platforms and guides. The new module contains videos, guides, and quizzes on topics like using the library catalog and referencing styles. It saw initial usage by 20% of students, with 3% completing quizzes. Usage was highest among first-year undergraduate students and those in health and business fields. Feedback was positive about the organization and videos, though some suggested making the content and quizzes shorter. Future plans include adding more academic skills content and promoting the module during student orientations.
The document provides an overview of a webinar on basic graphic design principles for library handouts and materials. It discusses important design concepts like contrast, whitespace, alignment, repetition, color psychology, font psychology, and using images over text. Examples are provided for each concept. Recommendations are made to find inspiration from trends, use design tools you are familiar with, and ensure designs match the purpose, tone, and brand of the library. Favorite design resources like stock image sites, color pickers, and font directories are also shared.
A webquest is a mini-project where students interact with and learn from online resources provided by the teacher. It follows a standard format including an introduction with background and vocabulary, a task for students to complete using specified internet resources, a process guiding students through activities and research, and a self-evaluation and teacher evaluation. Creating effective webquests requires research, analytical, and word processing skills to design inquiry-based learning activities for students using online materials.
This webquest guides middle school students through a research project on civil rights leaders to develop their skills in evaluating online sources. Students will work in pairs to research a leader, create a biographical video and presentation, and discuss what makes a quality source. Throughout the process, students will use evaluation questions to critically examine their and their partner's sources. The lesson is designed using constructivist principles to have students build on existing search skills and learn source evaluation independently before a teacher-led discussion. Potential challenges include lack of real-world relevance and engagement if authentication is not possible.
This document provides instructions for an assignment on using Northcentral University's library resources. Students are asked to conduct searches in databases to find 3 peer-reviewed articles, 1 book chapter, and 1 scholarly resource on a topic of their choice. They must fill out a chart documenting their searches and sources. They also write a 1-page reflection paper discussing the usefulness of databases, key ideas and scholars found, and how library searches can spark new ideas. The document offers tips on conducting thorough searches and properly completing the assignment.
Kara Jones (University of Bath) "Getting there from here: changes for academi...ARLGSW
Presentation from the 6th CILIP ARLG-SW Discover Academic Research and Training Support Conference (DARTS6). Dartington Hall, Totnes, Thursday 24th – Friday 25th May 2018
Presented by Chris Bulock and Lynn Fields.
Discovery is a key component of a library's services, and user expectations are high. Even if a web-scale discovery system isn't in the cards, there is plenty a library can do to improve discovery for their users. Librarians at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have been engaged in an ongoing discovery improvement project encompassing the website, catalog, database lists and more, all based on extensive user feedback. The presenters will share successful strategies for evaluating and improving discovery, no expensive software or programming skills necessary.
Discovery on a budget: Improved searching without a Web-scale discovery productNASIG
Discovery is a key component of a library's services, and user expectations are high. Even if a web-scale discovery system isn't in the cards, there is plenty a library can do to improve discovery for their users. Librarians at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have been engaged in an ongoing discovery improvement project encompassing the website, catalog, database lists and more, all based on extensive user feedback. The presenters will share successful strategies for evaluating and improving discovery, no expensive software or programming skills necessary.
Chris Bulock and Lynette Fields, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Data-Informed Decision Making for Digital ResourcesChristine Madsen
This session will provide three case studies of assessment and evaluation programs in libraries--one past, one current, and one future. The cases use three different modes of data gathering and analysis and show the power of understanding user needs and how well your organization is meeting them.
Data-Informed Decision Making for Libraries - Athenaeum21Megan Hurst
Athenaeum21 presents three case studies of assessment and evaluation programs in libraries--one past, one current, and one future. The cases use three different modes of data gathering and analysis to show the power of understanding user needs and how well your organization is meeting them.
The document discusses the role of an instructional designer at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. It describes how the instructional designer helps improve the medical school curriculum through evidence-based best practices, feedback loops, and future planning. The designer analyzes course evaluations, observes teaching, and collaborates with faculty to enhance learning materials and instructional methods using frameworks like ADDIE and backward design. Evaluation data is used to identify areas for improvement and gauge the impact of changes made. The goal is to continually refine the curriculum and help faculty develop as effective educators.
