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:
Interlibrary Loan.

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, via 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:

eJournals A-Z. Indexes and Databases, "said "and find my subject". Home. Research by Subject. Chose Health and Medicine and said "No search box." Chose Nutrition (without the e). From the Nutrition page selected American Diabetic Association, using the search box typed chocolate, hit enter and scrolled.

Number of Links: 8

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

Student's instincts were right, but she didn't stay on any page until she found a search box.

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

Student's response:

Make Research by Subject very visible. Find Book and Catalog box-- don't need both. Hours should be on the front page. Otherwise, pretty good.

Q5: What is your status at BU?

Student's response:

Undergraduate __X__     Graduate ____    Faculty ____     Staff ____    Other ____