Website Usability

Script & Questions
Mugar Memorial Library
African Studies Library
Astronomy Library
George H. Beebe Communications Library
Pickering Educational Resources Library
Pardee Management Library
Music Library
Science and Engineering Library

Round Five  (January, 2009)

Usability Testing of Library's Website

 

Date:

URL of archived copy of page tested:

Interviewer:

1st recorder: 

2nd recorder:

Student:

Student's email:

Undergraduate or graduate student:

Opening Remarks

Thanks for being willing to participate in the testing of the Library's website. This session will last about 20 minutes. (Introductions.) We're librarians here at BU. Our goal is to understand what works and what doesn't work about the website. We're not testing your library skills. If you can't find something we ask about, it's probably not your fault, more likely it's the fault of the website. 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. (If using Captivate, ask the student if it's OK to record their comments and mouse movements.) I'll be reading from a script to ensure consistency across tests. 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 . 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?

No follow-up question.

 

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

No follow-up question.

 

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

Slight rewording after 2 or 3 tests:

Using the library website, can you find an electronic version of a journal entitled Journal of the North Atlantic"?

If the participant goes anywhere except the ejournals list, the librarian should say "let's go back to the top page", and ask, "Is there anywhere else on the library website to look for this?"

If the student still does not find the eJournals list, the librarian should ask, "What word, phrase or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

 

4. Using the library website, can you find a print or hard copy edition of the

Journal of marriage and the family?

Slight rewording after the first 2 or 3 tests:

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

If the student isn't successful, the librarian should ask, "what word, phrase, or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

 

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

 

If the student isn't successful, the librarian should ask "what word, phrase, or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

 

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

 

If the student isn't successful, the librarian should ask "what word, phrase, or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

 

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

Note: After the first 2 or 3 tests we decided to emphasize the word "article" in this question.

If the student is unable to get to a location to find an article, the librarian should ask, "What word phrase, or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

If the student navigates to a database through research guides or similar, the librarian should praise the student and show her the Articles tab and ask, "Is there a better way for us to label that?"

If successful using the article search box, follow this up with "That's a good place to find articles, where else might you look?"

 

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

Note: success is defined as using either the About/Departments or the Libraries link in the top menu bar.

If unsucessful ask "What word or phrase, or link were you looking for, but did not find?"

 

Exit Questions

9. What do you find useful on the library's website?

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

 

Closing Remarks

Thanks!

Gift certificate to Barnes & Noble as a small thanks for your participation.
Business card in case you'd like to get in touch with us.
May we email you if we have any questions?

 

      
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