How user research shaped the thinking towards developing our institutions cen...Brendan Owers
The document summarizes how user research shaped the redesign of a university's central web portal. Through activities like card sorting, usability testing, and online surveys, researchers learned students found the original portal disorganized and difficult to navigate. User feedback informed the new portal's information architecture, navigation structure, and streamlined homepage. The research ensured the redesign centered the student experience. It demonstrated how user research is critical to developing digital services that users truly value.
UCD and Technical Communication: The Inevitable MarriageChris LaRoche
Presentation about the increasingly collaboration and needs of technical communication to work with and become competent within UX and UCD methods and principles.
This was a presentation I gave to administrators and instructors at UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as they debated putting more courses online.
WebQuests are inquiry-oriented lesson formats that use mostly online resources to engage students in 21st century thinking skills. They have become popular worldwide as a way for teachers to incorporate the internet into lessons. The document outlines the basic formula for creating a WebQuest, including an introduction to orient students, a task for them to complete, a process explaining the strategies they should use, required online resources, an evaluation, and a conclusion. It also discusses benefits such as student engagement, providing background knowledge, and reusability, as well as potential drawbacks like technology issues and inauthentic tasks.
Mark Dehmlow, Head of the Library Web Department at the University of Notre Dame
At the University of Notre Dame, we recently implemented a new website in concert with rolling out a “next generation” OPAC into production for our campus. While much of the pre-launch feedback was positive, once we implemented the new systems, we started receiving a small number of intense criticisms and a small wave of problem reports. This presentation covers how to plan for big technology changes, prepare your organizations, effectively manage the barrage of post implementation technical problems, and mitigate customer concerns and criticisms. Participants are encouraged to bring brief war stories, anecdotes, and suggestions for managing technology implementations.”
CrowdAsk- A Crowdsourcing Reference System (Internet Librarian 2014)Ilana Stonebraker
This document describes the development and testing of CrowdAsk, a crowdsourced library help system created by researchers at Purdue University Libraries. It received funding from an IMLS grant and allows users to ask questions that can be answered by other students, faculty experts, or librarians. The system was beta tested by undergraduate students in classes and specialists in the special collections department. Analysis found that students asked a variety of questions and engagement was high based on website usage statistics. While badges and points were not strong motivators, expert users were motivated by reciprocity. The system is now launched on the Purdue Libraries website.
Presented at the OCLC Research Library Partnership meeting by Senior Program Officer, Karen Smith-Yoshimura and hosted by the University of Sydney in Sydney, NSW Australia, 17 February 2017. This meeting provided an opportunity for Research Library Partners to touch base with each other on issues of common concern and explore possible areas of future engagement with the OCLC Research Library Partnership and OCLC Research.
Digging into assessment data: Tips, tricks, and tools of the trade.Lynn Connaway
Hofschire, L., & Connaway, L. S. (2018). Digging into assessment data: Tips, tricks, and tools of the trade. Part 2 in 3-part webinar series, Evaluating and sharing your library's impact, presented by OCLC Research WebJunction, August 14, 2018.
The document describes a test fest conducted by librarians at the University of North Carolina to address a backlog of usability issues. It involved running 5 simultaneous usability tests on topics like database access, research videos, the catalog, and discovery tools. 8 participants took part in the first round, with 2 additional participants completing 2 tests later. The tests used methods like task analysis, surveys, and sketching. Affinity diagramming was used to analyze the 44 tests, though not all data could be incorporated. Outcomes so far include reports, catalog changes, and discovery tool decisions. The discussion focuses on managing backlogs and improving the test fest approach.
Presentation at Empirical Librarians 2018 in Knoxville, TN.
At UNC Chapel Hill, the User Experience and Assessment department regularly runs usability tests to inform our decision making and prioritize our users’ perspectives as we make changes. But there are more things to test than there are hours in the day. Our projects have a variety of stakeholders who are very interested in improving their services, and we found ourselves with a long list of tests we wanted to run.
To catch up, we adapted Harvard Libraries’ Test Fest model: five tests run simultaneously, with five participants rotating through the set of tests. Over a span of two hours, we completed 25 individual usability tests. In this one event, we caught up on much of our testing backlog.
This session will outline how we planned and executed Test Fest and what we learned from using this approach. We’ll also discuss how we approached analyzing the large amount of qualitative data that was gathered during testing, via affinity diagrams and lots of post-it notes.
