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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 16 2009, 11:24 AM EST (current) | steve.frye | 292 words added |
| Feb 16 2009, 11:22 AM EST | steve.frye |
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Our conclusions and recommendations are based on our literature review and the application of our QuickSearch usability testing protocol at UW-River Falls. We hope to expand these conclusions and recommendations as we receive more usability data from other UW System campuses.
- In general, undergraduate students prefer using QuickSearch to using individual databases. According to the River Falls results, students rated QuickSearch an average of 1.9 on an ease of use scale with one being very easy and five being very difficult. On the same scale, individual databases received a rating of 2.5. Some possible reasons include the students’ ability to do natural language searching and improved relevancy ranking.
- Instruction improves student understanding and successful use of QuickSearch.
- Additional UW Campuses should implement the protocol described above and share their results with the other UW System libraries. If UW System Libraries are to “simplify use of all resources” by developing a “culture of assessment” as outlined in the CUWL 2007-2011 Strategic Directions, CUWL Directors and their staff will need to make usability testing and other forms of assessment a priority and not an ‘extra’ or ‘afterthought.’
- Allow individual campuses to re-label buttons, links, and services based on their ongoing user-centered assessment of MetaLib. If user-centered assessment indicates that interface and design changes are needed, individual system libraries should have the ability to make those iterative changes at the local campus level. For example, during River Falls application of the protocol, they discovered that the SFX ‘FindIt’ button is not intuitively labeled. To improve the SFX button would require CUWL to re-think the one-size-fits-all approach that CUWL agreed to when MetaLib was originally implemented. Also, CUWL should investigate ways to allow individual libraries to improve the QuickSearch interface by making the interface more customizable.
