EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Usability Development

Using Personas to Understand the Needs and Goals of Institutional Repository Users

ckeller — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:36:36 -0500

This study shares the results of an effort to understand the needs and goals of future institutional repository (IR) users at the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB). Due to underutilization of IRs at other institutions, the University Libraries at UCB decided it was imperative that insight into users' goals and needs of an IR be gained before design of the repository began. The libraries partnered with faculty and students with expertise in human-computer interaction to study user needs. The results of this study yielded "personas" describing different classes of potential IR users on university campuses, which can be used to guide IR architects in designing repositories that facilitate increased participation.

Institutional Repositories and Their 'Other' Users: Usability Beyond Authors

ckeller — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:21:38 -0500

"If institutional repositories (IRs) were all that their proponents could have hoped, they would be providing researchers with better access to research, improving institutional prestige, and assisting with formal research assessment [The reality, though, is that IRs are less frequently implemented, harder to fill, and less visible than their advocates would hope or expect.

While technical platforms for IRs, such as DSpace and ePrints have seen an abundance of research, little is known about the users of IRs, neither how they use IR software, nor how usable it is for them. IR users can be divided into three main groups: authors, information seekers, and data creators/maintainers; while authors are reasonably well understood, the latter groups are particularly under-studied."

Designing for Experts: How Scholars Approach an Academic Library Web Site

drupal — Fri, 13 May 2005 15:59:36 -0500

This study examines the use of an academic library Web site by experienced researchers and active scholars. It is part of a larger effort to understand how experienced users approach online information resources and how fully the library's Web site meets their needs. Subjects were asked to complete eight online tasks, beginning each task at the library's home page. Data were gathered by means of screen- and audio-capture software, and human observers as study participants worked through sets of tasks. Results were analyzed in terms of the experience and expertise of the participants, success rate, and the first click indicating the chosen path to the information requested. Subjects had high success rates for most tasks. Searching for information about journals and locating journal articles proved to be the most difficult tasks to successfully complete. Analysis of session recordings revealed some traits of expert users that can be used to improve Web site design, and indicated a correlation between success in searching and the double-expertise of subject knowledge combined with frequent use of the library's Web site.

Seven Common Usability Testing Mistakes

drupal — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 16:38:08 -0600

The author outlines 7 common usability testing mistakes, including the number one mistake, know why you are testing.

Expected and Actual Student Use of an Online Learning Environment: A Critical Analysis

drupal — Tue, 13 Apr 2004 15:56:08 -0500

While Online Learning Environments (OLEs) can potentially support learning that is more autonomous and authentic in nature than traditional instructional environments often allow, students do not always use OLEs in the ways expected or desired by their tutors. This paper examines the findings of a recent evaluation of an OLE designed for Masters-level engineering students and, drawing on relevant research, offers possible explanations for the particular ways in which the students used the environment. The paper concludes with a short set of general recommendations for practitioners.

Managing conflict in software testing

drupal — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 15:24:29 -0600

Conflict between software testers and developers is inevitable, but mindful managers minimize its effect on development projects through communication, mutual respect, even social interaction.

Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns

drupal — Fri, 03 May 2002 17:10:18 -0500

This report offers a survey of the methods that are being deployed at leading digital libraries to assess the use and usability of their online collections and services. Focusing on 24 Digital Library Federation member libraries, the study's author, Distinguished DLF Fellow Denise Troll Covey, conducted numerous interviews with library professionals who are engaged in assessment.