The focus of this session is on our methodologies with an aim to include time for attendees to discuss how they would have approached the backlog, setting up Test Fest, and analyzing the data.
The document provides guidelines for designing effective e-learning objects and asynchronous instruction. It discusses best practices from sources like the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Project Information Literacy. These include establishing learning outcomes, developing content that limits cognitive load, and ensuring accessibility for all students regardless of location. The document then outlines steps for instructional design using the ADDIE model of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. Examples are provided for each step, with a focus on incorporating principles of multimedia learning and usability testing.
Here is a draft GANTT chart for my research plan:
Activity Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Plan x Submit 2nd Nov
Intro and x x
justification
Reading and x x x
Lit review
Methodology x x
and methods
Data x x x x
collection
Analysis of x x x
data
Writing up x x x x x
This draft GANTT chart raises some issues around timing for data collection and analysis. Data collection from January to April may be challenging given other commitments during that time period. The timeline for analysis of data and writing up may need to be
Semelhante a What Students Want: Redesigning Research Guides Based on Student Needs (20)
Communicating effectively and consistently with students can help them feel at ease during their learning experience and provide the instructor with a communication trail to track the course's progress. This workshop will take you through constructing an engaging course container to facilitate effective communication.
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
Gender and Mental Health - Counselling and Family Therapy Applications and In...PsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
How to Make a Field Mandatory in Odoo 17Celine George
In Odoo, making a field required can be done through both Python code and XML views. When you set the required attribute to True in Python code, it makes the field required across all views where it's used. Conversely, when you set the required attribute in XML views, it makes the field required only in the context of that particular view.
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering.pptxDenish Jangid
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering
Syllabus
Chapter-1
Introduction to objective, scope and outcome the subject
Chapter 2
Introduction: Scope and Specialization of Civil Engineering, Role of civil Engineer in Society, Impact of infrastructural development on economy of country.
Chapter 3
Surveying: Object Principles & Types of Surveying; Site Plans, Plans & Maps; Scales & Unit of different Measurements.
Linear Measurements: Instruments used. Linear Measurement by Tape, Ranging out Survey Lines and overcoming Obstructions; Measurements on sloping ground; Tape corrections, conventional symbols. Angular Measurements: Instruments used; Introduction to Compass Surveying, Bearings and Longitude & Latitude of a Line, Introduction to total station.
Levelling: Instrument used Object of levelling, Methods of levelling in brief, and Contour maps.
Chapter 4
Buildings: Selection of site for Buildings, Layout of Building Plan, Types of buildings, Plinth area, carpet area, floor space index, Introduction to building byelaws, concept of sun light & ventilation. Components of Buildings & their functions, Basic concept of R.C.C., Introduction to types of foundation
Chapter 5
Transportation: Introduction to Transportation Engineering; Traffic and Road Safety: Types and Characteristics of Various Modes of Transportation; Various Road Traffic Signs, Causes of Accidents and Road Safety Measures.
Chapter 6
Environmental Engineering: Environmental Pollution, Environmental Acts and Regulations, Functional Concepts of Ecology, Basics of Species, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Hydrological Cycle; Chemical Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen & Phosphorus; Energy Flow in Ecosystems.
Water Pollution: Water Quality standards, Introduction to Treatment & Disposal of Waste Water. Reuse and Saving of Water, Rain Water Harvesting. Solid Waste Management: Classification of Solid Waste, Collection, Transportation and Disposal of Solid. Recycling of Solid Waste: Energy Recovery, Sanitary Landfill, On-Site Sanitation. Air & Noise Pollution: Primary and Secondary air pollutants, Harmful effects of Air Pollution, Control of Air Pollution. . Noise Pollution Harmful Effects of noise pollution, control of noise pollution, Global warming & Climate Change, Ozone depletion, Greenhouse effect
Text Books:
1. Palancharmy, Basic Civil Engineering, McGraw Hill publishers.
2. Satheesh Gopi, Basic Civil Engineering, Pearson Publishers.
3. Ketki Rangwala Dalal, Essentials of Civil Engineering, Charotar Publishing House.
4. BCP, Surveying volume 1
Philippine Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) CurriculumMJDuyan
(𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝟏𝟎𝟎) (𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏)-𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐬
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐏𝐏 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
- Understand the goals and objectives of the Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) curriculum, recognizing its importance in fostering practical life skills and values among students. Students will also be able to identify the key components and subjects covered, such as agriculture, home economics, industrial arts, and information and communication technology.
