Usability Testing  User wants  Surveys – Summer and Fall 2007  Focus groups – Fall 2007  These only tell you want users think they want/need  User testing  Prototype testing – Posters, Spring 2008  Task-based testing – Summer 2008  Testing how people really use a site

Results: First Survey  Undergraduates vs. Grad. Students/Faculty  Both primarily looking for our stuff  Searching differences  78% of undergrads search by subject  65% of grads/faculty search for known item  Need for information about the library  40% of undergrads  15% of faculty  Interaction with the libraries' website  20% of undergrads last interacted with the website  40% of grad students

Results: Second Survey  Default search  Want books or everything  But last searched for articles  What to keep on home page  Emphasis on simplifying the home page  No consensus on what that means

Results: Bulletin Board  Intense hatred of our pop-up windows  Frustration  Want to search, click on fulltext  Not interested in all the options we give them  Confusion  Often can’t even describe where they got lost

Results: Focus Groups  Use of Google and Google Scholar because it is easier/better than what we give them  Subject and Class Guides  Do not use our guides to find out what we have  Everyone thought they looked useful – for someone else  Undergrads want class guides  Too broad for grad students/faculty  Interdisciplinary issues

Overall  Help them find our stuff and then get out of the way  New and better search  Need for helpful but unobtrusive ways to recommend resources and searches  Eliminate barriers  Integrate our systems  Let the user control the interface  Better personalization options