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Usability Study:
University of Baltimore's Bogomolny Library Website 

Duration

~3 Weeks

Team

  • Sade Ekulona (me)

  • Gema Izquierdo

  • Antoinette Dais

  • Meghan Lamb

Role

  • Planner

  • Moderator

  • Recruiter

  • Designer

Purpose

To understand how students use the University of Baltimore's (UB) Library website to find information and identify possible obstacles that may confuse or prevent people from completing their tasks.

Process

This usability study was done in two parts. Part one involved gathering feedback on the current website so that our client could make changes based on our research and recommendations; part two involved working with their updated version of the site.

Stakeholder Interviews

User/Participant Recruitment  

Conduct Usability Study

Analyze Findings 

Suggestions/Present Findings

Repeat Steps 2-5

Goals

After conducting stakeholder interviews we had a clear understanding of the client's goals: 

To understand how easy it is for students to find what they need 

To understand why & how students use the grey search box vs. other search boxes​

​To determine if students utilize different links & tabs on the website â€‹

To understand how students perform different functions of the site​

To understand what students do when they can’t find what they are looking for â€‹

​To determine if the site meets students’ expectations

Methodology 

Usability Study:

  • 6 participants total (3 participants for each part)

  • 60-minute sessions

  • Zoom or Microsoft Teams

Recruitment:

  • Social Media 

  • Craigslist

  • University of Baltimore Student Involvement page

Participant Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older

  • Current college student or recent graduate (within the last 18 months)

  • Could not be a part of the IDIA program at the University of Baltimore

Task List

You are interested in learning about Tudor England and King Henry VIII. Your friend recommends a book to you, but you forgot the book’s name and can only remember that the author’s last name is Weir. How would you go about finding the book?

You are looking for the book Like Sisters on the Home Front by Rita Williams-Garcia for your literature class. How would you obtain a of a copy of this book?

You are trying to see if you have a fine on your account for an overdue library book. How would you go about accessing your account and perhaps paying your fine?

You have a paper due for your sociology class on the impact of low literacy, & you must include a paper written by Dr. Kathryn Summers. How would you find one of her articles?

You have to research daily life during World War II. How would you find a magazine published before 1945?

You have to get a poster printed for one of your classes. Can you find the price of a poster that is 24” x 36”?

Findings

Part 1

"Library Search" box was Misleading

  • Participants used the search bar as a tool for finding general information

  • When asked to perform any task, participants immediately used the search bar

Databases Didn’t Meet Expectations

  • “Search” didn’t display the results users were expecting

  • Users found that Advanced Search helped little in finding specific results 

Small Text Led to Consistent Oversight

  • Users had difficulty finding links

  • Consistent comments on how the site isn’t suitable for those with visual impairments

  • Users had trouble locating information within links

We had a meeting with our client and made some recommendations based on our findings.

  • Change the library search to “database search” or "catalog search"

  • Redesign the homepage with larger text, make the search box the focal point and reorganize the navigation

  • Remove unnecessary tabs and links

Our client made some changes, and we had a new set of participants test the beta site.

Part 2

Search Bar for Website & Database

  • Search Bar offers resource help, but does not direct users to the info searched

  • Users used Search Bar in hopes to receive help in finding general resources on the website

Finding Services & Resources within the Navigation Bar

  • Navigation Bar is easy to ignore and the text is too small

  • Users struggled to find information and resources that were within the navigation bar

After the second round of testing, we made additional recommendations 

  • Allow for a website search bar, specific for finding resources on the UB Library website

  • Make text bigger, in all caps, and bolded so it is more noticeable to users

  • Work with users to reorganize the navigation so it displays information that is most prevalent to them

Get in Touch 

  • LinkedIn
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