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫:
-Define entrepreneurship, distinguishing it from general business activities by emphasizing its focus on innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. Students will describe the characteristics and traits of successful entrepreneurs, including their roles and responsibilities, and discuss the broader economic and social impacts of entrepreneurial activities on both local and global scales.
This document provides an overview of wound healing, its functions, stages, mechanisms, factors affecting it, and complications.
A wound is a break in the integrity of the skin or tissues, which may be associated with disruption of the structure and function.
Healing is the body’s response to injury in an attempt to restore normal structure and functions.
Healing can occur in two ways: Regeneration and Repair
There are 4 phases of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. This document also describes the mechanism of wound healing. Factors that affect healing include infection, uncontrolled diabetes, poor nutrition, age, anemia, the presence of foreign bodies, etc.
Complications of wound healing like infection, hyperpigmentation of scar, contractures, and keloid formation.
Walmart Business+ and Spark Good for Nonprofits.pdfTechSoup
"Learn about all the ways Walmart supports nonprofit organizations.
You will hear from Liz Willett, the Head of Nonprofits, and hear about what Walmart is doing to help nonprofits, including Walmart Business and Spark Good. Walmart Business+ is a new offer for nonprofits that offers discounts and also streamlines nonprofits order and expense tracking, saving time and money.
The webinar may also give some examples on how nonprofits can best leverage Walmart Business+.
The event will cover the following::
Walmart Business + (https://business.walmart.com/plus) is a new shopping experience for nonprofits, schools, and local business customers that connects an exclusive online shopping experience to stores. Benefits include free delivery and shipping, a 'Spend Analytics” feature, special discounts, deals and tax-exempt shopping.
Special TechSoup offer for a free 180 days membership, and up to $150 in discounts on eligible orders.
Spark Good (walmart.com/sparkgood) is a charitable platform that enables nonprofits to receive donations directly from customers and associates.
Answers about how you can do more with Walmart!"
LAND USE LAND COVER AND NDVI OF MIRZAPUR DISTRICT, UPRAHUL
This Dissertation explores the particular circumstances of Mirzapur, a region located in the
core of India. Mirzapur, with its varied terrains and abundant biodiversity, offers an optimal
environment for investigating the changes in vegetation cover dynamics. Our study utilizes
advanced technologies such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Remote sensing to
analyze the transformations that have taken place over the course of a decade.
The complex relationship between human activities and the environment has been the focus
of extensive research and worry. As the global community grapples with swift urbanization,
population expansion, and economic progress, the effects on natural ecosystems are becoming
more evident. A crucial element of this impact is the alteration of vegetation cover, which plays a
significant role in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of our planet.Land serves as the foundation for all human activities and provides the necessary materials for
these activities. As the most crucial natural resource, its utilization by humans results in different
'Land uses,' which are determined by both human activities and the physical characteristics of the
land.
The utilization of land is impacted by human needs and environmental factors. In countries
like India, rapid population growth and the emphasis on extensive resource exploitation can lead
to significant land degradation, adversely affecting the region's land cover.
Therefore, human intervention has significantly influenced land use patterns over many
centuries, evolving its structure over time and space. In the present era, these changes have
accelerated due to factors such as agriculture and urbanization. Information regarding land use and
cover is essential for various planning and management tasks related to the Earth's surface,
providing crucial environmental data for scientific, resource management, policy purposes, and
diverse human activities.
Accurate understanding of land use and cover is imperative for the development planning
of any area. Consequently, a wide range of professionals, including earth system scientists, land
and water managers, and urban planners, are interested in obtaining data on land use and cover
changes, conversion trends, and other related patterns. The spatial dimensions of land use and
cover support policymakers and scientists in making well-informed decisions, as alterations in
these patterns indicate shifts in economic and social conditions. Monitoring such changes with the
help of Advanced technologies like Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems is
crucial for coordinated efforts across different administrative levels. Advanced technologies like
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
9
Changes in vegetation cover refer to variations in the distribution, composition, and overall
structure of plant communities across different temporal and spatial scales. These changes can
occur natural.
