1. Supporting Self Discovery Designing Effective Subject Pages
May 19, 2004
Supporting Self Discovery Designing Effective Subject Pages
Darlene Fichter
Data Library Coordinator, U of S Library

2. Subject Pages The problem Defining our purpose Rounds of testing
The results

3. Articles and Databases by Topic
Usability Studies in 2002 and 2003 showed that:
66% of the time our site failed to support users looking for articles
Only 33% could locate databases by topic
i.e. Two useful full text databases on religion
Many participants gave up after trying for 3 or more minutes.

4. Find an article?
Choose a database?

5. Databases by Subject

6. Subject Page

7. Zoom In

8. What We Learned Mental model User preferences
May 19, 2004
What We Learned
Mental model
All upper year students or faculty
Only a few looked for a database to find an article
User preferences
“If I just knew a journal title that had articles on muscle strain …”
“I don’t usually search for articles. My research assistants do.”

9. Time for a Tune Up What could we do given our time and resources?
Evidence that our current site is not working
Widespread desire to change the databases page (but many different ideas about how)
Staff survey to ask how library staff think user groups look for information

10. How do People Look for Library Resources?
May 19, 2004
How do People Look for Library Resources?
Approaches Ranked by Importance:
Approach
Undergrad
Grad
Faculty
database name 5 2
product name 6
subject/discipline 1
course 4
format - I need article, book
journal title 3
Ways of Finding
Many approaches are valid
Staff responses indicate that some approaches may be more useful to one group of users than another
“One size does not fit all”

11. Subject Pages – Our Key Assumptions
#1. Not designed for the expert user, but for the novice/undergraduate who doesn’t know where to start
Best Bets
#2. ‘Just in time’ information, not ‘just in case’
Online access information (licensing restrictions)
Designed for “recognition not recall”

12. Assumptions #3 ‘Less is more’
Very brief information
Reduce information pollution / cognitive overhead
#4 ‘Some of these things are not like the others’
Similar things are grouped together (e.g. format, tutorials, librarian info)
Use structure, layout, and position to organize information

13. Underlying Assumption
When you’re completely unfamiliar with a new domain, browsing may be a more effective approach then searching

14. New Design
Ideas from Rochester’s Course Pages and Washington Subject Page study

15. Zoom In
Articles
Best Bets

16. Challenge: What elements/where?
Full text

17. Prototype
Full text
Date

18. Summary Clear definition of the purpose of the page or service
Simple and easy to use is not always simple and easy to design

19. Thank you Questions? Darlene Fichter
University of Saskatchewan Libraries
library.usask.ca/~fichter/