Website Usability

Scripts & Questions

Round Three (December, 2005)

Usability Testing of Library's Website

Date:

Interviewer:

1st Recorder:

2nd Recorder:

Student:

Student's email:

Opening Remarks

Thanks for being willing to participate in the Library's effort to improve its website. This session will last ten to fifteen minutes. My name is (Tracy, Paula, Linda) and these are my colleagues (Tracy, Paula and Linda). We're librarians here at BU. Our goal is to understand what works and what doesn't work about the website so that we can make it easier to use. We aren't testing your library skills. If you can't find something we ask about, it's not your fault, it's the fault of the website and that's what we're trying to get at. The more you tell us as we go along, the better we'll understand what is working, what's not working, and how we might change the site.

I'll be asking you questions and my colleagues will be taking notes so we can make the most of your feedback. I'll be reading from a script to ensure consistency across all tests. Do you have any questions?

OK, let's get started. Remember, the more you talk out loud about what you're thinking, the more we'll learn.

Original Question for Student

Follow-up Questions

1 . 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 the 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.

If the student has never visited the website:

Are there any links on this page you would be likely to follow? If yes, which ones and why?

2. Using the library website, how would you get a book or article we do not own?

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?"

3. Using the library website, how would you find a journal article about the health benefits of chocolate?

If the students navigate to a database through research guides or similar, the librarian should praise the student and show her the indexes and databases link and ask, "Is there a better way to word that?"
If the student is unable to get to a location to find an article, the librarian should ask, "What word or phrase were you looking for, but did not find?"

Exit Questions

4. How would you change the library's website to make it more useful for you?

5. What is your status at BU?

Undergraduate ____ Graduate _____ Faculty _____ Staff _____ Other _____

Closing Remarks

Thanks very much for coming in today and sharing your impressions with us. Here are our business cards in case you'd like to get in touch with us later on. May we get in touch with you by email if we have any questions about today's interview? Here's a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble as a small thanks for your participation.

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