How to Setup Warehouse & Location in Odoo 17 InventoryCeline George
In this slide, we'll explore how to set up warehouses and locations in Odoo 17 Inventory. This will help us manage our stock effectively, track inventory levels, and streamline warehouse operations.
2. Background Information
• Kennesaw State
University
– 35,000 students
• Library System
– Two libraries
– 22 librarians managing 60
undergraduate subject
guides
3. Background Information
• Why update design?
– An accessibility audit had revealed significant
issues with library content
– Some thoughts of moving away from a template
– Anecdotally, librarians disliked the template
– And…
5. Why do a Study?
• Not much information out there on version 2
of LibGuides, especially the side-navigation
layout option
• Needed to find support for continuing to use a
template
• When using a template, making significant
changes is a big project – wanted to get it
right
6. ResearchTeam
• Current:
– Ashley Hoffman, eLearning Librarian
– Michael Luther, Assessment Librarian
– Adam Olsen,Web Services Librarian
– Jon Hansen, Director ofVirtual Services
• Former:
– Rita Spisak, Strategic Marketing Librarian
– Xueying Chen, Donations Coordinator
– Ashley Dupuy, former Director of Research and
Instructional Services
7. ProjectTimeline
Study design,
IRB approval
• May - June
Phase 1:
Cardsorting
• July -
November
Beta design, IRB
approval
• December -
January
Phase 2:
UsabilityTesting
• January -
April
9. Methodology
• Individual, open card sort
• 60-minute session
– 40 minute card-sorting
– 10 minute discussion
• Discussion focused on
design (navigation and
visual preferences) and
predicted use (mobile,
multiple subjects)
10. Cardsorting: Issues andTips
• Recruitment! (or rather, attendance)
• If doing individual sorting, add a think-aloud
protocol and record
• Consider time carefully – 40 cards in 40 minutes was
probably the upper limit
• Streamline data collection/entry – number cards,
use envelopes
• Take photos immediately when finished
11. Cardsorting Analysis
• Complicated, messy data!
• Basic Process:
1. Identify similar categories (e.g.
“Search Effectively,” “SearchTips”)
2. Look for correlation: which cards
were frequently sorted into that
category?Which categories did a
specific card get sorted into?
3. Decide on a structure you’ll use
12. Cardsorting Results
• Process-oriented structure
• About 1/3 of students put search
tools first
• 50% of students preferred tabbed
navigation
• Preferred consistent layout across
subjects
• Average of 6 categories
13. NewTemplate
Design:
version 1
Major Design
Choices
• More images,
less text
• Clean,
uncluttered
feel
• Process-
oriented
• Less jargon
• Larger fonts
• Adaptable to
mobile
https://libguides.kennesaw.edu/engresearchguidebeta
15. Methodology
• Iterative process with 4 rounds
of testing, updates to the
design between each round
• 15-minute task-based, think-
aloud protocol
• One-on-one
• Recording screen and audio
for each session using
BlackBoard Collaborate Ultra
16. Tasks
• Your English professor has assigned you a research paper
onVirginiaWoolf’s novel To the Lighthouse. Using this
site, how would you get started?
• Your professor is requiring you to use a scholarly article
for the paper.Where would you go on this site to get
started?
• Your professor suggests you use literary criticism as well.
If you had never heard of this before, could you use this
site to find out more about it?
• You will need to cite your sources, but you aren’t familiar
with MLA style. Using this site, what would you do?
17. UsabilityTesting:Tips
• Emphasize that the participant can’t do anything wrong
• Don’t answer participant questions during testing
– If they can’t complete a task, the fault is with the design
• Create tasks that mimic actual use, align to the
different areas you want to test, and don’t use leading
phrasing
• Consider varying what order you ask the tasks in
• 15 minutes really is enough if you plan right!
• Recruiting “live” has worked well!
