UCI LIBRARIES WEBSITEProject presentationOctober 24th, 2013

Overview

• Project description• Methods• Schedule

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

UCI Libraries website

Project goals

• Evaluate the current homepage• Determine most important features• Redesign homepage

Customer view

• How much information is too much?• What language/wording do patrons use when doing

research on the UCI Libraries website?• How can we make the site more effective?• We’re currently developing a unified search. Where

should it search?• What do you expect to find when using our site?• Evaluate the “How Do I” page.

HCI problems

• Features that aren’t used

• Terminology• Information overload• Search problems

METHODS

Overview

Usability testing

Prototyping

Surveys

Interviews – Google Analytics – Front desk

Target user groups

• Undergraduate students• Graduate students (M.S. & PhD)• Faculty

INTERVIEWS• Get insight in the target groups’ thoughts on the website• Gather information to create surveys

Participants

• Undergraduate students• Graduate students

• M.S.• PhD

• Faculty

Method

• At least 5 interviewees per user category• In-person interviews

• Non-distracting location• With laptop or website readily available• Record with permission

• Meetings will last 10-20 minutes depending on the interviewee

• 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 interviews

Interview questions1. When was the last time you visited the library website? What did you do on the website?2. What services of the UCI library website do you use most frequently?3. Do you know what the ANTPAC and Melvyl catalogs are? Have you ever used them?

o If yes, how can they be helpful? Do you know the difference?4. What do you do when you can't find anything on the UCI library website?

o How satisfactory is the SEARCH functionality provided by the UCI Library web site? Do you find the search results helpful?

5. How often do you use the "Quick Links" feature of the UCI library website? Which links do you use often?

6. Have you ever used "Ask a Librarian" services of the UCI libraries website?o If yes, did get your questions answered? If not, do you think being able to ask a librarian would be

helpful for finding information?7. Were you aware of the 'How Do I' page?

o If so, do you use it often and does it meet your needs when you cannot find certain information?8. Do you access the site off-campus?

o Do you know about the VPN service UCI offers and what it allows you to do?9. How often do you access the library website through your phone?

o If often: how do you feel about the mobile version of the website? If not often: if there was a user-friendly mobile version of the website, would you take advantage of it?

10. Is there anything else in particular you would like to see changed on the UCI library website?

Additional questions

• Graduate (Masters and PhDs)• If you completed your undergrad at a different university, how does

the UCI library website compare to your previous school’s library?• How do you usually begin your research? Do you know about the

research tools offered on the UCI library website?• Responses from interviewees may change the dynamics

of the interview question or the questions themselves

Preliminary findingsCompleted: 5 Master’s students, 3 PhD students, 1 undergraduate student

• User tend to use just one main function of the website: either to search books or to access to a particular database.• Catalog or search should probably be more prominent and unified on the

homepage.• Besides the catalog, users often use "Hours" and "Connect from off-campus"

or "Study room" from "Quick Links".• Users are not familiar with the terms on the website: ANTPAC, My ANTPAC,

Melvyl• Many users highly rely on Google search. Some use it to search papers or

books, some to access VPN or hours. • Few of them use "Ask Librarian". If they do, they learned how to use it from

the library orientation or another class instead of the website.• Few users have used the mobile website. And they don't show much interest

in the mobile version of the website.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS• Analyze real user behavior

how to

conn

ect o

ff cam

pus

hours

/inde

x

langs

on lib

rary

cours

e res

erves

hours

scien

ce lib

rary

datab

ases

resea

rch re

sourc

es

resea

rch to

ols0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Traffic Excluding Home Page Count

Traffic Excluding Home Page Count

Source of Homepage Access

Direct (*.25)Googleuci.eduvpn.nacs.uci.edulibguides.lib.uci.edu

off campus login49%

lagson library13%

(not set)13%

hours10%

science library9%

research resources6%

Landing Page counts Percent Excluding Home Page

how to connect off campus64%hours/index

14%

course reservse8%

hours6%

langson library5%

tutorial webVPN4%

Exit Page Percent Excluding Homepage

off campus login58%

hours21%

course reserves8%

index (click home)7%

database a-z7%

From Homepage Movement percent

Apple iPhone79%

(not set)12%

Apple iPod4%

Samsung SGH-T989 Galaxy SII3%

Samsung GT-I9300 Galaxy SIII2%

Mobile Visits

Total V

iews

mrcmus

ic

disse

rtatio

njob

s

spec

ial co

llecti

ons

wireles

s prin

ting wifi

alumni

emplo

ymen

tjst

or10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

10,000,000

Log Search Count

Count

FRONT DESK INTERVIEWS• Get insight into commonly asked questions

Two interviews

• Check-out desk and Ask Us desk • Open interview

• Job description• Commonly asked questions

Findings

Check-out desk• Course reserves• Checked-out books

Ask Us desk• Course reserves• Research questions• Wireless printing• Connecting from off campus

SURVEYS• Collect quantitative data on use of the website

Surveys

• Target undergraduate & graduate students along with faculty

• Questions and answering options based on previous findings

• Distribute on paper and online• As many as possible

PROTOTYPING• Generate a concept based on our findings to test

Prototyping

• Storyboarding• Design prototypes for different screen sizes• Use other library websites to

get ideas

• Keep design restrictions in mind• Usable for people with disabilities• Applying HCI principles to guide

design

USABILITY TESTING• Evaluate the usability of our prototypes

Usability testing

• Participants: students and faculty• Evaluate the look of the homepage

• User tests if APIs are available, otherwise only interviews

SCHEDULE

Schedule (so far)Week 2 Brainstorming: define goals; possible methods• Create possible interview questions

Week 3 Determine methods; create groups• Define interview questions• Do preliminary interviews• Front desk interviews• Google Analytics data

Week 4 Group updates; prepare presentation• Interviewing

Schedule (upcoming)Week 5 More interview results; report• Create surveys based on preliminary interview results • Analyze interview results• Surveys done on Friday, comments in weekend

• Start data collection on Monday (all week)Week 6 Survey presentation; prototyping approach• Storyboarding• Research design for people with disabilities

Schedule (upcoming)Week 7 Preliminary survey data; prototyping; usability

testing approach• Analyze survey results• Prototyping

Week 8 Present survey data; presentation• Finalize prototypes• Create usability tests• Prepare final presentation

Presentation on November 29th (week 9)

Schedule (upcoming)Week 9 Present prototypes; usability testing• Finalize usability tests• Run usability tests

Week 10 Preliminary usability results; prototype improvements; report

• Run usability tests• Analyze results usability tests• Improve prototypes (final version)

Week 11 Finals!• Finalize report

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION, QUESTIONS?