Website Usability

Data

Q1:  Using this printout and keeping in mind that everything on this page is linked:

(a) Please circle any of the links on this page that you have used in the past month.

(b) Can you prioritize these links in order of importance to you: 1 is the most important.

(c) In addition to the links you have followed in the past month, have you used any of the other links on this page? If yes, please highlight them.

User's comment: n/a

Observer's comment: n/a

Q2: Using the library web site, how would you get a book or article we do not own?

Successful__X___                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment:

  Student commented " I just go to the Boston Public Library." Then clicked on the Interlibrary Loan link.

Number of links: 1

Follow-up to Q4 if unsuccessful: If students did not make it to the ILL page, the librarian should ask, "what word or phrase were you looking for, but did not find?"

Student's   response:

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Do students navigate to the ILL page and if so, how (through the how to box or the ILL link)?

  Yes, through the Interlibrary Loan link.

Q3: Using the library web site, how would you find a journal article about the health benefits of chocolate?

Successful__X___                     Unsuccessful______

Observer's comment:

Research by Subject, scrolled. Selected Health Care Management, said "Don't know what to do.". Home.  Find Articles, scrolled to JSTOR, and typed in health benefits of chocolate, hit enter.

 Number of links: 6

Observer's comment about underlying question of: Do students use the "find articles link" to find articles?

Find Articles was her second major choice.

On Research by Subject webpage (index page to Guides) she didn't recognize Health and Medicine-e as a link, she lingered over it with her mouse but then chose the one underneath Health Care Management.

Q4: How would you change the library's web site to make it more useful for you?

Student's response:

I'm used to Indexes and Databases. I wanted to find it. I never read annotations. I'd like to know if you have it or not, hard copy or microfilm, catalog and list all in one place. Even the ISSN.

Q5: What is your status at BU?

Student's response:

Undergraduate __X__     Graduate ____    Faculty ____     Staff ____    Other ____