Website Usability Without
Bogging Down
Emily Mitchell
Webmaster Librarian
June 12, 2014
Old homepage:
New homepage:
Quick?
Leo Reynolds. (2006). “Clocks 2 [photos].” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/103199569/ CC-BY-NC-SA
Huge project requiring mad skills?
Olga Diez (Caliope). (2007). “Atlas [photograph].” Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caliope-olga/466468766/ CC-NC-SA
What questions do you want to
answer?
Web analytics:
● What’s actually getting
used?
What questions do you want to
answer?Survey to students:
● What’s the most recent thing
you’ve done on the library
website?
● What’s something we should
NOT change about the library
website?
[F]oxymoron. (2010). “A Wild Question [photo].” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/f-oxymoron/5005673112/ CC-BY
How do you get them to answer?
kris krüg. (2010). “Speed Skating Lessons in Prince George, BC [Photo].” Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/4324005152
CC-BY-SA
What questions do you want to
answer?
Survey to and meeting with librarians:
● What are some things students
MUST be able to do on our
homepage?
● What should we keep?
● What should we get rid of?
[F]oxymoron. (2010). “A Wild Question [photo].” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/f-oxymoron/5005673112/ CC-BY
A survey AND a meeting??
Joe Shlabotnik. (2009). “Yes! [Photo].” Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/3584172834 CC-BY-NC-SA
What questions do you want to
answer?
Card sorting:
● How will we organize
what we’ve decided
to put on the page?
How do you get them to volunteer?
chichacha. (2008). “Coffee in the Morning [photo].” Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/chichacha/2471138966 CC-BY
Give yourself time to analyze!
Give yourself time to analyze!
What questions do you want to
answer?
First-click testing:
● Where would you click if I
asked you to do X?
What questions do you want to
answer?
Think-aloud usability testing
● Can students complete
these tasks?
● What process do they
use to do so? Why?
themepap. (2011). “Usability test [photo].” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/themepap/6053434180/ CC BY-NC.
What questions do you want to
answer?
Librarian survey & meeting after 1st
draft:
● Is anything missing that would impair
your work at the desk, hamper your
teaching, etc?
● Are there any visual elements that you
think distract from the usefulness of
the site?
[F]oxymoron. (2010). “A Wild Question [photo].” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/f-oxymoron/5005673112/ CC-BY
And before you start...
So what about that important page
that no one is using?
● What might be causing the
lack of use?
Adam Fagen. (2011). “The Scientific Method [photo].” Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/6730565215 CC-BY-NC-SA
Questions?
Erich Ferdinand. (2009). “What’s for lunch? [photo].” Retrieved
from https://www.flickr.com/photos/erix/3780828260 CC-BY
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