Stephen P.

Asbury
LS 560 Information Technologies
Website Usability Test Assignment

Overview

The following document is a plan for conducting a usability test on a library website, including a
description of the participants (representative users), the tasks the users are to perform, and the methods of
collecting the relevant tests. The plan will involve the selection of five testers and will include five tasks
which will serve as indications of the usability of the website. Data will be collected through online web-
based logging software which will record relevant information such as keystrokes and mouse clicks
performed by the users during the test and the time taken for each task. This data will be reported in the
form of graphical representations and presented to the test administrators. All personal information
concerning the representative users and their performance during the usability test will be kept confidential.

Website Description

The website to be tested is that of the University of Alabama Libraries (http://www.lib.ua.edu/). The
site contains an interface to the library’s catalog and digital collections, a list of the databases available to
students through the University’s subscriptions, and information pertaining to library services such as
interlibrary loan, hours, and staff.

Participants

The usability test will be performed by five users of diverse backgrounds and ages in order to judge the
website’s ability to accommodate all types of users. The selections of the users will be representative of
those who may have the opportunity to interact with the site for various reasons. All users will give
informed consent to their participation in the test, except for the minor, who will have his or her parents’
permission.

User 1: A sixteen-year old high school student.

User 2: A twenty-one year old international college student whose first language is one other than English.
User 3: A thirty year old member of the grounds staff at the University.
User 4: A fifty year old University faculty member.
User 5: A sixty-two year old alum or alumna.

There will be a test administrator who will interact with the representative users and direct their
activities during the test. He/she will also set up and operate the equipment (computers and software) and
monitor their operation.

Setting and Equipment

The test will be conducted in a quiet study room or computer lab reserved for the purpose. The room
will be devoid of distractions and will be well-lighted, equipped with comfortable furniture, and air
conditioned to a comfortable temperature (preferably about 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.) The equipment
used will be a personal computer equipped with Windows Vista software, Internet Explorer, and software
designed to monitor users as they perform the tasks.

Tasks

The users will be directed to perform five tasks which vary in difficulty and are designed to test the ease
of use and navigability of the website. These tasks will be described in terms of the recommended method
of performing them.

1. Find the hours of the McClure Education Library. Usually a user will click on the “Hours” tab on
the left hand side of the UA Libraries home page. Thus this is the easiest task to perform.
2. Find the name of the human resources officer. The way in which this can be accomplished in the
fewest number of clicks is to click on “About UA Libraries”, then “Staff Directory”. The name of
the human resources officer will be near the bottom of the page.
3. Search for “Women”, “history” in the subject heading field. In order to do this one must use the
library catalog, which is accessible by a link on the home page. Then, there is a “Look in” field
selector which is changed to “Subject heading”. The user would then type in “women history” in the
quick search and the resultant subject headings will be displayed.
4. Find the NTIS Database. This is another relatively easy task because the databases tab is located on
the library home page.
5. Find a librarian who specializes in nursing. On the home page under “Research Help” there is a link
called “Subject Specialists” which contains a list of librarians who have responsibility over a single
subject.

Data Gathering and Reporting

While they perform the tasks the users will be monitored through keystroke logging and click logging
software to be determined by the test administrator. The number of keystrokes and clicks for each task will
be recorded as well as the time taken to complete each task. Each user will also be given a survey at the end
of the test asking the following questions:

(1) What was the easiest task that you performed?

(2) The most difficult task?
(3) How would you rate this website in comparison to similar sites you have visited?
(4) How would you improve the design of this website if you had the chance?

The questionnaire will be used to judge the relative attitudes of the users towards the website’s design as
they interacted with it. The keystroke and click logging data will be imported into a Excel spreadsheet or
other similar program for quick analysis. Graphs will be created showing critical data such as keystrokes
and clicks per task and time taken for each task. These will be used by the tester to provide a report to the
operators of the website if needed.
Potential Recommendations

It is the purpose of this test to assess the capabilities of the design of the selected library website to
accommodate a diversity of users in various situations. The users selected are of varying ages and
backgrounds; some are digital immigrants, that is, they have a somewhat rudimentary familiarity with online
systems, while some are intimately familiar with the digital world. Some of the representative users may
encounter difficulty interacting with the interfaces on the website; the logging software will help the test
administrator(s) identify areas that could be improved. The tester can then recommend to the website
administrator key steps to take to make the experience of using the site easier for all users.