1 An introduction to usability for library web managers Sarah Agarwal Consultant Project Manager Internet Development group (ID)

2 What Im going to cover: what is usability? a live usability test! two quick case studies about us

3 What is usability? Definitions What do users want to use library websites for? MLANET example MLANET example Is this really relevant for non-commercial sites? The government thinks so… The government thinks so…

4 Statistics (old) 1997: Forrester Research audited 20 major sites, finding 51% compliance with simple Web usability principles such as is the site organised by user goals?… (new) 60% of government websites in need of immediate attention immediate attention

5 Quick usability test: Three tasks: 1.Find the phone number for the reference desk. Task: Find contacts 2.Find out if book Easy way to stop smoking is in stock, and reserve. Task: Find books 3.Audience suggestion???? Test on 3 random libraries3 random libraries

6 Quick case studies 1.BBC Research Central 2. Kansas City Public LibraryKansas City Public Library

7 Techniques used: Log analysis Cognitive walkthrough User testing

8 More techniques: Focus groups, surveys and chats Usability evaluation Competitive review More advanced techniques: Card-sorting Eye-tracking You only need to get 5 users!get 5 users

9 About us - ILRT digital libraries e-learning digital imaging Internet Development (ID) - consultancy semantic web

10 About us - ID Consultancy arm Web application development: –Content Management Systems, portals, booking systems, online survey technology Websites Graphic design Usability and accessibility E-learning applications

11 Questions?