18. Round 1 Results
• Links to citation guides needed to be moved off
the help page
• Search page was too cluttered
• Page names were not always clear
• In general, needed to reduce the amount of text
and remove some content
• Navigation was sometimes confusing, partly due
to page length
20. NewTemplate
Design:
Version 2
Major Changes:
• Deleted content
• Renamed pages
• Moved citation
info to “Find
Sources”
• Reorganized
information
from “Search”
and “Sources”
into “Find
Sources” and
“SearchTips”
• All boxes now
display without
outlines
• Updated
navigation
21. Round 2 Results
• Mostly positive feedback on the visuals, layout,
and navigation
• Citation guide links were easier to find, but some
students still had problems
• All tasks could be completed on the “Find
Sources” page – which students seemed to like
• Definite preference for the layout with the
tabbed box, instead of a long page
22. UsabilityTesting:WhereWe’re at Now
• Conducting Round 3 onWednesday
– Updating design to use tabbed boxes more,
continuing to reduce length
– Creating new tasks to collect feedback on specific
pages
• Planning for Round 4 – final round
– Creating subject-specific content for Political Science
– Creating the new CMS SystemTemplate (as opposed
to aTemplateGuide)
23. Transferable Design Characteristics
• Identify your target population – who are you
designing for?
• Process-oriented organization
• Minimize scrolling
• Keep it clean and simple – but not too simple!
• Avoid text-only sections
• Provide navigation options
24. Future Plans @ KSU
• Launching completed design across all
undergraduate subject guides in July
• Embedding guides into D2L and marketing to
faculty and students
• Collecting usage data, etc. to assess impact
• Peer training on how to apply the lessons
learned here to other KSU guides
25. Recommended Resources
• Krug, S. (2010). Rocket surgery made easy:The do-it-yourself guide to finding and fixing
usability problems. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
• Krug, S. (2014). Don’t make me think, revisited: A common sense approach toWeb usability
(Third edition.). San Francisco, California: New Riders, Peachpit, Pearson Education.
• Kuniavsky, M. (2003). Observing the user experience: A practitioner’s guide to user
research. San Francisco, Calif.: Morgan Kaufmann.
• Sinkinson,C., Alexander, S., Hicks,A., & Kahn, M. (2012). Guiding Design: Exposing
Librarian and Student Mental Models of Research Guides. Portal : Libraries and the
Academy; Baltimore, 12(1), 63–84.
• Spencer, D. (2009). Card sorting: Designing usable categories. NewYork: Rosenfeld Media.
• Spencer, D. (n.d.).Card sorting: Resources. Retrieved December 13, 2017, from
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/card-sorting/
• Thorngate, S., & Hoden, A. (2017). Exploratory usability testing of user interface options
in LibGuides 2. College & Research Libraries, 78(6), 844–861.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.6.844
Good morning! As she said, my name is Amy Gratz, and I’m the Learning & Teaching Services Librarian at Kennesaw State University. One of my main duties there is to coordinate the content and design of our online guides.
Before I jump into my main topic, I just wanted to give you a little bit of context since I imagine most of you aren’t familiar with Kennesaw. We’re currently the 3rd largest university in Georgia with around 35,000 students; we have 32 librarians working to provide them with services, and 22 of us manage at least one undergraduate subject guide, which is the type of guide the project I’m talking about is focused on.
I started at KSU a year ago January, and one of the first things I decided to tackle was updating these guides. Partly because of accessibility issues, partly because I was hearing from my new colleagues that they wanted to move away from having a template at all. KSU has a template because it facilitates maintenance, ensures consistency of design and quality, and it helps those librarians who don’t have enough time or subject expertise to create one on their own. Regardless, though, I heard from several of my new colleagues that they disliked our current template.
…personally, I agree with them – I think our current design looks dated. This is our current English subject guide, which uses a design created in LibGuides v1 back in 2011 – and similar to what Audrey and Heather mentioned in their presentation yesterday, not everything transferred well with the change! This design is a template that librarians don’t have a lot of say in, and although guide owners can make changes with approval, almost all information is identical from one guide to the next, except for different databases listed under “find articles” and different featured books. I have included the URL there if anyone would like to have a look
I decided that before we could start making changes, we needed to do a study for 3 main reasons. I wasn’t seeing much in the literature about version 2 of LibGuides, especially the side-navigation option, although there was plenty about guide design and website design in general. I also wanted to find support for continuing to use a template, since I think it makes the most since at KSU for our situation. Although if it turned out students really didn’t like or need a template, I was open to that. And finally, since we do have a template, making significant changes is a big project, and I wanted to get it right.
