Exploratory Usability Testing of User Interface Options in LibGuides 2

Authors: Sarah Thorngate and Allison Hoden

Appeared in College & Research Libraries, Vol 78, No. 6 (September 2017)

http://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/16739

Note: These are excerpts from the article. It is useful because there is not much in the way of usability studies on LibGuides 2. It’s also interesting for its emphasis (see Literature Review) on research guides as pedagogical tools - it is really essential that we do our best to create guides that do not confuse or overwhelm students as the begin their research process.

Summary:

What is most striking about the results of our study is that, for every structural feature of the page layout we tested—number of columns, navigation menu placement, and visual integration with the library website—we found that the most usable option for our test participants was something other than the widely used default settings from LibGuides 1: Instead of the standard three columns, we found the two-column guide to be most usable. Instead of top, tabbed navigation placement, we found left-hand navigation placement to be most usable. Instead of treating LibGuides as a separate, standalone platform, we found that our test participants preferred viewing guides that were visually integrated into the library website and provided them with access to its persistent menu options.

Introduction

In migrating from LibGuides 1 to LibGuides 2, librarians at our institution wanted to use the new platform’s expanded design and customization options to optimize our sitewide layout for usability. To this end, we conducted an exploratory usability study of design prototypes representing three key layout choices—number of columns, navigation placement, and visual integration with the library website. This qualitative approach enabled us to observe how students interacted with each option and discuss their responses with them.

From the Literature Review

Why Design Matters for Learning

There is a growing recognition, both in the library community and in the e-learning community more broadly, that user experience and student learning are intimately connected. The question of how well students can independently navigate and use an online research guide cannot be neatly separated from the question of how much they are able to learn from it. This is because the design of an e-learning interface structures the learning environment in ways that impact cognitive effectiveness and efficiency, shaping students’ behaviors in that environment. In an essay presenting design recommendations for LibGuide creators, Ahmed explains “the overarching goal is to use aesthetics to engage users and effectively support the pedagogical purpose of a guide.”

The need for careful attention to design is doubly important with LibGuides because they are intended to support students in the complex and demanding activity of conducting academic research. In particular, they are geared toward two of the research steps that students find most challenging, according to research conducted by Project Information Literacy: getting started with their research and finding appropriate sources. As design expert Don Norman puts it, “Things intended to be used under stressful situations require a lot more care, with much more attention to detail.”

Nevertheless, “a review of the usability and design literature on LibGuides identifies several common usability impediments that have been found in multiple studies. These include the following:”

inconsistent design from page to page and from guide to guide
confusing terminology/reliance on library jargon
cluttered pages lacking a focal point
too much content, not appropriately scoped to the task at hand
hard-to-recognize navigation
excessive tabs in the navigation menu

Researchers Looked at:

Navigation, Layout, Use of Frames, Visual integration with main library website

Research Questions

Does the number of columns (one, two, or three) affect students’ ability to quickly grasp the content and purpose of the guide?
Which navigation menu placement is more visible: horizontal navigation at the top of the page or vertical navigation on the left?
How will wrapping the guides with the persistent content from the library website affect students’ perception of the platform? Will they prefer this illusion that LibGuides are part of the library website, or is it preferable to keep this separate platform visually distinct?

Study involved: Mix of undergraduate and graduate students (n=30)

There are some interesting approaches here:

5 second test
Think aloud test
Goldilocks test (preference for 2 columns)
Layout preference
(Note) The testing included some interesting techniques - might be useful in our own research.

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