Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Perfect Storm: Examining User Experience And Conducting A Usability Test To Investigate A Disruptive Academic Library Web Site Redevelopment, Darren Chase, Elizabeth Trapasso, Robert Tolliver

Library Faculty Publications

The researchers conducted a task-based usability test of the effectiveness of online research beginning on the library Web site homepage. The participants included five university faculty members, six graduate students, and six undergraduate students. All participants reported feeling satisfied with their overall research experience, though most were unable to effectively complete all the research tasks of the test. The researchers identified weaknesses in the approach and process of many participants, and overall usability issues of the library discovery tool and other library Web site pages and research interfaces. Findings indicate the need to strategically incorporate self-service information literacy and research …