Since this is a big project, there’s no way I could do it alone! That said, you might not need such a large team, but I think you need at least 3 just to provide different perspectives.
Although they’re not here with me, I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge everyone else who has been involved in the project. The current Research Team has been involved the entire way through; those you see listed as former members had to leave the team for various reasons, but were very helpful during the first phase of the study.
So this study has had two different main phases, both of which I’ll be talking about in more detail, but to give you a sense of the overall timeline, we started planning this project almost a year ago, and decided to break it into two main phases, each of which went through the IRB approval process separately. We completed the first phase late fall, and we’re currently in the second phase. The goal is to launch our new guides this summer.
Okay, so – Phase 1. How many if you are familiar with cardsorting? It’s a testing method that lets you create an overall organizational structure. Participants had a deck of cards with information on them, and were asked to create groups of similar cards – basically to organize the information in ways that made sense to them. This gives us a theoretical structure for the guide.
We decided to do an individual open card sort with decks of 40 cards – you can see an example on the right. Each card described a LibGuides box – the title and a brief description of the content in it. Most of these were from our current template, with some additions from course guides. “Open sort” means that each student was able to create their own categories – as many or as few as they wanted, with whatever names they wanted. These were 60 minute sessions, 40 minutes of card-sorting, 10 minutes of discussion, and 10 minutes for consent/instructions/etc. The discussion at the end was focused on the guide design and predicted use.
Recruitment: Used a one-question survey (What would you expect to find on a “research guide”?) with the option of signing up for the focus groups. Many students who said they would attend failed to show up, enough that we had to turn group sorting into individual sorting and add an additional round of testing
Think-Aloud: We couldn’t, but a helpful substitute was an accidental addition, requesting participants share anything they thought we should know while we analyzed their data
Timing: In analysis, it did appear that many cards were sorted solely based on the title of the card, not the description, so more time might have helped
Streamline data collection/entry: we numbered the backs of the cards so we could quickly enter data into the spreadsheet, and had students write their group names on envelopes so we could put all the cards in that group into the envelope, in case we needed to check anything later
Photos – SO helpful for going back to the original! We took photos exactly as the students left everything, then follow-ups with the numbers of cards showing
The data you get is complicated and messy, and it will take time to work through – you can get a sense of that from the screenshot here. I found an Excel template available as a free download (link at end of presentation), which I strongly recommend using, as it was very helpful. Ended up also creating alternatives so we could sort the data about 100 different ways
Basic process has 3 steps:
Identify similar categories and give them a standardized name (this name can change later). 4 of us worked on this – after familiarizing ourselves with the data, we found it very effective to do the first step together as a group. You will need to make adjustments – it can be easy to misinterpret what they said
Look for correlations – cards in each cat, cats for each card.
Decide on a structure you’ll use
We ended up with the structure you see on the left, which I’ll explain more in a moment – I know it’s too small to read! The general themes from our 18 participants in this phase were (read points). …we decided to use 4 categories, although two of these had sub-categories, as well.
Start
Sub-groups: Learn about the Research Process, Find & Develop a Topic, Get the Basics. Basic library/research information and definitions and information on working with a research topic
Search
Sub-groups: Start Searching, Search Tips. Strategies for working with keywords and other search tips, database and other resource links.
Sources
Information about different types of sources and places to search for them. Intended to vary by discipline.
Help
Contact information for the library and writing center, FAQ and citation guides.
From that, we created this Beta guide design. We decided on side-navigation because there wasn’t a strong preference among participants, it mimics the KSU website, and requires our librarians to think less about mobile design. Other Major design choices were to use more images, less text; aim for a clean, uncluttered feel; process-oriented; less jargon.
At this point we were ready to move on to the next phase of our study:
Usability testing! This is our current phase – and I my opinion, the more fun part!
Before I get into this, I do just want to say that I don’t think you have to do the cardsorting – it was useful for us in giving us some overall guidance, but I think the usability testing is the more useful of the two. And you could use a lot of different ways to get ready for doing usability testing!
We’re using an iterative design process, where we tweak the design between each round of testing. Doing 1 round of testing a month, about 3 weeks between for analysis and updates.
