Website Usability

Scripts & Questions

Original Question for Student

1 . Let's assume your professor has asked you to find some resources such as books or journal articles for a paper you've been assigned. Using the library website, how would you begin?

User's response comments:Student clicked on eJournal Locator. She said she would use a keyword-no-alphabetical list. Student clicked on J, (she was looking for JSTOR). "Oh, these are just journals." The student said she would just pick a journal depending on what her paper was on. Student clicked back and then back again and picked JSTOR as a provider she would then do a keyword search for an article.

Successful: yes?

Original Question for Student

2.   Using the library website, can you tell if the library has any books written by Al Gore?

User's response/comments: clicked on the books tab, clicked on the author radio button and did a search for al gore. Looked at results and said, "I guess no." Looked some more after a bit of prompting and noticed the note in the catalog that provided a link to entered by gore, al. She clicked on this and found books by Al Gore.

Observer's comments: observed the typical confusion about the results that are returned by a search in the catalog entered as author first name, last name. We believe the patron would not have continued to look for books by Gore had we not encouraged her to. She would have gone away thinking we did not have any books by Al Gore.

Successful: yes?

3.  Using the library website, can you find the Journal of the North Atlantic online?

User's response/comments: clicked on the eJournal Locator, entered keyword north atlantic and found the journal.

Observers Comment: there may have been some confusion about the title of this journal or the patron originally typed north atlantic and thought this would be faster to find as a keyword search as opposed to typing in the full title of the journal.

Successful: yes

4. Using the library website, can you find a print or hard copy edition of the Journal of marriage and the family?

Observers response/comments: clicked on the eJournal Locator, entered in Journal of Marriage and the Family, got the message that the journal was not found, but clicked on link to try catalog and was successful.

Successful: yes

5. Using the library website, how do you find books on reserve for a particular class?

Observers response/comments: clicked on the books tab and then on the reserve button.

Successful: yes

6. Using the library website, how do you renew a book that's almost overdue?

Observers response/comments: clicked on the books tab and then the renew button.

Successful: yes

7. Using the library website, how would you find a journal article about stem cells?

Observers response/comments: clicked on the research by subject link, clicked on biology, looked through list and choose general science full text, followed link, choose applied science and technology full text, did a search for stem cells.

Follow up question: Show the student the Articles tab and ask, "Is there a better way or us to label that?"

Users's response/comments: I normally go for journals, we have specific journals we use

Successful: yes

8. Can you find the home page for the Science & Engineering Library?

Observers response/comments: clicked on the Libraries link in the top navigation bar and then clicked on Science and Engineering Library."

Successful: yes