On 1/22 we ran our first guerilla usability test in the library. We were inspired by a number of sources, including this blog post on the User Cafe at the University of Houston Libraries, the book Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug, and several articles.

 

Librarians Sarah Naomi Campbell, Jenny Castel, David Meincke, and Intern Clara Mendonca conducted the usability studies in the library instruction room. Tests ran for 5-15 minutes. We recorded the screens and the answers of the participants and reviewed them on the following day. Each of the testers had a role: a recruiter, an observer/note-taker, and the script reader/task assigner.

 

We offered candy as an incentive, however, none of the participants wanted the candy and it can be assumed that this incentive was not motivation to participate in the test. The first usability test was a success, if success is defined as learning something about the way some (four) students use certain elements of the website and recognizing areas for revision in the test and the script.

Questions (view them here)

 

What we learned, what we changed

  1.  Added "Find your Textbook" button to Books tab in searchbox
    • Users had some trouble completing the course reserve tasks
    • A few of the students looked under the 'Books' tab when asked about textbook, so we added a big orange button (see above)
    • We will be testing this new button and tracking usage as we continue to explore how students find textbooks through the library website
    • Part of this could also be due to terminology--this is something that we will also explore later.
    • ADDED:
  2.  Removed lower-middle-right hours box from homepage
    • Users immediately notice the hours in the header therefore this box is redundant.
    • Furthermore, this box takes up prime real estate and pushes important content (research appointments, especially) below the fold.
    • REMOVED:

What we learned about the data collection tool and how to implement it:

  •  The social capital and authoritative capital of the recruiter may affect the participant or may provide incentive to participate.
  •  Having too many testers may affect the test results (?): too many librarians observing.
  •  The questions/tasks should be specific and clearly stated. Asking participants “where do you find help”

Communication

  •  As we start making even minor changes to the website, we recognize the importance of communicating with library staff who regularly use the site on their own or with students.
  •  Rather than sending multiple emails over the course of this process, though we will still communicate any major changes in this way, we are keeping track of changes in the LibAnswers FAQ module so that staff can access the information at any time.