Our testing is short – just 15 minutes with one participant and the moderator. Because only the moderator is in the room, we are recording these for analysis.
Could really use any software that lets you share a screen and audio, and record a session.
These are the tasks we used in Round 1 of testing – essentially, we give the students an example assignment to get started on, then ask them to start finding a scholarly article, learn about literary criticism, and find information about MLA citations.
We did change the first task in Round 2 to remove the specific novel, but otherwise these are the tasks we’ve tested so far. Our goal was to create tasks that mimic actual use of the guide.
Before I start getting into the results, I want to share some tips on conducting usability testing (read from slide)
15 minutes – most students have only needed 10
Recruitment – we’re in a high-traffic area – everyone walks past as they enter or exit the building. One of the research team is actively soliciting participation – I’ve found it effective to look for students who are alone, will make eye contact, and don’t look like they’re in a rush. You do have to be very accepting of “no,” though!
All of that said, I imagine you want to know what we’ve found!
11 participants in this round – more than enough to see consistent trends. Our goal here is NOT a representative sample!
Citations – only about 2 students found those on their own, and it wasn’t the first place they looked
Search page – students had a hard time finding what they wanted
Page names were too ambiguous (Sources)
Too much text – which we expected. I’m going to get this quote wrong, but Steve Krug, whose books we’ve used a lot in this process, suggests writing what you want to say, then cutting it in half, and in half again. And then a third time. We’ve got a few more halves to go!
Navigation – length of pages and those ambiguous names were both issues
So, before I show you what version 2 looked like, I wanted to refresh your memory of the first version of the guide. Which turned into…
…This – (slide info). Tried to avoid changing some content we hadn’t received feedback on.
Additionally, we created 2 versions of the “Find Sources” page due to the length, the second of which had the same content in a tabbed box. Participants were asked to view this version during the Q&A at the end, rather than mixing it into the actual testing. Decision was made partly based on the amount of time we had left before testing.
13 participants in this round. Usability seemed to improve, so we’re headed in the right direction!
So I don’t have another version to show you, because we’re still making changes. We’ll be doing Round 3 next week – our time-table slightly condensed so we can finish testing before students get too caught up in finals. For this round, we’re focusing on reducing scrolling by using tabbed boxes, editing content, etc. 2 librarians working on content – switched which pages we’re looking at this time so we can edit one-another’s work. We’re also updating our tasks to make sure we get feedback on the entire guide – slight flaw in our methods for round 2!
We’re also starting to prepare for Round 4, scheduled for April 11. We’ll be testing a different subject, since this is intended to work across disciplines. We’re also planning to use the actual CMS System Template option, instead of creating custom code for this guide, since that is what we’ll be doing going forward. Couldn’t start creating the System Template until we were fairly confident what design changes we were going to keep
Even though we’re not done, we have seen some trends I don’t think will change in terms of overall design.
I know, the first point is more about content than design. But it’s important to identify this at the beginning! Who you’re creating content for will dictate the design to an extent.
Process oriented structure – our students don’t necessarily think the way we do!
Minimizing scrolling – there are a lot of ways to do that; I really like the accordion structure Audrey and Heather showed in their presentation yesterday. We’re making choices that work based on what LibGuides gives us, but you can certainly be more creative!
Keep it clean and simple – our students expect to be able to find answers in seconds, and whatever we might think about it, we have to work with that expectation. But do make sure your labels actually have meaning!
Avoid text-only sections – the students aren’t reading them, anyway!
Provide navigation options – our students really used the menu a lot in the last round of testing, and the option to turn on the next/prev page links were handy, too.
Once we finish our project, we’ll be training colleagues and creating updated versions of all 60 guides, to be launched in July. Hopefully buy-in won’t be a big issue for us!
We’re also working on plans to embed these directly into D2L and market them more directly to faculty and students to improve visibility. We’ll be collecting some data to assess the impact – I can’t be more specific because I don’t know exactly what that will look like!
Finally, I’m planning to do some peer training with my colleagues on those transferrable design characteristics, because the rest of our LibGuides also need a change!
I really used all of these, but I want to particularly draw attention to Steve Krug’s books on DIY usability testing and web design, Donna Spencer’s work if you’re interested in the card sorting, and finally, the article by Thorngate and Hoden – their model really inspired a lot of what we’ve done.