Library and Information Science Commons^™

Decoding Virtual Reference: Using Chat Transcripts To Guide Usability Testing And Improve Web Design, Kate E. Wimer

Library and Information Science: Capstone Projects

This paper seeks to support user-centered library website design by exploring a low-effort strategy for identifying patron needs and the natural language used to describe them. The literature review cross-references library literature on chat reference with broader studies on website navigation and cognitive modeling, and briefly reviews other studies that have used chat transcript analysis as a usability tool. Word count analysis of two terms of chat reference transcripts showed several trends in patron language, particularly highlighting the benefits of usage-based navigational design. Recommendations for further usability testing are offered, as is an analysis of the method as a starting …

Measuring The Quality Of The Website User Experience, Jeff Sauro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Consumers spend an increasing amount of time and money online finding information, completing tasks, or making purchases. The quality of the website experience has become a key differentiator for organizations--affecting whether they purchase and their likelihood to return and recommend a website to friends. Two instruments were created to more effectively measure the quality of the website user experience to help improve the experience.

Three studies used Classical Test Theory (CTT) to create a new instrument to measure the quality of the website user experience from the website visitor's perspective. Data were collected over five years from more than 4,000 …