In the summer and fall of 2010, the library conducted a website usability study. A small sampling of a cross-section of the Mercy College population - students, faculty, staff, and administrators, were used as subjects. The following is a synopsis of the process, results, and future plans.
A questionnaire (see attachment) was developed by Mercy Librarians, that focused on the areas of the library's website that were perceived as the most difficult to use, based on past observations and experiences of library users. Four librarians, members of the Library's Web Page Committee, were the team and moderators for this project, and worked on developing the questionnaire with input from other librarians. Each moderator was assigned to each of the four groups of Mercy population mentioned above. The subjects - about four per group, were each placed at a computer station in the library, at a preset time determined when they completed the "Tell Us About Yourself" questionnaire (see attached.) The moderators then asked ten questions and rated each answer, using a rating scale (see attachment) of 0 (zero difficulty) to 4 (failure, did not complete task.) In addition, the moderators also noted non-verbal responses such as body language and facial expressions. Subjects were also asked additional questions at the end about what they liked and disliked about the library's website (see attachment.)
The results of the survey showed that library users had the most difficulty connecting tasks to items on the library's website (see attachment.) For example, users did not immediately see the connection between the Books and Media Catalog and trying to find a video, or that clicking on the Journal Locator would help them find a newspaper. Consequently, several items on the library's website were renamed, using more direct language like "Find Articles" and Find Journals, Magazines, Newspapers."
Based on evaluation of the results of the study, a number of significant changes were made to the library home page in the Spring of 2011. Areas that were deemed redundant and confusing were removed. Other areas were also streamlined and clarified to enhance navigability. The library's Web Page Committee is the primary vehicle by which the library continues to monitor and discuss the web site and its content. Assessment of the website is an ongoing activity of this committee, which communicates with all other library faculty in order to ensure transparency and effectiveness of its decision making process.
The Web Page Committee is preparing for another web usability study in the fall/spring 2012-2013 year.
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